Steam overhaul from Valve will include UI changes, more curator features

Steam users should expect more changes to come to the platform as Valve is aiming to target some issues within the game marketplace and to address vulnerabilities.

Valve is always updating Steam with minor updates and nothing really big but the company seems to be planning to roll out large updates for the platform. The launch is not instant and is expected to follow through in the subsequent weeks.

The news comes from a developer-only post from NeoGAF which details Valve's plans to overhaul the Steam software for everyone. A fresh homepage design is also included plus more categories are expected to appear for the games.

Valve reportedly wants to remove visual clutter from the pages in order to bring the best user experience for everyone, Gamasutra has learned. While the current Steam pages look okay now, some users are still confused as to what goes where and where to go if they want to find a particular set of games.

Steam allows players to find and discover new games that would fit their preferences. New games are also displayed on the front page to lure users into buying them or trying them out as demos can also be highlighted.

The new update will also give Steam curators new powers for their posts in terms of whether they are only informational or if they are recommendations, GameSpot reported. Valve said that it would help them better understand whether the posts should be promoted to the front page or if they should just appear on their individual Steam product page.

Steam friends will also get a new categorization called "Popular Among Friends" that will give recommendations according to what friends play the most. Although the criteria are not at all that clear at the moment.

Valve will still need to announce the release date for the Steam overhaul but the statement on NeoGAF said tha it would arrive "in a few weeks" which could range between two weeks to a whole month at the earliest. Users will get a notification when they start Steam regarding the new overhaul when it finally rolls out.