Steam algorithm changes boost visibility for indie games

Changes to the Steam storefront algorithm appear to be significantly increasing visibility for indie game developers. Tim Bender, CEO of Hooded-Horse, reported that a small title saw store visits jump from 14 over five months to over 7,000 in a single month due to placement in the ‘Discounts & Events’ section.

Industry observers, including GameDiscoverCo founder Simon Carless, suggest that Valve has modified how games are selected for this section. Instead of focusing solely on daily deals, the platform now appears to prioritize titles that align with the specific interests of logged-in users. This shift allows smaller indie titles with limited review counts to reach much larger audiences through personalized recommendations.