Steam Recommendations: Hide Games & Customize

Steam’s recommendation queue and discovery queue can feel overwhelming when it keeps suggesting games you already own, have marked as not interested, or simply don’t care about. This guide walks you through the built-in controls to hide specific games, ignore entire genres or tags, and fine-tune what Steam suggests so your storefront actually reflects your taste. You’ll need a Steam account and access to the Steam client or the Steam website—no other tools are required.

What You’ll Need

• A Steam account (free to create if you don’t have one)
• Access to the Steam desktop client (Windows/Mac/Linux) or the Steam website in a browser
• Optional: a list of games you want to hide or ignore

Step-by-Step

1. Open Steam and go to your Store preferences. In the desktop client, click Steam in the top-left menu, then select Settings (or Preferences on Mac). In the Settings window, click Store Preferences in the left sidebar. If you’re on the website, hover over your username in the top-right, click Preferences, then Store Preferences.
2. Adjust your language and content preferences. In Store Preferences, you’ll see checkboxes for languages and content types (like “Games,� “Software,� “Video�). Uncheck anything you don’t want to see. This is the first layer of filtering—it won’t affect games you already own, but it will narrow what Steam considers for recommendations.
3. Set your “Preferred� and “Ignored� tags. Scroll down to the Tags section. You’ll see a list of popular tags (like “Action,� “RPG,� “Indie�). Click the “+� icon next to a tag to add it to your Preferred list (Steam will show more games with those tags) or to your Ignored list (Steam will hide games with those tags). You can also click “Add tags� at the top to search for a specific tag. For example, if you never want to see “Anime� or “Battle Royale� games, add those to Ignored.
4. Exclude games you already own. In Store Preferences, there’s a checkbox that says “Exclude games I already own from recommendations.� Make sure this is checked. This prevents Steam from recommending games in your library, which is a common source of clutter.
5. Hide individual games from your store and discovery queue. When you see a game in the store, the discovery queue, or a recommendation that you don’t want, hover over its cover art or click the arrow next to it. You’ll see a “Not interested� button (usually an X or a thumb-down icon). Click it. Steam will immediately remove that game from the current list and will avoid recommending it again. You can also click “Hide this game� from the game’s store page—look for the “…� menu near the top of the page, then select “Hide this game.�
6. Manage your “Ignored� and “Hidden� lists. To review or undo your choices, go to your Store Preferences again. Scroll to the Ignored section—you’ll see a list of tags you’ve ignored. For individual games, go to your Steam profile, click Games, then Hidden Games (or go to Account Details > Store Preferences > Hidden Games). From there you can unhide a game if you change your mind.
7. Reset your discovery queue and refresh. After making changes, click the Discovery Queue button on the store’s home page (or the “Next� button in the queue). Steam will generate a new queue based on your updated preferences. If you want to start completely fresh, you can also “Clear all preferences� in Store Preferences, but that will wipe everything you’ve set.
8. Use the “Advanced� filter on the store homepage. For more granular control, go to the Steam store and click Search or Browse. On the left side, you can filter by price, tags, and other criteria. This doesn’t change your permanent recommendations, but it helps you find games you actually want without wading through suggestions.

Common Mistakes

• Only hiding games from the queue, not permanently. Clicking “Not interestedâ€� on a game in the discovery queue does hide it, but if you later clear your preferences or if the game appears in a different category, it might show up again. Use the “Hide this gameâ€� option on the store page for a more permanent hiding.
• Ignoring tags that are too broad. If you ignore a tag like “Action,â€� you’ll lose many games that are only lightly action-oriented. Be specific—ignore sub-tags like “Battle Royaleâ€� or “Souls-likeâ€� instead.
• Forgetting to check “Exclude owned games.â€� If you don’t check that box, Steam will still recommend games you already own, which defeats the purpose.
• Not confirming your changes. Some preference changes require you to click “Saveâ€� or “Applyâ€� at the bottom of the Store Preferences page. If you close the window without saving, nothing changes.

Tips

• Use the “Preferredâ€� tags to boost what you like. Adding tags like “Roguelikeâ€� or “Story Richâ€� to Preferred will make Steam show more of those games, which can be more effective than just ignoring the ones you don’t want.
• Check the “Exclude games I’ve marked as not interestedâ€� option. In Store Preferences, there’s a checkbox that does exactly that—enable it to make sure games you’ve rejected don’t sneak back.
• Curate your “Hiddenâ€� list periodically. If you hide a game by accident, it’s easy to unhide later. Review the list every few months to keep it clean.
• Use the “Ignoreâ€� feature on the Steam mobile app. The same “Not interestedâ€� button exists on the mobile app, so you can quickly hide games while browsing on your phone.

Troubleshooting

Games you hid still appear in recommendations. This can happen if you hid the game from the queue but didn’t permanently hide it. Go to the game’s store page and use the “…� menu to select “Hide this game.� Also check that you’ve saved your preferences. If the game is part of a bundle or franchise, you may need to hide the entire franchise or the specific product.

Your changes don’t seem to affect the discovery queue. The queue is generated based on your preferences, but it may take a few hours to update. Try clearing your browser cache or restarting the Steam client. If you’re on the website, log out and log back in.

You accidentally ignored a tag you actually like. Go to Store Preferences, find the tag in the “Ignored� section, and click the “X� next to it to remove it. The tag will move back to the “Available� list.

The “Hide this game� option is missing. On some store pages, the “…� menu is located near the “Add to Cart� button. If you don’t see it, try hovering over the game’s cover art in the queue—the “Not interested� button should appear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I see the games I’ve hidden?
A: Go to your Steam profile, click “Games,� then “Hidden Games.� You can also go to Account Details > Store Preferences > Hidden Games.

Q: Will hiding a game remove it from my library?
A: No. Hiding only affects recommendations and the store. The game stays in your library and you can still play it.

Q: Can I hide a game I already own from recommendations?
A: Yes. The “Exclude games I already own� option in Store Preferences will do that globally. You can also hide a specific owned game from the store page, but it’s easier to just check that box.

Q: How do I stop Steam from recommending a franchise I don’t like?
A: You can ignore a tag that covers the franchise (like “Call of Duty� if it’s a tag), or hide each game individually. There’s no direct “ignore franchise� button, but hiding a few games from the same franchise usually teaches Steam to stop.

Q: Does the “Not interested� button affect my personal recommendations?
A: Yes. Steam uses your feedback to adjust future recommendations, but it’s not perfect. Combining it with tag preferences gives the best results.

Q: Can I reset all my preferences?
A: Yes. In Store Preferences, scroll to the bottom and click “Clear all preferences.� This will remove all your preferred/ignored tags and hidden games, and Steam will start fresh.

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