Half of Steam Games Could Use AI by 2028, Study Predicts

By Shafiq Hassan Biplob, Senior Writer Published Jul 16, 2026, 9:22 PM UTC 2 min read

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Half of Steam Games Could Use AI by 2028, Study Predicts

If you have been keeping an eye on the state of new releases, you might have noticed a shift in what is appearing on the storefront. A new study conducted by former Habbo Hotel developer Sulka Haro suggests that if current trends hold, half of all games on Steam will incorporate AI-generated content by 2027 or 2028.

Quick Facts

Haro analyzed approximately 53,600 Steam games released between July 2023 and July 2026.
Currently, roughly 31% of new Steam games disclose AI usage.
80% of the 37,000 distinct publishers on Steam have never released an AI-assisted title.
89% of publishers who have used AI have only released a single AI-assisted game.

The Rise of AI Disclosures

The study, published on Haro's Substack, tracks the adoption of AI-generated content following Valve's introduction of an AI-disclosure feature in 2024. Before this requirement was implemented, there was no field for developers to report AI usage, meaning tracking effectively started at zero. Since then, the numbers have climbed steadily to reach the current level of one in every three new games.

Haro notes that while the growth is significant, it is not necessarily coming from established industry giants. Much of this increase is driven by what he calls "AI developers"—first-time creators who are using these tools to lower the barrier to entry, often resulting in a high volume of "shovelware." According to the findings, the bar for releasing five or more games is three times higher for these developers compared to those not utilizing AI.

Is the Entire Storefront Changing?

Despite the rapid climb in disclosures, the data suggests the "slop factory" is moving at a steady pace rather than an exponential one. The vast majority of publishers on the platform have steered clear of AI-generated content entirely. For those who have experimented with it, the commitment is often minimal; 89% of publishers who have used AI have only ever released one game featuring it.

However, industry analysts are already raising alarms about the impact on discoverability. Mat Piscatella, an analyst at Circana, recently warned that "AI vibe coding" makes it significantly easier for bad actors to clone legitimate indie hits. As we head toward the 2028 prediction, the combination of increased volume and potential for low-effort clones suggests that finding original content on the store may become an even more difficult task for players.