To unhide a game in Steam, navigate to your Library, then click on the “View” menu and select “Hidden Games”. Right-click the game you wish to unhide and select “Manage” then “Remove from Hidden”.
Ever felt like a game vanished from your Steam library? It happens! Sometimes, you accidentally hide a game and then it seems to disappear. Don’t worry, it’s easily recoverable. This guide will show you exactly how to unhide a game in Steam. The process is quite simple, and you’ll have your game back in no time.
How to Unhide a Game in Steam
Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. You’re scrolling through your Steam library, ready for some gaming action, and… wait a minute, where did that game go? It’s not missing, it’s just hidden. Steam has a feature that lets you hide games from your main library view, which can be super useful for cleaning things up. But when you want to play that hidden gem again, knowing how to find it and make it visible again is key. This guide walks you through the simple steps to bring those hidden titles back into the light.
Understanding Steam’s Hidden Game Feature
Before we jump into the “how-to,” let’s understand why Steam lets you hide games in the first place. Think of it like this: your Steam library can sometimes feel like a messy closet. You’ve got games you love, games you might play someday, and games you bought during a sale and might never touch again. Hiding games gives you the power to keep your library clean and focused on the games you actually play.
Why Hide Games?
Declutter Your Library: If you’re like many gamers, you’ve probably got a long list of games that you rarely or never play. Hiding them keeps your library looking tidy, making it easier to find your favorites.
Manage Family Sharing: If you share your Steam library with others in your household, you might want to hide certain games that aren’t appropriate for everyone.
Organize Games: Hiding games can also serve as a way to mark games you have finished or don’t intend to play soon, creating a simple sort of “played/not played” system.
Reduce Scrolling: A large library can be overwhelming. Hiding games helps reduce scrolling and makes your most played games more accessible.
Now that we understand why hiding games is handy, let’s learn how to bring them back!
Steps to Unhide Your Steam Game
Unhiding a game is easy, but it can be a bit tricky to find the right spot. Here’s how you can do it through the Steam desktop application.
Using the Steam Desktop Client
This method is the most common way to unhide games, since most people use Steam on their computers.
1. Open Steam: First things first, launch the Steam application on your computer. Make sure you’re logged into the correct account.
2. Navigate to Your Library: At the top of the Steam window, click on the “Library” button. This will take you to your game library.
3. Find the “View” Menu: Look near the top left of the Steam window, you will see the menu options “Steam”, “View”, “Friends”, “Games” and “Help”. Click on the “View” menu.
4. Select “Hidden Games”: From the drop-down menu in View, click on “Hidden Games”.
5. Locate Your Hidden Game: A new section will appear, displaying all of the games you’ve hidden. Scroll through this list until you find the game you want to unhide.
6. Right-Click on the Game: Once you’ve found the game you want to make visible again, right-click on its name. A menu will pop up with several options.
7. Select “Manage”: From the menu that appears after right-clicking, choose the “Manage” option. Another small submenu will pop out.
8. Choose “Remove From Hidden”: From the “Manage” menu, choose the “Remove From Hidden” option.
9. Game Appears in Your Library: After you select this option, the game will disappear from your list of hidden games and reappear in your regular Steam library. You should now see it in your normal library list.
And that’s it! Your game is unhidden.
An Example in Steps
Let’s say you hid “Space Explorers 2” and now want it back. Here’s how it would look using the steps we just talked about:
- Open Steam
- Click on “Library”
- Click on “View”
- Click on “Hidden Games”
- Find “Space Explorers 2”
- Right-click on “Space Explorers 2”
- Click on “Manage”
- Click on “Remove From Hidden”
- “Space Explorers 2” will now be visible in your regular library
This method works great for individual games. But what if you want to see all your hidden games at once? We’ll tackle that next.
Viewing All Hidden Games Simultaneously
Sometimes you might forget what you have hidden. Steam thankfully makes it easy to see all hidden games at once. This helps you quickly find any game you might want to bring back to your visible library.
The Complete Hidden Games List
When you go to “View” and then “Hidden Games” as described above, you’re looking at a complete list of all hidden games. This section only shows games you’ve hidden, making it easy to quickly see every title that is not displayed in your main library. You don’t need to search through your entire library to find your hidden games. This list is specifically designed for that purpose.
How to Unhide Multiple Games at Once
While Steam doesn’t have a button to unhide all games at once, this view lets you quickly unhide many games without needing to switch back and forth between hidden view and normal library. Here’s how you can unhide multiple games from this list:
1. Navigate to the Hidden Games Section: As explained before, go to “View” then “Hidden Games” to see the full list.
2. Select and Unhide Each Game: Go through the list, right-click on each game you want to unhide, go to “Manage” and then choose “Remove From Hidden”. Repeat this process for each game on the list that you would like to unhide.
