Steam Tricks: Become an expert with these secret tips and advice

Since many years, Steam has been considered one of the best platforms that exist to run video games from a computer and currently its fame, worldwide, continues to increase. Which stands out for being a digital video game distribution website developed by Valve and is characterized by hosting a truly enviable catalog of titles.

For his part, regarding its operation, it is worth noting that, through this platform, users can buy numerous games belonging to different developers. Taking into account that, they must acquire them through a personal subscription that is associated with your account and therefore cannot be transferred to another person.

Now, although Steam has a large number of users around the world, the truth is that many of them They still do not know how they can get the most out of this video game platform.. Therefore, it is appropriate to highlight the best tricks there are to use on Steam, both at the level of basic users and also for the most advanced.

List of the 25 best Steam tricks to get the most out of it

Now, despite the fact that users often think that Steam is simply a platform used to download a game and run it, in effect It is a website that goes beyond that and allows you to enjoy various features and configure certain options so that each user can optimize their experience and enjoy much more.

For this reason, in order to get the most out of this benchmark of video games par excellence in the PC world, it is highly relevant to know what are the most optimal tactics and the most beneficial tips to take into account when using the platform.

Below, we detail 25 ideal tricks for any type of player:

Recover the games you have deleted

It is likely that, at some point, you have decided to delete a video game hosted in your Steam library, but then you feel sorry for it and want to restore it to whatever it may be. Fortunately, There is an option that will allow you to go back and thus recover the game quickly..

However, before specifying the steps that must be followed, it is appropriate to highlight that this tactic is not effective with all the games available on the platform. That is, there will be many that you can restore and others that cannot.

Now, we proceed to explain the procedure to be carried out in these cases:

From your account in the Steam application, go to the top left and press the tab that says "Help". With that, a pop-up menu will open and among the options there are, click on “Steam Support”.
After that, they will take you to the platform support page and there, you have to press where it says "Games, softwares, etc.".
Now, you will have a search engine through which you can locate the game you want to restore in your Steam library. That is, there you have to write the name of the title in question.
Then, once you access the video game file, click on the option "Not in my library".
Finally, you will enter another screen in which it is reported that you already had that product previously. At this point, if possible, press the button that indicates "Restore the previously removed package to my account" and ready. In case that option does not appear, you will know that you cannot restore the game.

Install multiple video games simultaneously

Usually, there is only the possibility of installing games and / or applications one by one in the vast majority of sites; which can detract from user productivity. For this reason, Steam has focused on offering users better simplicity and thus, supports the function of installing multiple games at the same time.

In this sense, basically, what you should do is select all the video games you want to download and then, you have to choose the option that indicates Install. Next, each step to perform:

First of all, go to the Steam app and access the Library section located at the top.
After that, select all the video games you want to download, with just left click on them and hold down the Control key on your keyboard simultaneously.
Once you have all the games chosen in such a way, right click on them and a menu will appear. Now in that menu, press "Install" for the process to start.

It should be noted that if you want to deselect a game and keep all the others selected, you should simply press above that title while pressing Ctrl.

Define launch parameters on the platform

To the advantage of many people who use Steam, the web provides an option with which it is easy to specify the launch parameters of a certain game. Either run it with a specific version of DirectX or delimit it always launch in windowed mode.

This being a pretty cool trick, since it's based on an advanced option that no basic user actually knows exists. Taking into account that, It is an ideal mechanism for playing around or testing games that can be very helpful., despite the fact that these are always optimized. The process to complete consists of:

Login to your Steam account, find the game to which you want to define certain launch parameters and right click on it.
With the above, you will see a new menu and among all the selections there are, click on "Properties", for later click on "Define launch parameters".
Next, they will show you a window in which you have to write some commands, depending on what you prefer to specify for that title. Some interesting commands are provided here:

View the price history of a Steam video game

Another of the most suggestive tactics to handle on Steam, is to observe the entire price history of a certain title. As, If you choose to buy a specific offer for a game with its price history, it will be easier to know if it is good or inadequate.

In this sense, despite the fact that the platform is not in charge of providing such important information, each user can obtain it. through the website of “SteamDB.info”. So, once you search for and access this site, you simply have to:

Type the name of the game in question in the available search engine.
Then, click on the APPID numeric code to be able to specify the title that is or its variant.
Finally, in your file, it will be possible to view the evolution of prices that it has had over time. Even, from the download icon located in the lower right corner, you can download that data on your computer.

Check how much money you have spent in total

Out of curiosity, for financial reasons or for any reason, for many users it is of great interest to be able to calculate and / or know, specifically, what is the amount of money they have spent on Steam since they created their account. But, they have no knowledge of how to access such information easily.

However, through this trick of great interest, you can access an internal link of the platform and thus, enter a page that allows you to find out everything you have spent there in its entirety.

