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PayPalIf you're on the Steam Client Beta (Desktops), you might have noticed the Steam store looking a bit different with the latest update. Valve announced a refresh of the Steam store menu noting it's designed to "provide easier access to the places Steam users most frequently visit".
What's changed? A lot actually. The whole left sidebar of links is entirely gone, combined into the new store bar at the top. It also puts the bar on more pages across on Steam, to give you access to the search and links easily. It will also disappear when you scroll down, just scroll up a bit for it to reappear.
Valve have also enhanced the search bar too. It now offers more options when searching including:
- Popular Searches: See what others are searching for right now
- Recently Viewed: An easy way to jump back to games you've previously looked at
- More than just games: Search for categories/tags, publishers, and more
- Advanced Search link: For those who want to refine their game search even further, we’ve made it easier than ever to access the advanced search page with a variety of filters.
There's more including recommendations, categories and tags personalised to you and various smaller changes.
If you've tried it out in the Steam Client Beta, drop a comment to let us know what you think.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
About the author - Liam Dawe
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. You can also follow my personal adventures on Bluesky.
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Xpander 7 days ago
Popular Searches - don't really care about
Categories are now kinda stupid big blobs, but luckily theres show more that gives better list
Theres also lots of wasted empty space on the both sides now.
Search box now shows the price also which i dont think it previously showed, thats nice but again it has big banners on the search list and fits less titles into it..
overall pretty bad, but its been going worse for last few years already...so yeah
im old a grumpy with the "modern" designs.
Categories are now kinda stupid big blobs, but luckily theres show more that gives better list
Theres also lots of wasted empty space on the both sides now.
Search box now shows the price also which i dont think it previously showed, thats nice but again it has big banners on the search list and fits less titles into it..
overall pretty bad, but its been going worse for last few years already...so yeah
im old a grumpy with the "modern" designs.
4 Likes
Vortex_Acherontic 7 days ago
I hope the Steam Store will now be less tedious to use on Deck
4 Likes
Phlebiac 6 days ago
Search box now shows the price also which i dont think it previously showed, thats nice but again it has big banners on the search list and fits less titles into it..
Comparing the search in the client versus on the web, using "blood" since "Bloody Spell" is in the screenshot (on sale cheap right now; picked it up and found it well worth the bargain price):
a) both old and new show the prices, but only the new makes it obvious when it's a sale price (useful improvement)
b) old shows 5 search results, new only shows 4 (making space for other stuff and keeping it short overall?)
c) both show a tag match and a developer match; the old shows a game count for them, so seems better to me
d) as far as I can tell, the "advanced search" button just duplicates clicking on the magnifying glass or hitting enter
e) old shows when things are in your library or wishlist, new does not
So comparing using those: new wins for a, old wins for b, c, and e, and I'd say old kind of wins for d, but since that's counted as b, we could call it a draw on that point. If they fix c and e, new search would be better.
2 Likes
TheRiddick 6 days ago
I never really liked the infinite scrolling way they have it now, a more menuized control or tableized way to find stuff on the first page is the way to go.
2 Likes
TheSHEEEP 6 days ago
I wonder how many decades we'll have to wait for a proper WYSIWYG editor in Steam... or hell, even just proper buttons/shortcuts for formatting options.
The Steam review/comment editor looks like it was unchanged since the early 2000s.
The Steam review/comment editor looks like it was unchanged since the early 2000s.
0 Likes
R Daneel Olivaw 6 days ago
hahah that's quite a wishlist you have there!!! 600+ games!!!
I almost never use that left or top bars for navigation in the store, so I guess I will barely even notice this change. I probably should try to dive into the categories and stuff like that more often though.
I almost never use that left or top bars for navigation in the store, so I guess I will barely even notice this change. I probably should try to dive into the categories and stuff like that more often though.
0 Likes
scaine 5 days ago
Minor rant, but "auto-detecting disappearing top-bar" is one of my most-hated features in any app, or any web page. Especially on touch, the detection is usually crap, and it'll pop up even while I'm scrolling down. And, since it vanishes mostly on scroll-down, I forget it's there, and when I need it, I have to move the page to make it re-appear.
