How to see hidden games on steam

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Imagine launching Steam, hoping that you’ll finally beat the boss that’s been troubling you for days, only to find out that your game is gone. You can see all your other games but not the one you were currently playing, yet you don’t remember uninstalling it.

Luckily, after doing some research, you find out that you might have accidentally hidden it. Now, if this has happened to you for the first time, it can be quite frustrating and challenging to unhide the game.

So, if you’re searching for a way to unhide your game and get back to grinding, here’s a quick fix on how to view hidden games on Steam.

How to Unhide Games on Steam

You can also unhide the games if you ever want to play them again. You can follow these simple steps to unhide your steam games and move them to your Library.

  • Launch the Steam app.
  • Log in to your account. (You can skip this step if you’re already logged in).
  • Click on the View tab located at the top of the screen.
  • Select Hidden Games from the list of options.
    How to see hidden games on steam
  • Now, you should be able to see a list of games that you’ve hidden in the past.
  • Next, Right-click on the game that you wish to unhide.
  • Move your cursor over the Manage option.
  • You should be able to see the “Remove from Hidden” option next to it. Click on it to remove the game from the hidden games list.
    How to see hidden games on steam

The game should now appear in your Library, and you should be able to launch and play as usual.

Why Does Steam Have the Hidden Games Feature?

Although you might have accidentally discovered this feature, it has been on Steam for quite a while. As all your games are on the single library inside the Steam, it can be very difficult to manage them once you have accumulated a large number of games.

In such a case, having an option to hide your games can be a lifesaver as opposed to uninstalling the whole game.

Another reason for hiding your game is; if you grew bored of playing the game and you think that hiding those games would be better as you don’t have plans for playing the game anymore.

Can You Hide Your Games on Steam?

Whatever the case, hiding games can be a beneficial feature for a lot of reasons. The developers of Steam have also seemed to realize this. As a result, Steam has always had a feature to hide your games. You can hide as many games as you like with a few clicks here and there.

How to Hide Games on Steam

If you have a lot of games on Steam and you’ve been having trouble finding your favorite game because of that, you don’t need to worry as you can easily hide games that you don’t play anymore.

  • Launch the Steam app on your PC and navigate to the Library section by clicking on the Library tab.
    How to see hidden games on steam
  • You should be able to see the games that you have on your Steam Library. You can also see the list on the left side of the screen.
  • Search for the game you want to hide or don’t play anymore.
  • Next, Right-click on the game and hover your mouse over the Manage option.
  • From the drop-down, click on the “Hide this game” option.
    How to see hidden games on steam

This should hide the game you’ve selected and move them to the hidden games list.

Removing the Game from Steam

If you’re done with playing the game or if the game is taking up too much space on your PC, uninstalling a game can be a better solution than hiding it.

Note: Keep in mind that uninstalling a game will completely remove that game from your PC. However, you can always reinstall the game as long as you have paid for it.

If you want to uninstall a game from your Library, you can follow these steps:

  • Launch Steam and go to your Library menu by clicking on the Library tab.
  • Navigate the game you want to remove from the Steam.
  • Right-click on it and select the “Manage” option.
  • Now, click on the Uninstall option to remove it from your PC.
    How to see hidden games on steam

Can You Play Games Even If They are Hidden From Your Library?

Yes, you can always play the game, even if it is hidden from your library. Hidden game doesn’t mean that it is inaccessible. It just means that it isn’t listed in your library.

By going to the hidden games tab, you can launch the game as you’d do with any other game and play it normally. You can also perform other activities like completing achievements and even teaming up with your friends.

Can Your Friends See If You are Playing a Hidden Game?

Hiding your games doesn’t really help you when you want to hide yourself from your friends. Your friends will be able to see you crystal clear when you’re playing a game, even if you’ve hidden the game.

If you don’t want your friends to find out when you are playing a game, you can always put your active status to “Offline.” However, keep in mind that by doing so, you won’t be able to see when your friends come online as well.

However, if you complete any achievements in the game, it will show in your feed, and your friends will be able to see them as well.

That’s it. I hope that this article helped you with what you were searching for. Do comment for any more querries.

I just logged on steam for the first time since last year and I dont know how to see the games I've marked as "hidden" in the new library ui

Viewing hidden games on Steam is very intuitive once you know how to do it. However, it might not be as easy to guess exactly how to do it in the heat of the moment.

