According to Neowin, Valve’s wider Steam store pages are now rolling out to all users after several months of beta testing. The change increases the content width from 940 pixels to exactly 1200 pixels, which Valve claims strikes the right balance between showing more content and avoiding information overload. The update makes screenshots, videos, and trailers significantly larger without requiring full-screen mode and introduces new developer tools for better formatting. Search results, bundle pages, recommendation features, and store hubs have all been widened as part of this unified design approach. Valve confirmed that similar adjustments are coming soon to the Steam front page, though they’re not ready to reveal specifics yet. The front page changes will likely hit the Steam beta client first before full rollout.
Why this matters
Here’s the thing – this isn’t just about making things bigger for the sake of it. Valve’s playing the long game with Steam‘s visual presentation. When you widen store pages from 940 to 1200 pixels, you’re basically giving games more room to breathe and show off what they actually look like. And let’s be honest – how many times have you squinted at tiny screenshots trying to judge whether a game’s visuals hold up?
The timing is interesting too. We’re in an era where game discovery is becoming increasingly challenging with thousands of titles releasing each year. By giving developers more real estate to work with, Valve’s essentially saying “show us what you’ve got” rather than forcing everything into tight constraints. But will this actually help smaller games stand out, or will it just make the big budget titles look even more polished by comparison?
What’s changing beyond width
It’s not just about the pixel count though. The trailer and screenshot carousel now supports three different viewing modes with consistent audio and autoplay preferences. Search results are taller too, giving artwork more prominence. Even the Steam Charts and News Hub got color consistency updates to match the platform’s look.
What I find most telling is how Valve’s approaching this rollout. They tested it for months, they’re doing it piece by piece, and they’re being transparent about what’s coming next. That’s pretty unusual for a platform of Steam’s scale. Most companies would just drop the changes and deal with the backlash later.
The front page factor
Now the front page is next on the chopping block – or should I say, the widening block. This is where things get really interesting. The front page is Steam’s prime real estate, the digital equivalent of a storefront window display. Making that wider could completely change how featured games and promotions are presented.
Think about it – more horizontal space means more flexibility in how games are showcased. Will we see more cinematic trailers autoplaying? Larger promotional artwork? Different layout possibilities that weren’t feasible before? Valve’s being coy about the details, but the implications are significant for both visibility and user experience.
Basically, this feels like Steam slowly modernizing its look without doing a complete overhaul that would alienate users. It’s evolution, not revolution. And honestly? That’s probably the smart approach for a platform with hundreds of millions of users who get cranky about UI changes.