Next, we indicate how you can obtain this information:

Start by clicking on the following link: «Https://help.steampowered.com/es//login/?redir=%2Fes%2Faccountdata%2FAccountSpend»
Next, you have to log in to your Steam account with your account name and password correctly. Once you click on "Log in", you will enter the page that gives you this information.
Now you'll see three types of data They show your calculation date and the amount spent in USD (or dollars).
If you focus on "TotalSpend", you will know how much is the total money paid on this platform and if you look in "OldSpend" You will see the amount you spent on Steam before these limited accounts will be activated in 2015. Finally, the data "PWSpend" refers to the amount of money used in Perfect World games, specifically.

Listen to your favorite music while you play

Despite the fact that Steam cannot yet be complemented with streaming services such as Spotify, it satisfactorily provides an option from which you can listen to music using the songs you have stored in the memory of your computer. So, it allows you control playback from the same application without having to leave the video game you are running.

So, if your attention is drawn to using this kindness of Steam, Here we present the step by step to carry out for that:

Access the platform and at the top left of the screen, press the steam button.
Then, in the menu of options that they show you, you have to click on the option that prints "Parameters". With which, a configuration menu will open and there, in the left column, proceed to click on “Music”.
At this point, you can start add and scan the local folders where you have the songs to listen to.
Finally, when you start any game and want to listen to music, you have to press "Shift + Tab" to be able to open Steam Overlay (that same keyboard shortcut closes the function). In that window, press the "Music" button and with this, the application player will be displayed.

Multitask within Steam without leaving the game or minimizing it

Doing use of Steam overlay, you have the possibility of obtaining a superimposed menu in any game and through it, executing different tasks without having to leave the application or the game you are running at any given time. In order to open this utility, you simply must press the "Shift + Tab" keys simultaneously.

Thus, through Steam Overlay, you will have the option to carry out any type of search, access the guides of the game you have started, observe the screenshots you have taken, see meeting points or discussions about the game, etc.

Broadcast games for your family and / or friends

As an internal alternative to Twitch and other live and direct streaming platforms, Steam offers this solution to its users. In this sense, it refers to a function that you find within the Parameters of each application, so you should look for the title in question within the section "Library", right click on it and access that option.

After that, among all the options available in Parameters, proceed to click on "Broadcast" and since then, they provide you with several options to specify privacy settings and determine who can see your games (they can be public for everyone or only by invitation), choose the dimensions of the video and customize other alternatives of interest.

The most advantageous thing about this is that you will not consume bandwidth until someone agrees and begins to watch your games live.

Resort to community guides

Practically from the beginning of Steam, its users have the possibility of resorting to the guides of a certain game and with that, they can save a lot of time trying to pass a specific level. Taking into account that, these are guides made by other qualified users in the Steam community.

Now, to gain access to them, all you have to do is the following:

Start by opening Steam and click on the section that says "Community" in the top menu of the application.
Secondly, click on the “Guides” section and at this point, it will be possible to get the different manuals available on the platform.
If you want to find guides for a specific game, you have to right click on that game within the Library section and select the option that says “See community guides”. In this way, you will see the manuals created on the specific title.

Play streaming from another computer or mobile device

It is no secret to anyone that, over the years, Steam has developed different tools and one of them allows users run local streaming games. Thus, if you have a powerful gaming computer you can download the video game you want from there and then, play it from another computer that is not so powerful remotely; which has to be in the same WiFi network.

Apart from that, if you want to do the same on a smartphone or tablet, you have the possibility of use a Steam Link mobile app that offers that feature. Thus, you only have to install the app, configure the necessary parameters and establish the connection between the computer where you have the games and the mobile, in order to start the titles you prefer.

Modify the skin of Steam

Chances are, you're used to seeing Steam with its classic look all the time, and perhaps not being able to change its look can seem tedious. But, for the benefit of many players on this platform, There is an excellent customization option that allows you to change the default Steam skin easily..

This, thanks to the customer has a skins system with which you can modify your theme and for this, you must download them. Which you can do from unofficial dedicated pages like “steamskins.org” or “steamcustomizer.com”. Once you can download the topic you prefer from any of these web pages, The installation process on Steam consists of the following steps:

Proceed to copy each theme inside the skins folder of the directory where you have installed the Steam application.
Now go to option "Interface" located in the section "Parameters".
Later, inside “Select appearance”, the topic in question should be shown and there you have to select it. That's it.

Change library views

For further customization of the platform, you can also change the view of your Steam library. Because, by default, this section of the application makes use of a view known as "Details" which is based on the conventional column located on the left and on the right side shows the details of the chosen game.

