Valve’s monopoly on the PC market continues to prove an unassailable gold mine. According to current market analysis by the agency Alinea Analytics, the total sales of the digital sales platform Steam will reach a staggering US$15 billion by 2026. This means that just 8 months exceeded the total revenue for the entire year of 2023. Among the new releases, Pearl Abyss’ open-world epic Crimson Desert stands out: the action-RPG has become the platform’s most successful new series so far this year, with estimated sales of $203.3 million.
Data from Alinea analyst Rhys Elliott highlight Steam’s continued growth, with sales up about 15% compared to the same period last year. The market research firm expects the platform’s total sales to cross the $20 billion mark for the first time by the end of this year. It’s worth noting that these numbers were reached before the launch of industry heavyweights like Grand Theft Auto VI.
Crimson Desert dominates the list of top-grossing new games of 2026. The work of the makers of Black Desert alone accounted for about 18% of the total sales of the top 100 new brands. In terms of absolute new game sales, Crimson Desert ($203.3 million) trails only games like Forza Horizon 6 ($210.5 million) and is on par with Resident Evil Requiem. ($200.9 million). The six most successful new releases collectively generated nearly $1 billion in revenue.
However, the analysis also highlights the extreme inequality in PC market distribution. According to market data, a whopping 84.5% of sales come from the top 1% of all games. Most of the money is still flowing into the coffers via long-running, long-running hits and established mid-tier titles. This has even led to developer Pearl Abyss internally paying employees special compensation, which according to the latest financial reports has significantly increased the studio’s expenses.
The year so far has proven to be a financial triumph for Valve, once again underscoring the American company’s independence and its dominance of the PC ecosystem.
