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How to see hidden games on Steam

Reveal all your hidden games using our method
Last Updated on March 18, 2024
How to see hidden games on Steam. Image shows three question marks above the Steam logo on a green gradient background.
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Whether you are hiding your games to declutter your Steam library or simply want to remove games you no longer play, finding them again can be difficult. Many users have been wondering how to see hidden games on Steam. The good news is it is relatively easy to do.

Our guide below will show you two methods to see your hidden Steam games. So, keep on reading to learn how to do it.

Steam is a massive platform where its over 100 million gamers can play, create, and talk about games. The service offers its users to purchase a wide variety of games, from indie games to AAA titles as well as sign up for various subscriptions.

The site is also very popular with those who want to play older legacy games that are no longer available on the market. Gamers with particularly large Steam libraries may opt to hide their games to only leave their most frequently played titles. The process of doing so is very easy, much like finding those hidden gems in the depths of your Steam collection.

Quick Answer

Steam’s user-friendly interface makes this process easy:

– Open Steam and navigate to ‘View’ in the top left to bring up a drop down menu.
– Select ‘Hidden Games’ to bring the hidden games on your Steam account.
– To unhide games, right click on the game, and under “Manage” click on “Remove from Hidden”

How to view hidden games on Steam – step-by-step

Whether you have hidden your games on purpose or by accident, we are here to show you two ways to find them. To start things off, launch Steam and log in. Of course, make sure you’re connected to the internet.

Step

1

Select hidden games

In the Steam window, head over to “View” on the top-left. This will bring up a drop-down menu, where you will want to select “Hidden Games”.

see hidden games on steam

Step

2

View your hidden games

With your hidden games folder open, you should now be able to see a list of all the games you have hidden. To unhide a game, simply right-click the title and select “Remove from Hidden”.

remove hidden games on steam

Step

3

View hidden games through search

Alternatively, if you wanted to access the list of games you have hidden on Steam, you can do so by simply searching for them. First, locate the search bar above your game list – it is on the left-hand side.

hidden games on steam

From here, simply search for the name of the game title you know is hidden. Once the results appear, click on the game and it will lead you to the game’s official page. There, you will see ” Game ABC is already in your Steam library” and you will have the option to install. When you click on ‘Play Now’ the game will start to download.

Please note that even though the games are hidden on your profile, your friends can still see them. To counter this issue, Steam has rolled out the Private Games feature – so you can make use of this.

Where do games go when you hide them on Steam?

If you have hidden your games on Steam, then these hidden games are in your library, they just don’t appear right away. To find and unhide these games, you will have to go to View > Hidden Games.

Can friends see hidden games on Steam?

When you hide a game it will no longer appear in your Steam library. Unfortunately, hiding a game from your Steam library will not hide the game from your friends. Your friends will still be able to see your current games library and which games you have been playing recently.

If you are looking to hide your games or the fact you are playing a particular game you have many options. To find out how to do it, check out How to hide Steam activity here.

Making your Steam games private

To keep games from showing completely in your normal Steam library or Steam profile, you now have the option of marking a game as ‘Private’ – Steam has released this feature recently. This will cause it to appear as if you don’t own or play the game at all, and your status will not change to “In Game.” To do this, you need to go into the ‘Manage’ submenu on the game itself, which can be found by right-clicking on the game from your library. It can alternatively be found in the “Privacy” settings in the game properties dialog, but you’ll have to be online to do this.

Final Thoughts

And, that’s a wrap! Steam does a great job at hiding your games once you change the settings to hidden. Luckily, the process of finding them again is not too painstakingly difficult. To recap, you can do this in two ways – View > Hidden Games or use the search bar. If you found this article useful, why not read another one of our Steam guides here?

Funmi joined PC Guide in November 2022, and was a driving force for the site's ChatGPT coverage. She has a wide knowledge of AI apps, gaming and consumer technology.