However, if you want to do without such a view, you can choose to use some others available on the platform. In this sense, you will have to access the section that says "Views" at the top right of the Library and there, choose one of the other two views that there are, which are: "List" or "Grid".

With respect to the List type viewWe emphasize that it will only display a window with a list containing the games and their covers are larger. On the other hand, the Grid view It shows the covers of each title in an absolutely visual way.

Hide games from your library

In case you have saved a video game that embarrasses you to such an extent that you prefer not to show it in your Steam account in the Library section, you have the possibility of hide this title through this trick that is based on hiding what you want on Steam.

For this, the steps to be carried out are:

First of all, access your Steam account and click on "Library" at the top of the screen.
Now, it's time to find the game you prefer to hide and right-click on it. Among the options available at this point, click on “Assign categories”.
It's time to enable the option that says "Hide this product in my library" And since then, the video game will become invisible.

Organize your games by categories

If you are a Steam user for a long time or recently accessed and you have taken advantage of the sale periods of this platform, surely you will have accumulated a large number of games in your library. Reason why, it is probably difficult for you to find the games you like to enjoy them. But, to fix this quickly, you can choose to add custom categories to all the titles that you keep in your library and that way, section them according to your own preferences and criteria.

If you find it interesting to use this helpful trick, here we explain you can do it easily:

Inside the Steam app with your account open, enter "Library".
There, you have to right-click on the video game you want and press the button that says "Assign categories".
In third place, you just need to add the category you want, manually. Also, you must do all the games one by one.

Get a copy of a DRM-free degree

In case you still did not know, we clarify that DRM or digital rights management, refers to a feature with which the system can ensure that games don't go hacking. Therefore, on Steam it is possible to make backup copies of any video game, but subject to your DRM in order that it cannot be run off the platform.

However, although it is not an official solution, it is certainly a trick through which you can make a copy of the game with which it can be run anywhere without problems. Thus, it is an alternative provided by the GOG service which consists of an alternative store where all the hosted video games are DRM-free.

For his part, Steam supports an option called "GOG Connect" And from it, you can link your account and thus receive a free DRM-free copy of some games, when you access the service's website and log in. However, you must understand that Not all games available on Steam can be found without digital rights management (only a few).

Check out upcoming Steam releases

For many users, it is truly difficult to stay on top of everything Steam launches and / or publishes, because every day the platform updates its library and hosts numerous games that are mostly little known. But, in order to be sure to observe everything that this platform publishes and thus improve your user experience, you can use this trick.

In this sense, you will have to rely on your client's store, where it has several filters with which it is very simple stay on top of new or upcoming releases. Since, one of these filters works to only look at the games that will be published for the time being.

For that, we recommend you enter the next URL; "Https://store.steampowered.com/search/?category1=998&filter=comingsoon", than you have already selected the tag "Coming soon" inside the game store. Also, in the right column of that page, it will be possible to filter the content by genre, number of players, language, operating system and many other options.

Introduce third-party games or applications to Steam

Many people choose to buy a game outside of Steam to maximize their experience, but they do not know how they can add it to the library of said application to keep it there. Fortunately, this website allows to include third-party games and apps in a very easy wayBecause the same system deals with analyzing everything you have installed on your computer.

In this sense, it will be very easy to launch other interesting games and applications such as Spotify, using the following procedure:

From your Steam account, click on the tab that says “Products”. Thus, a menu will open with various options, from which you must select "Add a non-Steam product to my library".
Once this is done, a window will open in which all the automatically installed applications will be loaded. Therefore, proceed to select the games or applications that you want to introduce.
Finally, once you have chosen all the third party games or apps, click on the "Add selected" button and ready.

Launch the application in Big Picture mode

While true, Big Picture mode consists of a full-screen interface that allows Steam acted as if it were a console and in that way, it is much simpler to use through a command. In other words, if you use a computer solely for the purpose of running games, this configuration can be very useful for you.

Next, we indicate the steps to follow to activate Big Picture mode on your Steam account:

Once you log in to your platform account, locate yourself in the upper left of the application and press the steam button to open a full menu of options. Among those, click on “Parameters”.
Then go to the configuration menu, click on "Interface" in the left column and so, enable the option that says "Start Steam in Big Picture mode". As you can see, it is very easy.

Move your Steam games to another hard drive

If, at any time, your computer has space problems or has a second hard drive where you prefer to host some video games, you have to know that Steam offers you the possibility of move the titles you want to another hard drive, without having to go through the tedious process of uninstalling and reinstalling them again.

Here we show you how:

From your account, go to the top left, press the Steam button and in the menu with options, click on "Parameters".
Then when you enter the setup menu, click "Downloads" which is located in the left column.
After that, click on “Steam library folders” And with that, a window will open with the default folders to store your video games.
Now at that point, click "Add library folder" and select the hard drive, as well as the specific folder to move the games.
Finally, right-click on a game in the library and click "Parameters". There, tap on “Move installation folder” and choose the previously configured folder on the other hard drive.