Knowing how to hide games, view hidden games, and manage your Steam library can help make your entire gaming experience more efficient. 

Why Would I Want to Hide Games on Steam?

There are a lot of reasons why you might want to hide games on Steam. For example, if multiple people have access to your computer, it might be good to hide games that aren’t appropriate for every age level.

Younger kids might not know about the hide feature and will only see the unhidden games that they’re allowed to play.

You can also use hiding games to make your Steam list a little less overwhelming. Steam sales can be enticing, and many players own more games than they’ve been able to install or open. Hiding them can make it easier to spot the games you play quickly.

When you hide a game, you don’t remove any functionality from it. You can hide both installed and uninstalled games. You can also install games from the menus of the hidden games. 

How to View Hidden Games on Steam

Viewing hidden games on Steam takes you to a page that displays them all with their cover photos. They don’t show up in a sidebar like regular games that aren’t hidden.  

To view hidden games on Steam:

  1. Open the Steam client.
  2. Click “View” at the top of the client.
  3. Click “Hidden Games,” that’ll take you to a list of games you’ve hidden.
    How to see hidden games on steam

Once you can view your hidden games, choose which one you want to play and play like normal. 

Hide Steam Games

If you’ve never done it before, it’s effortless.

  1. Open the Steam client.
  2. Click “Library.”
  3. Right-click on the game you want to hide.
  4. Hover over “Manage.”
  5. Click “Hide this game.”
    How to see hidden games on steam

The above steps remove that game from your list of standard Steam games. Even if you sign in to another computer and access your Steam library there, it will still be hidden. 

Unhide Steam Games

When you feel like you want to put a game back into your Steam library, you can make it unhidden. The process is just as easy as hiding it in the first place. To remove a game from the hidden section, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to your hidden games.
  2. Right-click on the game you want to unhide.
  3. Hover over “Manage.”
  4. Click “Remove from hidden.”
    How to see hidden games on steam

The game will appear in your usual list of games again unless you hide it once more. Everyone who can access your Steam library will be able to see it again.

Change Game Privacy in Steam

Since hiding a game doesn’t keep people from seeing the achievements and other game information, you can change those settings to keep your information private.

  1. Navigate to your Steam profile.
  2. Click “Edit Profile.”
  3. Click “Privacy Settings.”
  4. Click the little arrow next to the Game Details option.
  5. Choose public, friends only, or private, depending on what setting you want. 
    How to see hidden games on steam

These will apply this setting to all games that you play until you change it again. 

Can You Play Games While They’re Hidden?

You can certainly play games even when they’re hidden. Once you view the hidden games in your Steam account, click on the game you want to play. It’ll take you to the main game page. Click “Play” like normal on that page to start the game.

You can also right-click and hit “Play” to play directly from the hidden games page. All the options in the menu that appear are the same ones on the normal sidebar of games. You can manage the game, play it, or add it to your favorites.

Hiding games doesn’t change the functionality of your game library at all. You’re able to play, take screenshots, join with friends, and share content the way you can in any other game you play. The only difference is that it’s not listed with your other games. 

Can You Search for Hidden Steam Games?

Searching for a hidden game on Steam won’t reveal the game right away. However, there will be a heading that says “Hidden” and includes a plus sign you can click to open a drop-down menu.

If you open that menu, you’ll be able to see the hidden games that match the search term you’re using.

How to see hidden games on steam

There is no way to hide games from search completely. We don’t have any alternatives for now.

Can Friends View Hidden Games on Steam?

Hiding a game from your Steam library doesn’t hide it from your friends. All your regular gameplay activity, achievements, and other information can still appear in your profile and on the community board.

You can adjust your Steam privacy settings, but you can’t change the privacy per game. If you want to hide your activity from the community board, you’ll have to hide it for every game.

Another option is to show yourself offline on Steam when you play a game you want to hide. Achievements and other information will still show up on the community profile. 

How Do You Make Your Steam Profile Private?

To make your Steam profile private, follow the same instructions you used to change your game privacy. You can adjust your profile settings here. There are many different settings, depending on which aspects of your profile you want to make private. 

How to see hidden games on steam

How Do You Make a Wishlist Private on Steam?

You make a wishlist private by making your game details private on Steam. You can make it public or visible to friends too. Remember that people who can’t see your wishlist can’t buy you games you want as gifts.