Surprise Steam update adds a new feature I never knew I needed

Valve is a notoriously opaque company. We know that developers can float between projects. We know that it shadowdrops new games like Deadlock without the usual marketing push. And I strongly believe that In the Valley of Gods, Campo Santo's follow-up to Firewatch, is probably never happening now that it's been swalled up by the Valve machine. The inner machinations, however, are often a mystery. Many hope developers are working on Half-Life 3 as we speak. Or Team Fortress 3. Or Portal 3. Or all three. That'd be one hell of an orange box to release unexpectedly. But what at least some of Valve has been cooking up for the past months is a Steam calendar. Great.

I know that Valve has created some of the best PC games of all time, and I also know different teams do different things at such a huge company, but a calendar, Valve? The might and power of Steam, reduced to rearranging lists of upcoming PC games. The new calendar functionality is basically a list view, but it looks prettier, is easier to parse, and means you're less likely to forget when your next favorite game is releasing. Wait, is this actually a Good Thing?

I'll freely admit, I thought this was a silly update at first. But then I looked at the calendar, and was reminded that Dead Finger Dice comes out on Friday, alongside the game I've got penned as my next Balatro-like obsession, Slots and Daggers. The Seance of Blake Manor releases next week, just in time for Halloween, and while I know Arc Raiders is on the horizon, I completely forgot The Outer Worlds 2 drops next week, too. Where's the marketing, Microsoft?

When you follow the development of so many games, especially more niche indie titles, it's easy to forget when they release. Steam's new personal calendar not only features your wishlisted titles, but also games it would expect you to like based on what you play regularly. This algorithm isn't perfect, as my suggested games is often full of nonsense, but it has already proved handy and it's not even been available for 24 hours.

Maybe I'm an anomaly because I report on the industry, because I try to keep on top of so many new releases. I can't see this calendar helping casual players who are just looking forward to one or two tentpole releases a year. But for engaged players, and those who love niche games, the Steam calendar is a lowkey brilliant change. If you want to see your personal calendar, head here.

If this has you hankering for some classic Half-Life or Portal action, check out our list of the best old games to relive your youth. If you're looking to the future, though, our picks of the best indie games is the guide for you.

There's at least seven games this month that I want to get round to playing, but what does your personal calendar look like? Let us know in our community Discord server, where staff and readers discuss the best games to keep an eye on.