Over 90% of Steam Users Read Reviews Before Purchases and Less Consider Games With Mixed Rating

New research suggests more and more Steam users are checking a game's rating before buying it, and titles with a "Mixed" rating—whether major AAA releases or small indie titles—are making players think twice.

The numbers come from a new report by analytics firm GameDiscoverCo. Over 90% of Steam users read other players' reviews before purchasing a game, and 40% do so consistently. The latest report confirms Steam's review system is nearly a deciding factor for most players, though some fans will always pre-order a favorite franchise's new entry the moment it's available, regardless of reviews. Among other interesting findings, a "Mixed" rating on Steam most often puts buyers off—affecting over 50% of users. Moreover, bugs and optimization quality also weigh heavily on players' decisions.

This spring, it was also reported that Steam will soon add a feature showing expected FPS before purchase, letting players see how a game runs on their PCs. That should make things easier for a lot of users, especially those who haven't upgraded their PC in a while, given how demanding modern games have become. However, it's still unclear when this feature will be fully available on Steam.

As for other news, Valve recently revealed its Steam sales schedule for the first half of 2027. The two big events are the Steam Spring Sale 2027 (March 18–25) and the Steam Summer Sale 2027 (June 24–July 8). As usual, players can also expect thematic sales around various genres and categories, including the Desktop Companion Fest (January 14–18), the Couch Co-Op Fest (February 8–15), the Racing Fest (April 12–19), and more.