Already played a game on Switch, Epic Games Store, GOG, or another platform? Steam’s Played on Another Platform option tells the store you’re familiar with it without adding it to your Steam library. The feature dates to 2019, and it is tucked into the menu beside Ignore—a placement that matters, because marking a game this way can also affect where it appears in the store.
How to mark a Steam game as played elsewhere
- Sign in to Steam and open the game’s main Steam store page.
- Find the Ignore control and open the small arrow beside it. Choose the dropdown, not the main Ignore action.
- Select Played on Another Platform. The label’s capitalization may vary slightly by interface.
This is a store-page preference, not a library-management command. It is intended for games you have actually played elsewhere; Steam does not ask which platform you used or verify that you own the game there. The option was introduced in August 2019, according to PC Gamer’s coverage of the feature.
What the option changes—and what it doesn’t
It gives Steam a signal about your interests
Valve’s stated aim was to distinguish a game you already know from one you want to avoid, while giving Steam recommendation systems useful information about your taste. Steam describes its store recommendations and Interactive Recommender as using preference and play-history signals; that does not guarantee a particular recommendation or measurable change for every account. See Steam’s store overview and Steam Labs.
It may also hide the game from store discovery
The control lives within Steam’s Ignore workflow, so the played-elsewhere marker is not fully separate from ignored-item behavior. Depending on your store preferences and the page or recommendation surface, the title may be hidden from search or other discovery areas. Steam Community users have noted this overlap and requested a distinct way to record outside play without putting a game in an ignored category (discussion).
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It does not transfer a game or its data
Marking a title as played elsewhere does not add it to your Steam library, unlock the Steam edition, or import external ownership, achievements, cloud saves, or playtime. It does not link your Epic, GOG, console, or other account to Steam. Treat it as a preference signal, not proof of ownership or a cross-store history record.
Played elsewhere, Ignore, Wishlist, or Follow?
| Choice | Use it when | What it communicates | Likely store effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Played on Another Platform | You have played the game elsewhere and do not need Steam to keep surfacing that exact title. | You are familiar with it; it may still be relevant to your broader interests. | It remains tied to ignored-item behavior and may hide the title, depending on preferences and store surface. |
| Ignore | You dislike the game or simply do not want it in your Steam discovery experience. | You do not want Steam to recommend or feature that product. | Steam says ignored products are excluded from future recommendations and featured spots; see its store overview. |
| Wishlist | You may buy the Steam version later or want to keep it easy to find. | You have purchase interest. | It stays on your wishlist; this is not a record of outside play. |
| Follow | You want updates or announcements about the title. | You want news about the product. | It does not say that you have played or own the game. |
For example, if you completed Undertale on Nintendo Switch and still like games in its genre, the played-elsewhere option better expresses that than ordinary Ignore. But if you might buy the Steam edition, Wishlist is the more useful choice. If you own a game on another launcher but have never played it, the label is not an exact fit: it says played, not merely owned.
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How to keep a played-elsewhere game searchable
Steam’s store preferences include a Hide ignored items setting. If it is enabled, a title marked through this workflow may not appear in some searches. Review Steam Store account preferences if you want to look up or purchase the game on Steam. Turning off the setting can also reveal other ignored products, and Steam’s pages, searches, Discovery Queue, and recommendation shelves may not all behave alike.
If the option is missing or cut off
- Confirm you are signed in, then open the game’s main store page—not a DLC page, bundle, publisher page, or search-only result.
- Open the arrow beside Ignore. The main button and its dropdown are separate actions.
- Try the Steam desktop client if you are using the web store, or try the web store if you are in the client.
- If the dropdown looks clipped, focus or hover over it and press Tab repeatedly to move through its items. Press Shift+Tab to move backward; activate the played-elsewhere choice when it receives focus.
- If it remains inaccessible, try another browser or restart the Steam client. Clearing browser cache is another possible troubleshooting step, not a guaranteed fix.
Steam Community users reported the menu clipping and Tab workaround from November 2025 into February 2026; these are user-reported workarounds, not a Valve support procedure (community reports). Those reports do not establish that Valve removed the feature.
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What if you marked the game Ignore before?
You can review your ignored products, but Steam does not appear to offer a clearly documented bulk conversion that changes every old Ignore entry into a played-elsewhere marker. Avoid assuming that changing an entry will immediately restore a particular recommendation pattern; Steam does not document that outcome.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When the marker is a poor fit
- You played a demo, beta, free weekend, or subscription copy: the option records familiarity, but Steam does not define whether those experiences count as having played the full game.
- You later buy the Steam edition: the Steam library entry is the relevant record of that purchase; the marker is not a substitute for it.
- The game has separate editions, remasters, DLC, or bundles: do not assume one product-page choice applies to every related listing.
- The console version differs from the PC version: the marker expresses familiarity, not compatibility, shared saves, or cross-platform progression.
If your goal is a complete inventory across launchers rather than a Steam recommendation preference, use a separate library manager such as Playnite or GOG Galaxy; this Steam option does not create a unified external-games library.
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