How do I find hidden games on Steam?
If you’ve hidden a game on Steam, you may wonder how to find it again or check if your friends can see it. Finding hidden games on Steam is quite straightforward, and in this article, we’ll walk you through the steps.
Open Steam and Click on View
To start, open your Steam client and click on the "View" button at the top-left corner of the window. From the drop-down menu, select "Hidden" to see a list of all the hidden games on your account.
Check the "All Games" Tab
Next, navigate to the "All Games" tab to view all your hidden and non-hidden games. Here, you’ll find all your games organized in a neat list.
Permanently Remove a Game
If you want to permanently remove a game from your account and your Steam profile, you can do so by clicking on the game and then clicking "Manage" from the game’s menu. Then, click "Uninstall" and confirm your action. Please note that once you remove a game from your account, you won’t be able to restore it or re-install it from the same library.
Friends Can’t See Your Hidden Games (Initially)
If you set your profile to public, your friends will still not be able to see the hidden games you have installed on your account. Steam hides hidden games from the view of your friends by default, and you must specifically choose to share those games with them.
Friends Can See Your Recent Games (Always)
On the other hand, if you play a game, it will automatically become visible to your friends who can see your recent game list. They can then add that game to their friend’s list, which can sometimes make the game’s location less "hidden".
Table of Hidden Game Actions
| Action | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Hiding a Game | The game will not be visible on your game list or friend list |
| Setting Profile to Public | Friends will be able to see your hidden games (optional) |
| Playing a Game | The game will become visible to your friends (auto-synced) |
| Removing a Game | The game will be permanently deleted from your account and cannot be re-installed from the same library |
Family Sharing Lock: Bypassing
If you have multiple family members who use your shared Steam library, and you want to play a hidden game while keeping it hidden from your family members, you can follow these steps:
- Launch Steam on other devices that use the shared library.
- Click on the Steam option at the top-left corner and select "Settings".
- In the settings window, click on "Family" and uncheck the box next to "Authorize Library Sharing on this computer".
How Friends See Hidden Games (Briefly)
To give a brief overview of how friends see hidden games:
- Your friends won’t see your hidden games in your game list, unless your profile is set to public.
- Even if your profile is set to public, friends still won’t be able to add or play the hidden game if it’s not installed on their computers.
- However, friends can still invite you to play the game or start a conversation with you while playing it, making the game’s presence slightly visible.
In summary, finding hidden games on Steam is relatively straightforward, and with a few clicks, you can easily manage your hidden game library. Keep in mind that Steam has its limitations when it comes to family sharing, so make sure to keep an eye on your account settings and manage your family members’ access to your shared library.
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