It's a shit design choice, and the only reason it exists is from the early days of mobile. Now, Valve are reviving it for the Deck. <sigh>
It's a shit design choice, and the only reason it exists is from the early days of mobile. Now, Valve are reviving it for the Deck. <sigh>
3 Likes
It's probably a good idea, I can see why they're doing it, but the "Popular Searches" function still instinctively annoys me. Look, here's an easier way to conform! Jump on the bandwagon and join the herd today!
2 Likes
dibz 5 days ago
Agreed with the other comments.
This reminds me of the evolution of the Amazon website over the years, where modern UX tends to eventually turn sites unusable for browsing.
Now the Steam store is just a bunch of wasted space with things stuffed together in an inconvenient way. I don't see myself ever browsing the store like it is in the Beta, I would search for what I want specifically, go to it, and that's it.
At least they still use actual words in their interface, and the new one -- despite not caring for it at all -- is at least consistent in placement. Small victories I guess.
If they keep up with modern UX trends soon enough it'll be icons-only that don't mean anything, aren't obvious, be over-simplified in a frustrating manner, and be all over the place because some UX designer thought their unique take on things is more intuitive then familiar flows that people would just understand immediately versus having to learn their #901358 interface of the week.
Last edited by dibz on 28 Jul 2025 at 5:11 pm UTC
This reminds me of the evolution of the Amazon website over the years, where modern UX tends to eventually turn sites unusable for browsing.
Now the Steam store is just a bunch of wasted space with things stuffed together in an inconvenient way. I don't see myself ever browsing the store like it is in the Beta, I would search for what I want specifically, go to it, and that's it.
At least they still use actual words in their interface, and the new one -- despite not caring for it at all -- is at least consistent in placement. Small victories I guess.
If they keep up with modern UX trends soon enough it'll be icons-only that don't mean anything, aren't obvious, be over-simplified in a frustrating manner, and be all over the place because some UX designer thought their unique take on things is more intuitive then familiar flows that people would just understand immediately versus having to learn their #901358 interface of the week.
Last edited by dibz on 28 Jul 2025 at 5:11 pm UTC
3 Likes
Eike 5 days ago
I've got the same problems on other websites. I want to have a cupboard/closet. I know the approximate size. Because, there's the space in my flat which I want to fill. But no, on the website there's giant space used for "Living room experience Foo" and "Sleeping dream Bar". You know, I don't care the slightest were you would put your closet. Let me search for width, height, depth, material, price, ... and show me what you've got for me!
Last edited by Eike on 28 Jul 2025 at 5:47 pm UTC
Last edited by Eike on 28 Jul 2025 at 5:47 pm UTC
2 Likes
Gimmie a 3d virtual store to browse games in.
Complete with an AI clerk who has really bad reccomendations and fear for their job if they dont reccommend the latest shovelware like its a big deal.
Yeah maybe this is better but Ibdo tire the flat menus.
Least its getting better overtime and I like to be able to search for developers and publishers more.
Now if we could just use publishers and devs as a tag for my collections in my library automatically instead of having to build it myself but maybe Im lazy.
Complete with an AI clerk who has really bad reccomendations and fear for their job if they dont reccommend the latest shovelware like its a big deal.
Yeah maybe this is better but Ibdo tire the flat menus.
Least its getting better overtime and I like to be able to search for developers and publishers more.
Now if we could just use publishers and devs as a tag for my collections in my library automatically instead of having to build it myself but maybe Im lazy.
3 Likes
Phlebiac 4 days ago
if we could just use publishers and devs as a tag for my collections in my library automatically
More options for automatic collections would indeed be useful.
1 Likes
Ehvis 4 days ago
I finally remember to check this thing out. I get why they wanted to change something. In the stream client, you already have a top bar with functions and there is no need to have a duplicate of those in the store page. It made the store seem disconnected from the client. It still does, but now because of the different theming.
I have no opinion on it though. I don't really use the store from the client at all, which is why I hadn't noticed it.
I have no opinion on it though. I don't really use the store from the client at all, which is why I hadn't noticed it.
1 Likes
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