Struggling to hide my game activity on Steam. I need to make my gaming private and keep friends from seeing it. Can someone explain how to do this or point me to the correct settings?
Oh boy, hiding your game activity on Steam? Yep, we’ve all been there, trying to conceal the hundreds of hours sunk into Anime Dating Simulator XV or whatever. Your friends don’t need to know about your unhealthy obsession… or your deep descent into simulator rabbit holes. Here’s a breakdown to save your privacy:
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Open Your Steam App: Duh, step one. Or use your browser, either works.
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Head to Your Profile: Hover over your username on the top menu, click ‘Profile.’
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Edit Profile Settings: Once you’re on your profile page, click on the ‘Edit Profile’ button on the right (blue button).
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Privacy Settings: In your profile editor, there’s a ‘Privacy Settings’ option on the left. Click that!
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Set Game Details to Private: You’ll see a section marked ‘My Profile Privacy Settings.’ Under ‘Game Details,’ change it to ‘Private.’
Now you’ve vanished from prying eyes. Your friends will never know you played whatever cringe game you’re hiding. One last note: this will also hide your achievements, playtime, and wishlist from everyone, not just friends—so it’s like you’re the Gandalf of the Steam Library. Be mysterious, live in secret.
Honestly, you could just go offline or set your Steam status to ‘Invisible,’ and your friends wouldn’t see your activity at all while you’re playing. Boom! Problem solved—no need to tinker too much with privacy settings. Though, yeah, @hoshikuzu gave a solid step-by-step breakdown if you’re going for full stealth mode.
But here’s a spicy alternative: instead of setting your entire game library to private, just manage what your friends see directly. You can create specific friend groups in Steam and adjust your visibility per group. For example, maybe let some friends see your activity and block others. It’s found under the Friends tab > Manage Friends List.
One downside to the ‘Game Details to Private’ method they mentioned is that it’s an all-or-nothing deal. No one can see what you’re playing or even your playtime stats—including you when you’re bragging about hours sunk in Dark Souls (even if the reality is Barbie Horse Adventures). So if you’re only worried about one game, I’d suggest setting that specific game to ‘appear offline’ instead.
Oh, and random thought–are you really hiding stuff, or is it just guilt over your choices? You gotta embrace the chaos sometimes—own that 600 hours on Goat Simulator. Let’s not act like everyone isn’t secretly judging anyway! But hey, your call.
Alright, the advice from @sterrenkijker and @hoshikuzu is solid for most scenarios, but let me throw in a different perspective here. Instead of going full steam (heh) into ‘ghost mode’ with the whole ‘Game Details to Private’ method, why not tweak things selectively? Because let’s face it—making everything private might overdo it if you’re just trying to hide one game. Here’s where customization is your best friend. Setting yourself to Invisible: Sure, it works, but it’s not friendly when you want to vibe with pals on other games while concealing specific guilty pleasures (Farming Simulator Romance Edition, anyone?).
Here’s an alternative:
Use Hidden Library Features. Did you know you can make a game hidden without nuking your visibility? Simply right-click on the game you’re “hiding,” select ‘Manage,’ then click ‘Hide this game.’ Boom—it’s tucked away. Friends won’t find it easily since it won’t pop up in your public game library. Not as bulletproof as full privacy mode, but it focuses on just one title instead of all games.
Bonus tip: Did you know achievements for hidden games don’t disappear? Yep—while “Game Details to Private” nukes public achievements, hidden games keep them intact in private. So if you want that 120 hours played in Dating Simulator 3000 flex for yourself, hidden games win over a full library lock.
Cons of Hiding Games or Game Details:
- Might make your friends suspicious, like, why is everything invisible all of a sudden?
- “Game Details to Private” removes visibility of all your achievements across everything. You might miss that dopamine hit from people noticing your accomplishments (or your Dark Souls flex).
Pros:
- Keeps that questionable game (or genre marathon) to yourself.
- Lets you avoid unnecessary teasing or context questioning from curious friends.
- Hidden games don’t go full blackout—achievements are safe!
One last thing someone might not mention—other platforms like Discord or Xbox Live integration with Steam may still accidentally show what you’re playing unless you disable activity-sharing between linked accounts. Avoid this headache altogether by double-checking connected apps you’re using in tandem with Steam.
All in all, @sterrenkijker and @hoshikuzu touched a lot of strategies, but going for subtlety (hidden games or disabling outside sharing) might strike a less dramatic vibe while protecting your love for offbeat titles. Remember, control is key—don’t let settings lock up your whole library unless absolutely necessary!