Steam finally redesigned the game library, simplifying the interface

After years of rumors and mockups, it’s finally happened: The Steam Library will be wearing a new coat. This is not a complete redesign of Steam, so the store and other parts of the interface will remain unchanged. At GDC, Valve showed off a new library, highlighting a redesigned page with game avatars and a rating system based on your titles.

“The most important thing we’re introducing is the Steam library home page,” said Valve’s Alden Kroll. “This gives players an opportunity to see ‘what’s going on in the games I play?’”

Some key points in the new library:

• Friends list now integrated in the right sidebar
• The above shows the games you’ve recently played, with the library looking like the Apple TV interface
• All the rest of your games have a vertical profile picture, which can be resized larger or shows more games
• The game list on the left looks new but is quite similar to the current design

The biggest new feature of the library, in terms of functionality, is the more evolved Steam tags. These tags will appear in the library page, and you can search using multiple tags to find your game. The new feature here is that you can save tag searches as “collections” of games like, for example, “Ninja Action”.

The detailed library page for each game (pictured below) has also been redesigned, with a cleaner presentation, prioritizing the latest updates or the game’s livestream at the top. Below is the activity information of friends in the list. The friends list is on the right but shows who is playing the game currently. Below the friends list are DLC, achievements, trading cards and screenshots.

Valve did not announce a specific release date for the new library, but said it is aiming to launch a beta version this summer.