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How to Hide the Games You’re Playing on Steam

Use Mark as Private to hide one game from other Steam users, or set Game Details to Private to conceal game activity across your profile.
Length4 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To hide one game from other Steam users, open your Library, right-click the game, choose Manage, then select Mark as Private. To hide your games and current-game status broadly, set Game Details to Private in your profile’s Privacy Settings. Invisible only changes your presence, while Hide this game removes a title from your own Library view—not from other people’s.

Hide one specific game on Steam

In the current desktop client, the standard route is:

  1. Open Library.
  2. Find the game you want to conceal.
  3. Right-click the game and choose Manage.
  4. Select Mark as Private.
  5. Confirm if Steam displays a confirmation dialog.

Steam also documents access through the game’s details-page gear icon, then Manage, or through Properties > Privacy. The client must be online and connected to Steam for the per-game control to be available. Menu placement and wording can vary on Steam Deck, Big Picture Mode, the web interface, and localized clients. Steam Support’s per-game privacy instructions describe the available routes.

Steam says a private game is generally presented to other users as if you do not own it. It is hidden from your Community profile’s games list and recently played games, friends’ activity for that title, in-game indicators, and relevant Steam Store friend context. Steam also says related achievements and first-play activity are hidden from friends. This applies to Steam’s own surfaces; it is not a promise of invisibility to every external service or game server. Steam’s announcement of per-game privacy explains the feature.

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You can mark a game private before buying it by using the option in the Steam shopping cart. That is useful when you want privacy from the start; for an already-owned game, use the Library route above.

Hide all games and current activity

To conceal game information across your profile rather than just one title:

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  1. Open the Steam profile menu and choose View my profile.
  2. Select Edit Profile.
  3. Open Privacy Settings.
  4. Set Game Details to Private.

Steam describes Game Details as covering games you own or have wishlisted, achievements, playtime, whether you appear in-game, and the title you are playing. This is broader than marking one game private: friends will not be able to see game details you might otherwise choose to share. The setting is documented in Steam’s profile-privacy announcement; Steam’s Privacy Settings help page also points to the profile controls.

Hide playtime without hiding your games

If you want friends to see your games but not your total hours, Steam provides a separate playtime privacy option. In Privacy Settings, look for wording similar to “Always keep my total playtime private even if users can see my game details.” The exact label may differ by client version or localization.

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This setting is for playtime, not live status: leaving Game Details visible does not hide the title you are currently playing. Use per-game privacy or make Game Details private if concealing the current title is the goal. Steam’s privacy announcement describes the separate playtime control.

What Invisible does—and does not do

Choose Invisible from your friends-list presence menu when you want to appear offline while still using the friends list and chat. It is a temporary presence setting, not a way to remove ownership, achievements, playtime, or past activity from your profile. For a title-specific privacy result, mark that game private; for broad game-data privacy, make Game Details private. Steam explains Invisible and profile privacy in its profile-privacy announcement.

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Which Steam privacy option should you use?

Option Who it affects What it hides Best for
Mark as Private Other Steam users One game’s Steam ownership visibility, current status, playtime, and activity Hiding a particular title while keeping other game details visible
Game Details: Private Other Steam users Broad game information and in-game visibility Hiding game activity across your profile
Invisible Presence and friends-list surfaces Your online presence Appearing offline temporarily while retaining chat
Offline Mode Your Steam network connection Online Steam activity while disconnected Playing without an active Steam connection, when the game supports it
Hide this game Your own Library view The title’s appearance in your Library Organizing your Library, not concealing a game from friends

Offline Mode is not the usual fix for hiding a game from friends. Steam says it requires preparation, including updating and launching the game while online first; games that require an active connection or external launcher may not work offline. It can also limit online features and updates. See Steam’s Offline Mode instructions.

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What other players may still see

Private does not guarantee anonymity during multiplayer. Steam warns that in games using Steam matchmaking, your Steam ID may be visible to other players on the same server. If you invite a Steam friend to join a private game, that friend can see your in-game status until you leave the game or disconnect from Steam; Steam says this visibility is needed for joining. Do not assume private status hides you from other people you encounter in the game. Steam Support documents these exceptions.

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Troubleshooting

“Mark as Private” is missing

Make sure the Steam Client is online and connected to Steam. Then check the game’s right-click Manage menu, its details-page gear menu, or Properties > Privacy. If the control still does not appear, reconnect to Steam and restart the client before checking again. The online requirement is stated in Steam Support’s instructions.

The game is still visible after choosing “Hide this game”

That is expected: Hide this game only changes your own Library view. To hide the title from other Steam users, use Manage > Mark as Private.

You appear Invisible, but the profile still shows game details

Invisible changes your presence, not your game-data privacy. Set the game to Private or change Game Details to Private, depending on whether you want to hide one title or all game information.

Undo a private-game setting

Open the same game Manage or Privacy menu and switch it back from private; the exact wording can vary by client version and language. If the option is missing, make sure the Steam Client is online and connected.

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