If you’ve ever had the feeling that there are just way too many games being released, then you’re A) not wrong and B) not alone. Just one look at the 2026 release calendar will have your head spinning. If you’re brave enough, then go on Steam and sort by New Releases and then Upcoming Release for the ultimate head spiral.
According to SteamDB, over 19,000 games were released on the platform in 2025. Of those 19,000 titles, more than half had fewer than 10 reviews, with some receiving zero engagement on Steam.
Flash forward to 2026 and, Jenna Stoeber, a video game content creator, has released an in-depth look at the sheer amount of titles releasing on a daily basis.
Specifically, in the first seven days of 2026, 230 games were released on Steam. For reference, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) released a grand total of … 837 titles in the United States and Canada, of which only 677 were licensed.
All The Games We’ve Heard Nothing About In 2025
Over the past 12 months, plenty of games have been radio silent.
Many Of These Games Either Had AI, Were NSFW Or Were A Combination Of Both
Right off the rip, as Stoeber found, things on January 1 alone signaled what kind of week was in store for Steam, with 42 games being released on the year’s first day alone. Of that group, nearly half the list had some form of AI used, including three titles from the same developer alone!
That trend carried into the rest of the week, as a whopping 81 used AI and had disclaimers on Steam, ranging from “increased resolution” on its Steam storepage screenshots to downright admissions that the entirety of the game was built with AI (art, voice acting and writing).
It was also found that 30 NSFW games were released, and only six stated that there was no AI usage, but that could be debated.
Just like SteamDB found during its year-end review of Steam, so many of these games lacked reviews. Other titles that did have reviews, many of them were spam reviews, seemingly created in an effort to boost the game’s standing on the Steam store.
Perhaps most frustrating, particularly if you’re a developer or fan of real titles, is the fact that legitimate, non-asset flip, zero AI use games were released throughout this period. However, with the sheer amount of spam that exists, they’ve released into a black hole that is continually expanding.
In all, the essay is a rather sobering look at just how awful things have gotten on Steam, and that’s just “Week 1.” By all estimations, that record 19,000-plus titles will no doubt be smashed in 2026.
Go figure, over a dozen titles are slated for launch tomorrow, Jan. 19.
- Brand
-
Valve
- Original Release Date
-
September 12, 2003
- Original MSRP (USD)
-
N/A
- Weight
-
N/A
