Steam Adds Annoying Sound Notifications for Achievements and Downloads, but There's a Fix!

Steam, the popular gaming platform, has made an irritating change that's been bothering players recently. Previously, Steam's Big Picture Mode had a sound notification for achievements, but Desktop Mode remained blissfully silent. However, that peace has been shattered, as Desktop Mode now plays a cheery "blink blink blonk" sound for every achievement and even when a game finishes downloading.

Imagine defeating Alduin the World-Eater in Skyrim, surrounded by the heroic souls of Sovngarde, only to be greeted with an obnoxious sound effect when unlocking the Dragonslayer achievement. It's a jarring experience that many players find rather unwelcome.

The good news is that there's a solution to silence these annoying notifications. In a recent update, Valve added a toggle in the notification settings, allowing users to turn off sounds for non-critical notifications. To disable the sound, simply navigate to Steam > Settings > Notifications and toggle off the "Play a sound when a notification toast is displayed" option.

While some players may appreciate the term "toasts" for these notifications, it hasn't eased the frustration for many who find the sudden sound effects disruptive to their gaming experience. Luckily, with this simple fix, gamers can once again enjoy gaming without unnecessary interruptions.