$30B in Unplayed Games? Exploring the Real Backlog

The reality behind the viral $19 billion claim, the true global backlog across all platforms, and why we keep hoarding games we’ll never launch.

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Ever looked at your Steam library and felt that familiar guilt about games you’ve bought but never touched? You’re not alone. Recent viral reports suggest Steam users collectively have spent an eye-watering $19 billion on games they never played. But how accurate is that number—and why do we keep stacking up our digital pile of shame?

The Viral Claim – What’s True, What’s Not:

The claim originated from a PCGamesN and SteamIDFinder analysis, suggesting around $1.9 billion worth of games remained untouched across public Steam profiles. Scaled up, that became $19 billion globally. But here’s where things get messy:

Sampling Bias: Only public profiles were analyzed, potentially skewing data.
Pricing Issues: Calculations used full retail prices, ignoring sales, bundles, and free giveaways.
Hidden Playtime: Offline or externally launched games might appear as unplayed.

Why We Keep Hoarding Games:

Several psychological and practical factors fuel this digital collecting:

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): Deep discounts during Steam sales push impulse buys.
Bundles and Giveaways: Gamers often buy bundles for one or two specific games, unintentionally adding unused games.
Subscription Models: Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, and similar services flood our libraries with new content faster than we can keep up.
Digital Distractions: Streaming services, social media, and live-service games compete fiercely for our limited leisure time.

The Invisible Backlog – Streaming and Subscription Overload:

Services like Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus Extra, and even PC Game Pass don’t just give you more games—they give you more ways to ignore them. With Xbox Cloud Gaming and instant streaming, you can try a game for a few minutes without downloading it, then move on without ever returning. These sessions often aren’t tracked the same way, adding to a growing “invisible backlog” of titles—briefly sampled, never installed, and ultimately forgotten.

PC Game Pass users face a digital buffet of AAA and indie titles dropping each month. The ease of access can overwhelm rather than encourage real engagement. You tell yourself you’ll get to them—but the list just keeps growing.

PC Game Pass adds dozens of games each month—but many end up in players’ libraries without ever being launched.

And I’m not off the hook either. I’ve got untouched games sitting in Ubisoft Connect, GOG, the EA App, Epic, Xbox, PlayStation, and even a few old Humble keys I never redeemed. Between launchers, mobile stores, cloud libraries, and retro collections, this isn’t just about Steam anymore—it’s everywhere.

Also—topic for another article entirely—I’d estimate that 90% of the games I’ve claimed on Epic or elsewhere are ones I already owned on Steam. And I know I’m not alone. We’re not just building backlogs—we’re duplicating them. Epic’s recent Outer Worlds giveaway is a perfect example—how many of us already have it elsewhere?

Then there are all the personal reasons. People get sick. People regret buying things. They go on vacations, they change jobs, they travel the world (I did). Some die. Some give up. Sometimes the game… is just bad. Sometimes you forgot you even bought it. Sometimes it was a gift that never got opened. I could name hundreds of reasons why games end up in the backlog. It’s not just about money or time—it’s about life.

A Developer’s Perspective:

One dev who knows this firsthand is Julien Eveillé, the solo developer of THRESHOLD. In a recent LinkedIn post, he shared that over 10,000 players bought the game but haven’t even started it. “I appreciate the support,” he wrote, “but also: Do play it! There’s something you’ve never seen in a game before—and a difficulty system based on the country you pick at the start.”

Check out THRESHOLD on Steam:

Expert Insights:

Industry analyst Chris Zukowski likens modern game hoarding to the Japanese concept of “tsundoku”—the act of collecting books you’ll likely never read. In today’s world, we’ve simply swapped books for backlogged digital downloads.

What the Numbers Actually Tell Us:

Despite exaggerations, the data is clear—backlogs are real and significant:

Median Steam User: Over half their library remains untouched.
Console Gamers: Roughly 20–30% of purchased games on Xbox and PlayStation remain unplayed.
Mobile Users: Approximately 25% of downloaded mobile apps and games are never opened.

The message is clear: we’re spending faster than we’re playing—and the pile keeps growing.

Beyond Steam – The Real Global Backlog Might Be Double:

It’s worth noting this estimate only covers Steam—if you included unplayed games on Epic, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Ubisoft, GOG, EA, and mobile, the total value would be far higher. Based on conservative projections, the real global cost of unplayed games may be closer to $30–32 billion—or more.

Sony’s PlayStation platform is home to millions of digital game purchases—many of which are never launched.

Conclusion – Embracing the Backlog:

Rather than viewing these backlogs negatively, gamers might consider their libraries as curated collections, with each game a potential adventure waiting to be discovered. After all, every unplayed title is a chance at a new experience—whenever you find the time.