If you’re a PC gamer, chances are you use Steam to buy and play your games. While Steam is great for keeping your game collection organized and accessible, there are some games you might not want others to know you’re playing.
Maybe it’s a guilty pleasure, or maybe you just don’t want people to see how much time you’ve sunk into a certain game. Whatever the reason, here’s how to hide games on Steam.
Hiding Games on Steam
Hiding games from plain view on Steam is possible and is a rather easy process. There are a few things you must understand first. Hiding games will not affect your gameplay in any manner, nor will it stop showing you updates for the game.
Do not worry, the game will not be uninstalled, it will just be hidden from plain view and will work exactly like any other unhidden game on your Steam.
With that said, let’s look at the actual process of hiding games on steam.
- Open up Steam and go to your library.
- Right-click on the game you want to hide.
- Click on the Manage button.
- Click on Hide this game.
Unhiding Games on Steam
Since every action has an equal and opposite reaction, you may also want to unhide your game on Steam. To do so, follow these steps:
- Run the Steam app.
- Click on View on the top menu bar.
- Go to Hidden Games.
- Click on the game you want to unhide.
- Click on the Manage button.
- Select the Remove from hidden option.
How to Hide In-game Status on Steam
In-game status is a great way to let your friends know what you’re doing, but sometimes you might not want everyone to know you’re playing a certain game. Here’s how to hide your in-game status on Steam.
- Launch Steam and log in to your account.
- Click on “Friends & Chat” in the bottom-right corner of the Steam client.
- Next to your avatar, click on the arrow icon.
- Select the invisible option.
You can also select the offline mode but that will restrict you from chatting with other players in a match.
How to Hide Status From Certain Friends
If you’re like most people, you probably have a few friends on Steam whom you don’t want to show your online status. Whether it’s because they’re always asking to play games when you’re busy, or you just don’t want them to know you’re online, there’s an easy way to hide your status from certain friends on Steam. Follow these steps to do so:
- Open Steam and log into your account.
- Hover your cursor over your nametag and click on Friends.
- Find the friend you want to hide your status from in the list of friends and click on the arrow icon next to their name.
- Hover over Manage.
- Click on Block all communication.
How to Remove Games Permanently From Steam
While Steam offers a great variety of games, it can also be overwhelming when trying to keep track of all the games in your library. If you have decided that you no longer want to play a particular game, you can remove it from your Steam library permanently. This will free up space and declutter your game collection. If you want to remove a game from your computer and Steam account permanently follow this guide:
- Run the Steam client.
- Go to Help.
- Select Steam Support.
- Scroll down to the search bar and search for the game you want to permanently delete.
- Click on the game after you’ve located it.
- Scroll down and click on the I want to permanently remove this game from my account option and confirm the action.