Your Steam Library Is Getting A Visual Overhaul And New Features

Steam's long-awaited library redesign finally has a release date. If you have a registered Steam account you'll be able to opt-in to an open beta on September 17 to peruse the library's visual overhaul and try out all the new features.

The update introduces two key changes to your Steam library. First up is a new lick of paint that sees the landing page redesigned with a more modern look, and displays quick access to game updates, recently played games, friend activity, and your collections. Valve is also making it much easier to see what your friends have been up to and what they're currently playing, with all of the relevant information now displayed on the home page.

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Secondly, the addition of Events will highlight patches and in-game events, and give developers the option to share anything they like, from live streams to fan art. Valve says it wants you to know what's happening with the games you already own without bombarding you with notifications, and Events aims to do just that.

Developers have access to Event-creating tools starting today, so your Steam library will be populated with Events once the overhaul goes live on September 17. Valve has promised that more updates and in-depth information on the upcoming features will be released as we approach the open beta's launch.

This long-in-development update comes at a good time for Valve. Steam has found itself facing some stiff competition in the PC storefront space. The new Epic Games Store has signed a number of exclusivity deals with games over the past year, including Metro Exodus, Shenmue 3, and Oddworld: Soulstorm. Epic recently announced eight more exclusives at PAX West. Then there's GOG Galaxy 2.0, which promises to unify all of your PC games in one single client, solving one of PC gaming's biggest problems.