As the platform that gets the lion’s share of PC game sales, Steam naturally makes a lot of money every year from commissions, publishing fees, and more through its storefront. But how much cash has it made so far in 2026? Unsurprisingly, enough dough to buy Valve co-founder Gabe Newell a few more superyachts. According to the head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics, Rhys Elliot, Steam has made $15 billion in 2026, and with a massive period of high-profile game releases around the corner, that number is likely to surge even higher before the year is over.
Steam’s top releases by gross revenue include AAA games and breakout indie hits, with Forza Horizon 6 leading the charge. The new racing game earned Steam $210.5 million in revenue, while Crimson Desert sales were responsible for $203.3 million, Resident Evil Requiem made just over $200.9 million, and Slay the Spire 2 brought in over $148 million. Rounding out the list is Subnautica 2 at $139.2 million and Meccha Chameleon at $89.8 million.
That’s a lot of cheddar, but it only counts for 6.6% of the $15 billion that Steam has made so far. Elliot noted that the top 100 new games by gross revenue make up 15.9% of Steam’s total 2026 revenue so far–around $2.4 billion. Crimson Desert is also doing a lot of heavy lifting, as it accounts for about 18% of all new-IP revenue in the top 100. “Of the new-game top 100, 63% were actually new IP, but 52.5% of the revenue ($1.25B) came from established IP,” Elliot wrote. “But it’s worth noting Crimson Desert, with its $203M, accounts for about 18% of all new-IP revenue in the top 100. When we take Crimson out of the analysis, the 62 new-IP games make up only about 39%. So yeah, a lot of established IP is doing the legwork, as you’d expect.”
Looking ahead, Steam’s coffers can expect an influx of cash from highly anticipated releases like Phantom Blade Zero, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and Gears of War: E-Day, just to name a few. Valve gets a cut from whatever is sold on Steam, including the lucrative microtransactions and DLC that accompany most games these days. Elliot also spoke to GameSpot recently about what goes into a game price tag as part of our Cheap Week deep-dives.
