Steam is a video game digital distribution
service and storefront developed by Valve Corporation
. It was launched as a software client in September 2003 to provide game updates automatically for Valve's games, and expanded to distributing third-party titles in late 2005. Steam offers various features, like game server matchmaking
with Valve Anti-Cheat
measures, social networking
, and game streaming
services. Steam client's functions include game update automation, cloud storage for game progress
, and community features such as direct messaging, in-game overlay functions and a virtual collectable
marketplace.Steamworks, a freely available application programming interface (API) released in 2008, is used by developers to integrate Steam's functions, including digital rights management (DRM), into their game products. Many game publishers began distributing their titles on Steam that year. Initially developed for Microsoft Windows operating systems, Steam was released for macOS in 2010 and Linux in 2012. Mobile apps to access online Steam features were first released for iOS and Android in 2012. The platform's storefront also offers other digital content and Valve gaming hardware, including productivity software, game soundtracks, videos and virtual reality headset Valve Index.
