Steam Gets Massive Update with Refreshed UI, New In-Game Overlay

Valve has announced a major new update to the PC version of its digital distribution platform Steam. The update brings a host of new features that were originally only available to users of the platform’s beta forks, and will now allow general users to try out new features in the new in-game overlay, among many others.

The company describes the most impactful changes in the new version of Steam as being not immediately visible. From a development standpoint, the update helped the company change how it shares code between Steam on PC, Big Picture Mode, and the Steam Deck. Because of this, many of the new features of the latest update will also be available on the Steam Deck.

Generally speaking, the update brings a new polish to Steam’s UI, streamlining the software’s use of text, and refreshing the UI for several tools like the screenshot manager. Some of the most in-depth changes revolve around the new in-game overlay, which brings a host of new features, like the ability to keep notes on individual games that can be shared across systems through Steam Cloud.