I Quite Like Steam’s New Library Layout

Steam’s big library redesign went into public beta today and, well, it’s pretty nice.

You can clearly see the Netflix influence on the new design, but, it still feels like the Steam we’ve come to know.  It’s very grey and plain, relying on the game’s featured images to make it pop.  While it’s only a half-step in the right direction visually, it is light years ahead from a functional perspective.

The redesign introduces improvements aimed at better showcasing the games in your Steam library, hopefully making the most relevant titles more prominent, so you always know what to play.  The library now has a new front page that highlights updates, the games that you or those on your friends list have recently played, and titles that are having events.

“Categories” are being replaced by “collections”, but it’s basically the same thing, and it displays these new collections in a more attractive “shelves” system.  All old groups transfer across automatically – mine did, with no issues whatsoever.  Games can be moved into new collections by dragging-and-dropping, and filters can be used to create new custom collections, such as “MMORPGs”, or “Games I bought on day one but never played”.  For those who prefer the former system, games can still be viewed in a list and can be organised manually.

Overall, the changes are very practical and certainly help to freshen up the Steam library.  Whether I’ll continue to use Steam as my main launcher over other options, such as GOG Galaxy 2.0 remains to be seen.

If you’ve installed the new Steam library beta, what would you have changed or added?