3 Sources
[1]
1 in 5 Steam games released in 2025 use generative AI, up nearly 700% year-on-year -- 7,818 titles disclose genAI asset usage, 7% of the entire Steam library
New research into the proliferation of generative AI being used to develop games on Steam has revealed a staggering 681% increase in the number of titles that disclose the use of the technology. In fact, there are now over 7,500 titles that disclose GenAI usages, up from barely 1,000 in 2024, according to Totally Human Media. Ichiro Lambe, a veteran game developer who authored the study, noted that around 1,000 Steam titles disclosed the use of generative AI just over a year ago. Spurred to follow up as the rising tide of AI continues to flood all before it, Lambe says that his latest figures indicate the propagation of games using generative AI in any capacity has vastly increased in the last 12 months. Lambe says there are now 7,818 titles on Steam that disclose GenAI usage. Starting in January 2024, Steam added new fields to the content survey that developers are required to fill in when they submit a game to the platform, requiring developers to declare how they're using AI in the development of their games. Use cases are broadly divided into two categories: live generated -- content created with AI while the game is running -- and pre-generated, which could be anything from art, code, sound, and beyond. That surge marks an increase of 681% of total titles using GenAI compared with April last year. However, the number only represents 7% of the entire Steam library, some 114,000 titles. Perhaps more interestingly, 2025 has seen an exponential influx, with one in five (20%) of all titles released in 2025 featuring GenAI in some form. Helpfully, Lambe provides a breakdown of what exactly GenAI usage could entail in any given game's production. As you can imagine, visual asset generation is a massive one, and about 60% of disclosures mention it for use in creating characters, backgrounds, models, textures, and more. As noted, there's also the generation of audio, which could mean anything from background music to voice-overs, narration, and even character voices using text-to-speech tools. Text and narrative generation also indicates developers are leaning on LLMs to create copy, covering anything from item descriptions to entire story arcs. Perhaps more obscure, developers may be using AI in marketing and promotional materials on Steam's storefront for game descriptions, the about section, and promotional imagery. Finally, Lambe says there is "a ton" of code generation assistance going on. However, Lambe's insight also notes that games are using more and more AI during runtime, the aforementioned live-generated category, which developers must declare. Examples he notes include using GenAI to flag offensive material created by players, utilizing LLMs to generate entire 3D worlds based on player-created prompts, making real-time game mechanics decisions, and more. Attitudes towards AI tend to be divisive, but according to Lambe's report, the response is not wholly negative, highlighting games that lead with AI in their advertising and have positive reviews. In case you were wondering, the biggest games that feature GenAI from the last 12 months are My Summer Car, Liar's Bar, The Quinfall, and Inzoi. The biggest title is the former, which has sold 2.5 million copies and features AI-generated paintings inside the main house, again highlighting how disparate reliance on AI is across titles. Perhaps noteworthy of developers' caution and a sense that GenAI might perturb users, Lambe also says he is seeing more frequent instances of carefully created language, where developers disclose the use of AI in a defensive manner while trying to reassure potential customers about its inclusion. Questions remain about consumer adoption of AI-assisted Steam titles, and, of course, there is a huge blind spot in the data, namely, whether some games might not be disclosing their use of AI.
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1 in 5 new video games on Steam now uses generative AI, report says
A new report from Totally Human Media reveals that nearly 20 percent of video games released on Steam in 2025 use generative AI. The report from Totally Human, which uses machine learning and generative AI to recommend games, books, shows, and movies, reported that approximately 7,818 games on Steam disclosed using Generative AI. That represents about 7 percent of the entire available Steam library. For games released on the platform in 2025, just under 20 percent -- or about 1 in 5 games -- utilized AI, or disclosed doing so, at least. In total, that's a nearly 700 percent increase in games that use generative AI on Steam, according to Totally Human Media's 2024 report on the same subject. Game Rant reported that the most popular game to make that Generative AI disclosure is My Summer Car, a vehicle simulation game that lets users build, fix, tune, and perform maintenance to their car. It has sold 2.5 million units, Game Rant reported. The disclosure reads, "The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this: There are some AI generated paintings found inside the main house." It looks like Totally Human gathered this data from Steam itself, which has required game developers to disclose the use of Generative AI since January 2024. Valve Corporation, the company that owns Steam, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mashable. In a Reddit thread about the Totally Human article, many commenters said if a game uses AI, that game will automatically go in their "ignore" list. "We need to tag them so they can be an ignored category," one user wrote. "More and more Steam games are going on my Ignore list," another user wrote. In general, even commenters who weren't completely against AI in games wrote that they were turned off by the move. "So many cool games in the steam next fest immediately put me off when I realized they were using GenAI. Pay artists ffs," another person commented. Although, there is nuance for many Steam users. "Not surprised in this day and age. Everyone at every company is pushing for AI usage, not surprise the gaming industry as a whole is also pushing for it," one user commented on Reddit. "So far AI assets are pretty easy to spot as you no doubt already know but I get the sentiment of 'what am I paying for if its all AI' and agree with it. I guess I don't mind AI usage for simple things like UI elements or unit cards, simple stuff."
