Proposal: Steam Access Pass – A Subscription Model for Flexible Game Access

[INS_Smoker]

Hello Valve Team (and fellow Steam users),

I’d like to share an idea that I believe could enhance the Steam experience for many players like myself.

The Concept: Steam Access Pass

A monthly or yearly subscription that gives users access to a rotating selection of games without having to buy them individually.

⸻

How It Works:
• Subscription Fee: €20/month (or equivalent in local currency)
• Game Access: Choose up to 20 games per month to add temporarily to your library
• Monthly Refresh: At the start of each month, you can update your list — remove or add different titles, up to the 20-game limit
• Full Experience: Games are fully playable, just like purchased versions
• If the subscription ends, access to the selected games is paused until it’s renewed or purchased permanently

⸻

Why This Matters:

Many players (like myself) end up buying games that stay unplayed or unfinished. With this subscription model:
• We can try and enjoy more games without the pressure of purchase
• Developers get more visibility and engagement
• Valve benefits from steady recurring revenue
• It aligns with modern gaming habits, similar to Xbox Game Pass or Netflix for games

⸻

Example Use Case:

In April, I subscribe for €20 and select:
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Hades
• Stardew Valley
… up to 20 titles

In May, I decide to keep Hades and Stardew, but switch the rest for new titles. Flexible, affordable, and ideal for exploration.

⸻

I believe this model would be a win-win for both players and the platform. Thanks for reading, and I’d love to hear what others think.

[Deadoon]

Developers choose how games are distributed on steam. They choose the price, when it goes on sale, how much it goes on sale for, and when it is removed from steam. Valve does not have the licensing or distribution rights outside of that, games would have to opt in to such a service, like family sharing works.

And you are missing one core piece, developers would make far less from such a service. 1 euro a month for each game is pitiful also, that's multiple years of constant subscription for an equivalent sale of a 30 euro game, so it would be even less incentive to opt in at such an absurd rate.

[Tito Shivan]

They've asked Gabe and he said Steam is not interested in that business model. He's OK with others bringing their own to Steam, like Sony and Microsoft have.

[BJWyler]

And what's the dev's win-win with this model? Visibility and engagement don't pay the electric bill, nor put food on the table.

[76561199833528610]

Originally posted by INS_Smoker:

Why This Matters:

Many players (like myself) end up buying games that stay unplayed or unfinished. With this subscription model:
• We can try and enjoy more games without the pressure of purchase
• Developers get more visibility and engagement
• Valve benefits from steady recurring revenue
• It aligns with modern gaming habits, similar to Xbox Game Pass or Netflix for games

You have 15 games and last added a game to your Steam on the 2nd December 2024. So, how many games have you bought that you've not played where this would help benefit the developers?

Yes, I can see spending 20 dollars to get 20 games making a lot more money than paying 10's of dollars per game instead. /s

Console and mobile habits are not PC habits.

There's the real kicker, you really just want to play games for as little as possible without buying them.

[Princess Luna]

Why gamers want to pay more for games and not less?
You take this subscription nonsense back to where it belongs- consoles

[Princess Luna]

Originally posted by Undercover ALT Moderator Edition:

Originally posted by INS_Smoker:

Why This Matters:

Many players (like myself) end up buying games that stay unplayed or unfinished. With this subscription model:
• We can try and enjoy more games without the pressure of purchase
• Developers get more visibility and engagement
• Valve benefits from steady recurring revenue
• It aligns with modern gaming habits, similar to Xbox Game Pass or Netflix for games

You have 15 games and last added a game to your Steam on the 2nd December 2024. So, how many games have you bought that you've not played where this would help benefit the developers?

Yes, I can see spending 20 dollars to get 20 games making a lot more money than paying 10's of dollars per game instead. /s

Console and mobile habits are not PC habits.

There's the real kicker, you really just want to play games for as little as possible without buying them.

If op personally wants to pay 80 usd per month to Valve why stop them?

[datCookie]

Here's the weekly thread of "give me free stuff", which is essentially what this suggestion is.

The answer is NO, OP.

[Princess Luna]

Originally posted by datCookie:

Here's the weekly thread of "give me free stuff", which is essentially what this suggestion is.

The answer is NO, OP.

Yeah because if you pay Steam subscription how it will know which devs to send money?

[Crazy Tiger]

GabeN already stated Valce isn't interested in their own.