Mastering the Art of Invisibility: Hiding and Unhiding Games on Steam

Want to declutter your Steam library, keep certain gaming habits private, or simply manage the games that appear in your feed? Steam’s built-in hide and unhide features offer a surprising amount of control over how your games are displayed. Let’s dive into the secrets of mastering these features.

The Quick Guide: Hiding and Unhiding Games

Hiding a game on Steam is incredibly simple:

1. Launch Steam on your computer.
2. Navigate to your Library.
3. Right-click on the game you wish to hide.
4. In the context menu, select “Manage”.
5. Click on “Hide this game”.

Voilà! The game vanishes from your primary library view.

Unhiding a game is just as easy:

1. In the Steam client, click on “View” in the top menu bar.
2. Select “Hidden Games”. This will display a list of all your hidden games.
3. Right-click on the game you want to unhide.
4. In the context menu, select “Manage”.
5. Click on “Remove from hidden”.

The game will then reappear in your regular Steam library.

Why Hide Games on Steam?

You might be wondering why you’d want to hide games in the first place. Here are a few common reasons:

• Decluttering: Maybe you’ve got a huge library and want to focus on the games you’re actively playing. Hiding finished or unwanted games can tidy things up.
• Privacy: Some games might be embarrassing, or you might simply prefer to keep your gaming habits private from friends and family.
• Family Sharing Management: Although there’s a separate Family View feature for restricting content, hiding games can offer an extra layer of control, especially when dealing with shared accounts.
• Focus and Productivity: Seeing a tempting game in your library can be a distraction. Hiding it can help you stay focused on other tasks.
• Curating Your Profile: Your Steam profile is often your public face in the gaming world. Hiding certain games allows you to present a more curated image.

Advanced Privacy Control: Beyond Hiding

While hiding a game removes it from your primary library view, it’s essential to understand that it doesn’t necessarily make all information about that game completely private. For that, you need to delve into Steam’s privacy settings.

1. Go to your Steam Profile.
2. Click “Edit Profile”.
3. Select the “Privacy Settings” tab.

Here, you can control who can see various aspects of your Steam activity, including:

• Game Details: This controls who can see your game list, playtime, and achievements. You can set it to Public, Friends Only, or Private.
• Activity Feed: This setting determines who can see your recent activity, such as game purchases, achievements earned, and games played.
• Friends List: Control who can see your friends list.
• Inventory: Choose who can view your Steam inventory.

By carefully configuring these privacy settings, you can ensure that your Steam activity is only visible to the people you want to see it.

Family View: Protecting Younger Gamers

Steam’s Family View feature is designed to protect younger users from inappropriate content. It allows you to restrict access to specific games and features, such as the Steam Store and community content.

To set up Family View:

1. Click on “Steam” in the top menu bar.
2. Select “Settings”.
3. Go to the “Family” tab.
4. Click “Manage Family View”.

You can then select the games and features you want to restrict and set a PIN to prevent unauthorized changes. The Games Learning Society promotes responsible gaming, and Family View is a valuable tool for parents. Visit GamesLearningSociety.org to learn more.

FAQs: Your Burning Questions Answered

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about hiding and unhiding games on Steam:

FAQ 1: Can my friends see my hidden games on Steam?

Hiding a game only removes it from your primary library view. To completely hide your game activity, you need to adjust your privacy settings. Setting “Game Details” to “Private” will prevent your friends from seeing what you’re playing.

FAQ 2: Does hiding a Steam game hide my activity?

Not by default. Hiding a game only hides it from your library view. To hide your activity, you must change your privacy settings under your Steam profile.

FAQ 3: How do I hide games from family sharing on Steam?

Family Sharing has its own controls. While hiding the game may seem like it works, it can still be accessed on the shared account. To manage which games are accessible through Family Sharing, use the Family View settings.

FAQ 4: I hid a game, but it still shows up in my “Recently Played” list. Why?

The “Recently Played” list might still show the game if you played it recently. Adjusting your privacy settings to hide your game details is the best way to prevent others from seeing your activity.

FAQ 5: Is there a way to permanently remove a game from my Steam account?

Yes, but it’s not the same as hiding. You need to contact Steam Support and request the removal of the game from your account. Note that you will not receive a refund for the game.

FAQ 6: If I hide a game, can I still play it?

Yes. Hiding a game only affects its visibility in your library. You can still launch and play the game as usual by searching for it or finding it through the “Hidden Games” view.

FAQ 7: Can I hide multiple games at once?

Unfortunately, Steam does not offer a batch-hiding option. You have to hide each game individually.

FAQ 8: Will hiding a game prevent it from downloading updates?

No. Hiding a game doesn’t affect its update schedule. Steam will still download updates for hidden games if automatic updates are enabled.

FAQ 9: What’s the difference between “hiding” a game and “uninstalling” it?

Hiding a game simply removes it from your primary library view. Uninstalling a game removes the game files from your computer. You can reinstall a hidden game at any time without repurchasing it.

FAQ 10: If I buy a game and immediately hide it, will my friends see that I own it?

If your “Game Details” privacy setting is set to “Public” or “Friends Only,” your friends may see that you own the game, even if it’s hidden in your library. Setting it to “Private” will prevent them from seeing it.

FAQ 11: How can I tell if a game is hidden?

The easiest way is to go to View -> Hidden Games. Only hidden games will appear in that specific view.

FAQ 12: Does hiding a game prevent it from appearing in Steam search results?

No. Hiding a game only affects its visibility in your library. It will still appear in search results.

FAQ 13: Can I hide DLC or add-ons separately from the base game?

DLC and add-ons are generally linked to the base game. Hiding the base game will effectively hide the associated DLC and add-ons from your primary library view.

FAQ 14: I unhid a game, but it’s not appearing in my library. What should I do?

Try restarting the Steam client. Ensure your library filter isn’t hiding the game. You might also need to check your installed games filter in the library settings.

FAQ 15: How do I block someone from seeing what games I own?

You can’t specifically block someone. However, if you set your game details to “Private” in your Steam profile privacy settings, no one except you will be able to see what games you own. This is a global setting that applies to everyone on your friends list, not a setting that can be enabled for specific friends.

Final Thoughts

Steam’s hiding and privacy features offer a nuanced level of control over your gaming experience. Whether you want to declutter your library, protect your privacy, or manage content for younger users, these tools provide the flexibility you need. By understanding how these features work and carefully configuring your privacy settings, you can tailor your Steam experience to your exact preferences.