Here are some of the top-rated Steam games that too few people have played

There are some games that feel like literally everyone has played – or at least heard of it. Half-life. Portal. Left 4 Dead 2. Mafia. The list goes on and on, and furtherBut despite their popularity and status as PC gaming icons, new data from SteamIDFinder shows that the video games we call classics are largely collecting dust in our Steam libraries, and frankly, I’m feeling a little betrayed at this point.

Using numbers from SteamIDFinder’s pool of Steam user data, the team has compiled a list that proves that some of the best PC games ever made are also some of the least-played. While military sims like ARMA: Cold War Assault and sprawling MMORPGs like Black Desert probably won’t shock you, there are a few games here that I wasn’t expecting.

First up, Portal and Portal 2. Stalwart puzzle games that redefined the genre, Portal 2 in particular is one of my favorite games ever made. There’s the whole GLaDOS potato thing, singing turrets that just want you to go away, and of course Wheatley. Voiced by comedian Stephen Merchant, Wheatley remains one of my favorite video game characters ever made, and I have the “SPAAACCCEEE” GIF ready to go at any moment. Portal has just 330,690 players and a Metacritic score of 90, while Portal 2 has a score of 95 and a criminal 249,894 players – I’m not going to say you’ve all let me down, but…

Then there are the various Half-Life games. Half-Life, Half-Life: Source, Half-Life 2 (Episode 1 and 2 included), Deathmatch, Blue Shift, and Opposing Force all make the list, with the ever iconic Half-Life 2 sitting at just 285,097 players. Even though it has a 96 on Metacritic, an overwhelmingly positive review score on Steam, and more awards than I care to count, it’s one of those games that just seems to be collecting dust.

Many of the games on SteamIDFinder’s list are Valve games, however, with Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 (322,890 and 280,352 respectively), and Counter-Strike (281,635) and Counter-Strike: Source (267,158) making the cut. It’s worth noting that many of these games were likely purchased for free, or as part of countless bundles over the years (Orange Box, anyone?), so their low player counts are hardly a result of poor quality.

If you want to see at a glance which of these games you own, check out SteamIDFinder’s Pile of Shame tool, which highlights games you’ve added to your library but never played. Keep in mind that gamers around the world have spent a total of $19 billion on games they’ve never played, so expect to take some psychic damage from the results.

If you’re looking to add even more to the pile, here’s a list of all the best free-to-play Steam games – at least you won’t be contributing to that $19 billion total. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for something completely new, here’s our guide to all the upcoming PC games for 2024 and beyond.

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