Steam How to Hide Games From Friends

To hide games from friends on Steam, go to your game’s Library page, click the gear icon (or right-click the game), select Manage, then Hide this game. This removes the game from your Library, your profile’s game list, and what your friends see you playing â€” but you can still play it, and it stays installed.

Why Hide a Game on Steam?

Steam’s default behavior is to broadcast your activity. Every game you launch shows up in your friends’ activity feed, and your entire Library is visible on your public profile unless you’ve manually changed your privacy settings. This is fine for most games, but not for every situation. People hide games for a variety of reasons:

They’re playing a game they’d rather not advertise (e.g., a guilty pleasure or a niche title).
They’re testing a game before recommending it to friends and don’t want to spoil it.
They have games in their Library that are embarrassing, like a free-to-play game they only tried once.
They want to keep their total game count private, or avoid friends asking about a game they see in the list.
They’re playing a game with a story they want to experience without comments or spoilers from friends.

Hiding is a privacy tool, not a deletion tool. The game remains fully owned, installed, and playable. You just control who can see it.

How Hiding Works (What It Actually Does)

When you hide a game, Steam does three things:

Removes it from your Library view: The game no longer appears in your default Library list. You can still find it by using the search bar or by switching to “Hidden” in the Library’s left-hand dropdown menu.
Hides it from your profile: Your public profile’s “Games” section will no longer show the game. This includes the “Recently Played” widget and the full game list.
Stops broadcasting it as “In-Game”: When you launch a hidden game, your friends will not see a “Playing [Game Name]” status. Your status may show as “In-Game” or “Online” but the specific title will not be shown.

Important: Hiding does not affect your playtime statistics, achievements, or the game’s files. It also does not hide the game from your own account â€” you can always unhide it later.

How to Hide a Game (Step-by-Step)

There are two main ways to hide a game, depending on whether you’re in your Library or on the Store page.

Method 1: From Your Library

Open Steam and go to your Library.
Find the game you want to hide in the list on the left. If you have many games, use the search bar.
Right-click the game’s name, or click the gear icon (âš™) on the game’s store page within the Library.
Select Manage â†’ Hide this game.

Method 2: From the Store Page

Go to the game’s Steam Store page.
Click the gear icon (âš™) located near the top-right of the page, below the “Add to Cart” button.
Select Hide this game.

That’s it. The game is now hidden. To unhide it, go to your Library, click the dropdown menu next to the search bar (it usually says “All Games”), select Hidden, find the game, right-click it, and choose Manage â†’ Unhide this game.

What About the “In-Game” Status?

Even after hiding, your friends may see that you’re playing something â€” they just won’t see the name. If you want to appear completely offline, you have two options:

Set your profile to “Invisible”: In your Friends List, click the arrow next to your name and select “Invisible.” You’ll appear offline to everyone, but you can still chat and see your friends.
Use Steam’s “Launch in Offline Mode”: This disconnects you from Steam entirely, which also stops all activity tracking. However, you won’t be able to use chat or cloud saves while offline.

Note: Hidden games do not show up in your “Recently Played” list on your profile, but they might still appear in your friends’ activity feed if you earn an achievement while playing. To prevent that, you’d need to disable achievements sharing in your Privacy Settings.

Hiding vs. Other Privacy Options

Hiding a game is one of three related but distinct privacy tools on Steam:

Hide this game: Removes the game from your Library view and profile, and stops broadcasting the title when you play it. The game is still owned and playable.
Set game details to “Private”: In your Profile â†’ Edit Profile â†’ Privacy Settings, you can set “Game Details” to “Private.” This hides your playtime, achievements, and the list of games you own from everyone. It’s a blanket setting that applies to all games.
Set your profile to “Private”: This hides your entire profile, including your friends list, inventory, and game list. It’s the most extreme option.

Use Hide when you want to keep a specific game out of sight but still want your profile to show other games. Use Private Game Details when you want to hide all your gaming activity from strangers or friends.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

Here are a few things that often confuse users:

“I hid a game, but my friends still see it in my Library.” If your friends can see your Library (via Family Sharing or by browsing your profile), they will see the hidden game if they look at your full game list. Hiding only removes it from your default view and from the public profile’s game list. It does not remove it from your account’s data.
“I hid a game, but I can’t find it to play it.” Hidden games are not deleted. Use the Library’s dropdown filter and select “Hidden” to see them. You can also search for the game by name in the Library search bar â€” it will still appear in search results.
“Does hiding stop the game from updating?” No. Hidden games still download updates and patches normally.
“Can I hide a game I don’t own?” No, you can only hide games that are in your account’s library.
“Will my friends see my achievements for a hidden game?” Yes, unless you set your Game Details to Private. Hiding only affects the game’s visibility in your Library and play status, not your achievement showcase.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can friends see my hidden games on my profile?

No. Hidden games are removed from your public profile’s game list and “Recently Played” section. However, if your profile is set to “Public” and someone views your full game list, they won’t see hidden games. If you have Family Sharing set up, family members can still see and play your hidden games.

Does hiding a game affect my playtime or achievements?

No. Hiding only changes visibility. Your playtime, achievements, and game files remain intact. You can unhide the game at any time and everything will be exactly as it was.

Can I hide a game from specific friends only?

No. Steam does not offer per-friend hiding. You can either hide the game from everyone (by hiding it) or set your entire profile to private. There is no way to selectively show a game to one friend and hide it from another.

Will my friends know I’m playing a hidden game if I earn an achievement?

Yes. If your Game Details are set to “Public,” earning an achievement in a hidden game will still appear in your friends’ activity feed. To prevent this, go to Profile â†’ Edit Profile â†’ Privacy Settings and set “Game Details” to “Private” or “Friends Only” â€” but note that “Friends Only” still shows achievements to friends.

Does hiding a game remove it from my Family Sharing library?

No. Hidden games remain available to family members via Steam Family Sharing. If you want to prevent family members from playing a specific game, you’d need to use Family View’s parental controls, not the hide feature.

Can I hide a game that is currently installed?

Yes. Hiding works on installed and uninstalled games alike. The game stays installed and can be launched normally from the hidden list or by searching for it.

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