Steam generated an estimated $1.7 billion in gross revenue during September 2026, making it the platform’s best September on record, according to market analyst Alinea Analytics. The estimate represents a 13% increase over September 2025, which previously held the September record. Alinea’s latest analysis also estimates that Steam generated $5.5 billion during the third quarter, its strongest Q3 to date.
The figures come from Alinea Analytics’ September 2026 Steam analysis, published by analyst Rhys Elliott. Valve does not publicly disclose Steam’s monthly revenue, so the $1.7 billion figure is an industry estimate rather than a company-reported result. Alinea says its analysis covers the platform’s top 500 grossing games, which together represented about three-quarters of Steam’s September revenue, while its broader platform estimate is used for the $1.7 billion total.
The September result extends a strong year for Steam. Alinea estimates that the platform generated $16.5 billion in gross revenue during the first nine months of 2026, up 13% from an estimated $14.5 billion over the same period in 2025. September therefore added another substantial month to a year that had already surpassed Steam’s previous full-year revenue totals from several earlier periods.
Alinea’s figures also show that established games continued to account for most of the platform’s revenue. Among the top 500 grossing games in September, established intellectual property accounted for about 79.5% of revenue, while new intellectual properties represented approximately 20.5%. Games released during 2026 generated 33.6% of the revenue represented by that top-500 group, with 2025 releases contributing 8.7% and 2024 releases contributing 9.3%.
New releases nevertheless made a substantial contribution to September’s result. Alinea estimates that Wardogs generated $86.9 million on Steam during the month following its September 10 early-access launch, making it the month’s highest-grossing new premium release. Onimusha: Way of the Sword generated an estimated $30.4 million on Steam during September, while The Blood of Dawnwalker generated $26.9 million.
Several established or previously released games also contributed significantly. Bodycam generated an estimated $24.2 million in September, which Alinea says was its strongest month to date following a major update. EA Sports FC 27 generated about $20.7 million through Steam sales during the month, while free-to-play games including Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, PUBG and Dota 2 collectively generated almost $168 million on the platform.
The quarter-level figures provide another indication of Steam’s performance in 2026. Alinea estimates that Steam generated $5.5 billion during Q3, 12% more than the same quarter in 2025. Combined with the first two quarters, that brings the analyst’s estimate for the first nine months of the year to $16.5 billion.
Alinea also expects Steam to pass $20 billion in gross revenue for the first time across a calendar year. That is a projection rather than a completed result, and the firm’s September analysis bases the expectation partly on the release schedule for the final quarter. Steam would still need to generate more than $3.5 billion during October, November and December to reach the $20 billion threshold.
The estimates point to continued growth for Valve’s PC storefront, but they should not be treated as audited financial results. Alinea’s figures are independent estimates, while Valve has not published an official September revenue figure. Even with that limitation, the estimated $1.7 billion September total represents a new monthly benchmark in Alinea’s Steam tracking and follows the platform’s record third-quarter performance.
