Experiment 14: Discovery Queue Update
Making it even easier to discover games on Steam, from top-sellers to new titles
Today's new Steam Labs experiment launches an updated format for the Steam Discovery Queue, creating a more focused experience that makes it easier to explore the games that Steam recommends for you.
You can give the new queue experience a try right here, or you can always find it on the
Steam Labs page.
What is the Steam Discovery Queue?
Originally launched in 2014, the Steam Discovery Queue gives players a way to step through a personalized set of recommended games one at a time. To date, 115 million players have used the Steam Discovery Queue, viewing a combined total of 18 billion game store pages.
What is new about this experiement?
Today's update makes it easier to see key details about each game, and to flip through a queue of games faster than before.
Here are the highlights from this update:
- Launch into the queue without leaving the page you are on
- Simplified presentation of key details about each game to give you a taste of what that game is about
- See why each game is being recommended specifically to you; maybe it's because you have friends who play it, or it's similar to other games you play, for example
- Add a game to your wishlist with the click of a button or view the game's full store page for a more in-depth view
- Ignore games that just aren't your jam. We'll make sure to hide them in the future.
This update brings a whole new presentation to the discovery queue, but we're not done yet. We're launching it in Steam Labs because we'd like
your feedback to help shape this new format and the features it includes.
A couple of things still under way that we plan to roll out in the future:
- Coming soon... new queue display on the Steam homepage
- Coming soon... launch the new queue from any store page
- Coming soon... optimized for all screen sizes from desktop to mobile to tablet
- Coming soon... full support for gamepad UI on Steam Deck
Why now?
We've been working on updating various areas of Steam to work better across a growing range of devices including desktop, mobile, tablets, and now Steam Deck. For the Discovery Queue, we found that we needed a new approach to how it works so that it can be more easily navigated on a variety of devices and to make for a better experience overall.
About Steam Labs
Every year, we create new experiments around discoverability, video, machine learning, and more. You know who we thought might enjoy seeing them? Everyone.
With Steam Labs experiments, you can try, share, and break potential new features, while we figure out what to keep and what to scrap. Share your feedback with the developers and designers working on these features and help shape the future of Steam.
Check out all experiments on the
Steam Labs page or drop us some feedback in the
Steam Labs discussion boards