3. Your Main Library is Updated: As you remove games from the Hidden Games list, they will appear in your normal library view.
This method makes unhiding several games less tedious. You just have to repeat the right-click and “Remove From Hidden” steps for each game.
Using the Steam Mobile App
While the desktop client is the most common way, you can also manage your hidden games using the Steam mobile app. The process is slightly different but also quite easy.
Steps on the Steam Mobile App
Here’s how to find and unhide games using your phone or tablet:
1. Open the Steam Mobile App: Make sure the app is installed on your device and log in with your Steam account.
2. Access Your Library: Tap on the menu icon (usually three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner. Select “Library” from the menu.
3. Tap the Filter Icon: You’ll see a filter icon near the top right (usually it’s an icon with three lines and dots on them). Tap on this filter icon to open the filter menu.
4. Choose “Hidden”: From the filter options, you’ll see different choices like “Installed”, “VR”, and “Hidden”. Tap on “Hidden”.
5. Find Your Game: You’ll see a list of all hidden games. Scroll until you find the game you wish to unhide.
6. Tap the Three Dots: Next to the game, you’ll see three vertical dots (often referred to as a “More Options” menu). Tap on these dots.
7. Select “Manage”: In the small pop-up menu that appears after you tap on the three dots, choose “Manage”.
8. Choose “Remove from Hidden”: Then, choose “Remove from Hidden” from the sub-menu.
9. Game Appears in Library: Your selected game is now unhidden and you’ll find it in the “All” view in your library (you may need to remove filters first).
Why Use the Mobile App?
Convenience: If you’re away from your computer but want to manage your library, the mobile app comes in handy.
Quick Check: You can use the mobile app to quickly see what games you’ve hidden if you can’t remember what they are.
Remote Management: If you share your Steam library with family, you can manage hidden games without needing access to the computer itself.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Sometimes things don’t go as smoothly as we hope. Here are some common problems you might encounter and how to deal with them:
Game Not Showing Up After Unhiding
Steam Restart: Sometimes Steam needs a little refresh. Try closing the Steam application completely and relaunching it. This often fixes minor glitches.
Filter Check: Double-check your library filters. Make sure no filters are on that might be hiding the game you unhid. If any filters are still active, clear them.
Check for Library Updates: Steam might be in the process of updating something and not fully reflect your changes yet. Let it complete any download or installation.
Restart Your Computer: If Steam still doesn’t show the game, try restarting your computer. This can help with various software conflicts.
Game Was Hidden by Someone Else
If you’re sharing your Steam library, someone else might have hidden the game. If you cannot find it even with checking hidden section, ask your housemates or family members. They may be able to find the game and unhide it.
I Still Can’t See the Game
If the above steps don’t work, it’s possible there is a larger issue with your Steam client or even with your account. You might want to contact Steam Support. They can help you resolve account related issues, and they can also investigate if you are experiencing a potential bug in the client.
Organizing Your Library
Now that you know how to unhide games, let’s briefly talk about organization tips. The hidden game feature is just one tool. Here are a few ways to keep your Steam library neat.
Creating Categories
Steam lets you create categories (or collections) to organize your games. You can make categories based on genre, play status, or any criteria you like. Here’s how to use the collection feature:
Right-Click on a Game: In your library view, right-click on any game.
Select “Add to”: In the menu, click “Add to”.
Create New Collection: You can either choose existing collection, or if you don’t have them already, click “Create New Collection”.
Name Your Collection: Give it a useful name. For example “Completed Games,” “Multiplayer” or “Co-Op” etc.
Add Games: Add more games to this category or collection.
Using Dynamic Collections
Steam also has “Dynamic Collections” which automatically add games based on certain parameters. For example, it can automatically create a collection of all installed games, or all games with trading cards.
The Power of Customization
Remember, the goal is to make your Steam library work for you. Take advantage of these features to make finding the games you want quick and easy. Hidden games are great for a little clutter control, but categories and dynamic collections are great for taking this control further.
The ability to hide games in Steam is a helpful way to keep your library clean and user-friendly. Unhiding these games is straightforward once you know where to look. Whether you’re using the desktop client or the mobile app, a few simple steps will bring your hidden games back into view. By mastering the hidden game feature and other organization tools, you can make your gaming experience more enjoyable and less of a chore of trying to find your game. Now, go have some fun with your games!
How to Hide & Unhide Games (Steam 2022)
Final Thoughts
You can easily unhide a game in Steam through the ‘View’ menu, then selecting ‘Hidden Games’. This displays your list of hidden titles.
Right-clicking the game and choosing ‘Manage’ then ‘Remove from Hidden’ instantly makes it visible again in your library. This is the simple method of how to unhide a game in steam.
