72% of game developers think Steam is a monopoly. However, they have one good reason to keep using it

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Steam has been the leading platform for buying and playing PC games for over two decades. While other stores like Epic Games Store and GOG.com exist, many game developers consider Steam to have a dominant, almost monopolistic, position. Despite this, they continue to use Steam for one key reason.

Steam as a monopoly?

This year in May, Atomik Research, an independent research firm, conducted a study titled “The State of PC Game Distribution.” The study surveyed 306 leaders in the gaming industry from both the UK and the United States.

The survey results show that 72% of gamers think Steam dominates the PC gaming market. Despite this, most gamers – over 75% – still use Steam because it’s where they get the vast majority of their games.

Game developers are increasingly using platforms beyond Steam, such as the Epic Games Store and Xbox store. Nearly half of those surveyed (48%) release their games on both Steam and these alternative platforms. GOG was used by only 10%, and itch.io by just 8%. This limited use of GOG and itch.io isn’t unexpected, as those platforms primarily cater to independent developers.

Most developers—around 80%—intend to sell their games through platforms other than Steam in the next five years. Interestingly, a much smaller percentage—only 32%—currently release physical copies of their games, highlighting the dominance of digital game sales.

Steam is a hit with PC gamers because it’s easy to use. However, while big game companies make a lot of money on the platform, many independent developers struggle to even earn $100.

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2025-11-05 17:34