Steam games can now be searched for by developer, franchise, and tag

Valve's newest Steam update expands the storefront's search options. Beginning today on computers and the Steam mobile app, users will be able to look for games with expanded parameters, including developer names and a game's specific tags. 

Finding games on any storefront can be challenging, which can make it harder for developers to get their games in front of players. By Valve's own admission, the new search functions will "make it easier to explore more of the games available on Steam and find what you're looking for." 

The storefront notes that its new search features line up with how players have been trying to search for games for some time. "We noticed more players searching for particular store hubs, tags, or developers so we've updated Steam to handle those destinations," explains Valve. 

For starters, the auto-suggestion box that comes up when putting a word into the search bar will now also include tags and categories. Depending on what's typed in, auto-suggestion will also display publishers, developers, and franchises. 

It's also now possible to search for individual tags, which should help users find either the exact game they're looking for, or something like it. 

Similarly, typing in a developer, publisher, or franchise name will show results for that specific item. Game Developer tested this function multiple times to verify its effectiveness, and it does work. 

Finally, and most importantly: Steam's search function will now "better handle" typing mistakes or misspelled games. 

Steam continues to wrestle with discoverability 

Over the last several months, Steam has been making a better effort to help players find the games they're looking for. With how many games come out in a year, it's more important than ever for developers to get their game in the eyes of its intended audience, or at least on the store's front page.

In one update from September 2022, Steam introduced new Store Hubs. The hubs focus on tags, categories, and genres that users can browse through to find a specific title. 

Each one is tailored to a specific user based on their play history, friend network, and followed developers. At the time, Valve said the new hubs would "now make it easy to explore all kinds of different niches within Steam."

The platform also launched an experimental update to its Discovery Queue that let users see a game's "key details," and why that game's being recommended specifically to them. 

More recently, Valve informed developers they must limit the number of trailers placed ahead of screenshots on their Steam store pages. The aim is for developers to pick the best trailers that would be "most useful" in attracting a potential customer's attention.