It’s been a lucrative year for Valve, with its powerhouse PC gaming platform, Steam, raking in an impressive $15 billion in revenue so far in 2026. This substantial figure represents Valve’s cut from game, DLC, and software sales on the platform.
‘Forza Horizon 6’ Leads the Pack in 2026’s Top Earners
When it comes to which new releases are driving this success, ‘Forza Horizon 6’ has emerged as the top earner for Valve on Steam this year. According to the latest analysis from Alinea Analytics, the open-world racing title has generated approximately $210.5 million for Valve.
Hot on its heels is another highly anticipated 2026 release, ‘Crimson Desert’, which is estimated to have brought in around $203.3 million. Following closely in third place is ‘Resident Evil: Requiem’, projected to have contributed roughly $200.9 million to Valve’s coffers.
New IPs Make Their Mark
Rhys Elliott, an analyst at Alinea Analytics, highlighted that the top six highest-earning new games of 2026 have collectively generated about $1 billion. This substantial sum accounts for 6.6% of Steam’s total $15 billion revenue year-to-date. Notably, two of these top performers, ‘Crimson Desert’ and ‘Meccha Chameleon’, are from entirely new intellectual properties (IPs).
Expanding the scope to the top 100 new games on Steam in 2026, their combined revenue reaches $2.4 billion, making up 15.9% of the platform’s total revenue for the year. The performance of ‘Crimson Desert’ has had a significant impact on new IP revenue, contributing 18% of the total, approximately $203 million on its own. Without ‘Crimson Desert’, new IPs’ share of the relevant revenue would drop from 63% to 39%.
What’s Still to Come?
The year is far from over, with several more highly anticipated titles set to launch. Just last week saw the release of popular games like ‘Onimusha: Wushoku’ and ‘Avowed’. Later in the year, players can look forward to the releases of major titles such as ‘Gears of War: E-Day’, ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’, and ‘Black Myth: Wukong’.
This ongoing influx of successful titles underscores Steam’s dominance in the PC gaming market and Valve’s continued ability to capitalize on the platform’s success.