Change the section you access when entering Steam

By default, when you open Steam the first thing you notice is the store section. But, if you prefer to modify this and visualize something different when entering the application, it supports the possibility of customizing this parameter.

It is because of that, We proceed to explain the process to follow for that in order to save a few clicks in future occasions:

Start with press the steam button at the top left of the app and in the options menu, click on “Parameters”.
Then, within the configuration menu that you see at this point, click on “Interface”. There, click on the box below "Select which Steam window will appear when the program starts".
Now, you will see that the store is selected, but you can choose other options such as Library, News, Friends, Friends Activity, Community or Servers.

Make a backup of your games

Steam also offers you the ability to make local backups of your installed games, which is ideal when you have a very slow internet connection or in case you don't want to be having to download the 60 GB of a game the next time install it. Thus, you can use these files to reinstall them instead of redoing the entire download process.

To perform this procedure, the steps indicated are as follows:

Access the application and press the Steam button, for later click on “Backup and restore program” which is an option found on the menu in question.
After that, you will see a new window with two options available and in it, you have to selectClick on “Make a backup of the installed programs” and then click Next.
Now, proceed to choose the games or applications you want to back up and tap next. Then, choose a destination folder for the backup and click on Next.
Then choose a name for the files and define the size of each one.
Done that, finally, click Next and the backup will start immediately.

Install your games on another computer without the need for downloads

With the trick explained above, not only will you be able to restore a certain title without problem, but you can also enter files that are divided into a drive, such as a USB and thus, manage to restore it on any other computer easily, in which you have Steam with your personal account.

Thanks to that, you can take the game you have on one computer to another without the prior requirement to start downloads. Thus, we explain the process to follow here:

From the main application window, press the Steam button and click on “Backup”.
Subsequently, you have to find the location of your copies and follow all the steps that indicate you there to proceed.
Also, remember that the backup games continue with DRM and consequently you will have to restore them by Steam with your account. That is, choose the second option that they show you.

Share your titles with family and friends

If you want to be able to share video games with a select group of users of the platform, Steam offers you the possibility of doing so very simply. Taking into account that, with this trick, it is only possible to authorize up to five people to enter your library without any limitation and even manage to run a game while you are playing it.

Now, to make use of this goodness, you have to complete a series of steps that we provide below:

First of all, press the Steam button and when the indicated options menu opens, click on “Parameters”.
Then, in the column on the left, click on “Familiar” and once you are there, go to the section "Family loan" and there tap on the option "Manage other computers".
To conclude, you can add the accounts of other users in order for them to enter your library whenever they want.

Update drivers easily

In case you want to run video games and find it tedious to check for updates for your graphics card, there is a very simple way to check it. from an option that the same Steam application contains.

Here we indicate what you must do to update drivers:

Access your account on the page and proceed to click on the “Steam” tab from the top wall.
Now, among all the options that are found, click on “Check for video driver updates” and ready.

Watch the fps of video games without using additional programs

Currently, there are various titles that have an indicator of frames per second (fps) and it is also possible to make use of certain applications that have the ability to measure the fps of the games, as well as other parameters. However, to avoid using extra programs or applications, There is a trick through which it is easy to see the fps that a specific game runs..

So, to activate the frames per second of your video games through the same steam, you have to carry out the following step by step:

Login to your account and enter the Steam tab, there you have to select the "Parameters" option.
After that, search for and press "In game" and since then, the frame per second counter of all your games will be enabled. Also, they allow you choose the area of the screen where you prefer to display that data.

Alternatives to Steam What are the best video game platforms?

Today, in addition to Steam, there are also other online platforms ideal for enjoying an extensive catalog of high-quality video games. Therefore, in view of the fact that there is a life beyond this website developed by Valve, it is valuable discover other solutions of interest to execute the titles you want.

Below, we highlight three of the best alternatives to Steam:

Origin.com

GOG.com

Windows Store

Básicamente, es otra de las tiendas de juegos más completas del mercado y, por ende, aunque su funcionamiento es muy diferente al de Steam, vale la pena incluirla como una óptima alternativa a esta última plataforma. Lo cual, es gracias a que aloja numerosos juegos de todo tipo y maneja todas las categorías existentes. Además de ello, incluye sus exclusivos títulos, tales como Forza Horizon o Gears Of War.

Sumado a eso, se destaca también por ofrecer juegos gratuitos y de pago con diferentes modalidades; por esa razón, los usuarios cuentan con diferentes opciones para poder disfrutar de los juegos que ofrece. Adicional a ello, presenta la particularidad de contener juegos online y también offline.