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Steam's slop problem has gotten much worse as reports say the number of games using GenAI has gone up almost 800% in the last year alone
The number of games disclosing Generative AI usage on Steam has shot up by almost 800% over the last year, with just under 8,000 games being sold using it. Gaming storefronts have been a hot topic over the last few years as seemingly every platform holder has opened the floodgates to whoever and whatever. One glance at the Nintendo eShop unloads a wave of slop with low-effort, AI-generated thumbnails. It even affects popular games, as PC-exclusive viral hit Schedule 1 has faced ripoff games on both PlayStation and the Switch eShop, while Unpacking director Wren Brier notes multiple AI ripoffs of their game on the eShop being sold for cheap, presumably to lure in unsuspecting buyers. A report from Ichiro Lambe (founder of indie studio Dejobaan Games) found that things are only getting worse. "A year ago, I poked around Steam to see how many game developers were disclosing usage of Generative AI. It was around 1,000, which seemed like a lot to me at the time." However, one year on, "Nearly 8,000 games on Steam Use GenAI. Or, more precisely: 7,818 titles on Steam disclose GenAI usage. That's 7% of the total Steam library," with one in five games released in 2025 using it. Lambe notes that as players become increasingly savvy and refuse to play games using GenAI (Jurassic World Evolution 3 recently discontinued its AI use due to players rejecting what should be done by a person), developers are using more defensive language. Additionally, this number only represents developers who voluntarily disclose the use of GenAI, so there's a chance the issue is much worse than reported. Granted, when you hear about games using GenAI, I imagine it conjures up images of games creating voiceovers or art with it (which, granted, is a lot of it). However, some games are using it for different purposes, like social game Comedy Night, which notes on its Steam page, "We use Ai to detect offensive material being uploaded to use as stage backgrounds and facemasks. AI is also used to flag offensive room names and descriptions." That is a far better use for the tech than stealing art or voice acting performances to create something ugly that sounds like crap.
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A recent study reveals a dramatic 681% increase in Steam games using generative AI, with 20% of 2025 releases incorporating the technology. This trend raises questions about game development practices and consumer reactions.
A recent study by game developer Ichiro Lambe has revealed a staggering 681% increase in the number of Steam games disclosing the use of generative AI technology over the past year. As of 2025, approximately 7,818 titles on the platform now incorporate some form of generative AI, representing 7% of the entire Steam library 1.
Source: Tom's Hardware
Perhaps more striking is the fact that one in five (20%) of all games released on Steam in 2025 feature generative AI in some capacity. This exponential growth indicates a significant shift in game development practices and raises questions about the future of the industry 2.
The study provides insights into how developers are utilizing AI technology:
Interestingly, the study also notes an increase in "live-generated" AI content, where games use AI during runtime. Examples include:
Source: Mashable
The response to AI integration in games has been mixed. While some games leading with AI in their advertising have received positive reviews, there is also a growing trend of consumer wariness 3.
Many Steam users express skepticism towards AI-generated content, with some stating they automatically ignore games that disclose AI usage. In response, developers are increasingly using careful language to disclose AI use, often adopting a defensive tone while trying to reassure potential customers.
The most popular game disclosing generative AI usage is "My Summer Car," which has sold 2.5 million copies. The game uses AI-generated paintings as part of its in-game environment, highlighting the varied applications of this technology across different titles 2.
Some games are finding more accepted uses for AI, such as "Comedy Night," which employs AI to detect and flag offensive content uploaded by users 3.
Source: gamesradar
The rapid adoption of generative AI in game development raises several questions about the future of the industry. Concerns include the potential for low-quality, AI-generated "slop" flooding digital storefronts, the impact on human artists and developers, and the need for more robust disclosure and quality control measures.
As the technology continues to evolve, the gaming industry will need to grapple with balancing innovation and efficiency against maintaining game quality and preserving the human element in game creation.
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