[STEAM][APP]Updates to Free Demos on Steam

[Steam 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

With thousands of playable demos launching on Steam every year, and millions of players trying them out (often as part of Steam Next Fest), we've noticed some trends in feedback from both developers and players about the process and functionality. We've put together an update based on that feedback.

As a reminder, you can always find great demos to play on the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Demos now behave better in the Steam library

We've made a few updates to how demos appear and behave within the Steam Library. Here are the key items:

• You can add demos to your library without having to immediately install them. Just click on the new "add to library" button next to demos you may not be ready to install (while using the mobile app, for instance).
  
• Demos can be installed even if you already own the full game. Primarily, this will make it easier for developers to test demos, but it will also help players more easily manage installing/uninstalling demos.
  
• Demos can be explicitly removed from an account by right-clicking > manage > remove from account.
  
• When a demo is uninstalled, it will automatically get removed from your library.

Demos can now have a separate store page

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Of course you can always find great demos to play on the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Wishlist notifications when demos become available

We've now also made it so that when a demo becomes available for the first time for a game that you have on your Steam wishlist, or from a developer you follow, Steam can send you an email and mobile notification about that demo.

You can opt in or out of these emails by updating your

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Infrequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the deal with the Demo icon? Is that a plate? A vinyl record?
A. That classic icon, my friend, is from the days when demos were commonly distributed through the post office, contained in a bound package of game journalism printed on ***** trees and imprinted on circular media known as Compact Discs.

Q. Some demos just appeared in my Steam library. How did those get there?
A. We've made some changes to visibility of demos in the Steam Library, which may effect demos that you played long ago. We've tried our best to clean up the demos that we expect you don't care about anymore, but we may have missed some. You can easily remove those by right-clicking them in your Steam library and selecting manage > remove from account.

Q. I love free demos. When is the next Steam Next Fest?
A. Check back on October 14th for the next weeklong Steam Next Fest, featuring hundreds of new free playable demos! You can sign up for a reminder by visiting the Next Fest page now:

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up