Want to stand out on Steam with a customized profile full of backgrounds, emoticons, and badges? Steam Points are the key – but buying points can get expensive.
Not to worry! With the right strategies, you can unlock tons of great profile items using points earned completely for free.
As a long-time Steam user myself, I‘ve built up over 20,000 points without spending a dime. In this guide, I‘ll share with you the best tricks I‘ve learned to get free points consistently.
Why Do Steam Points Matter?
Before we dive in, let‘s go over why you should care about Steam Points in the first place:
Customization – Points let you personalize your profile with backgrounds, showcases, emoticons, and more. This is huge for showing off your personality!
Recognition – Special badges and awards can highlight your contributions and achievements to others.
Leveling up – Points help increase your Steam Level, unlocking higher profile customization limits.
Discounts – Higher Steam Levels earn you bonus coupons and sale discounts of 5-10% on games.
Trading power – Your Steam Level determines your max allowed number of trades per year.
So in summary, Steam Points can enrich your overall Steam experience in many ways. That‘s why so many users try to get as many points as possible.
My Journey to 20,000 Free Points
When I first joined Steam in 2015, I barely paid attention to Steam Points. But after customizing my friend‘s profiles for their birthdays, I realized how much potential there was.
I set a goal to unlock the expensive animated backgrounds which cost 18,000 points. At first it seemed impossible without spending money, but I was determined to get them for free.
Here are the milestones from my journey:
1,000 points – Reached in the first month just by reviewing some games I had played.
5,000 points – Took around 5 months from doing more reviews and participating in community discussions.
10,000 points – Unlocked after 11 months by maximizing points from Steam sales.
15,000 points – Took 2 years thanks to consistent engagement with reviews and guides.
20,000 points – Finally unlocked my desired items after 3 years of optimizing every opportunity.
As you can see, getting free points takes some patience. But it‘s extremely rewarding when you hit a milestone and can upgrade your profile!
Now let‘s get into the best methods I‘ve found over the years…
Method 1: Get Awarded Points from Other Users
The most direct way to earn free Steam Points is by having other users award them to you. Here are some of the best ways to get awarded points:
Write Helpful Steam Reviews
- Focus on writing high-quality, in-depth reviews. Minimum of 200+ words.
- Review lesser known indie games to stand out more.
- Include informative details about gameplay, story, graphics, etc.
- Give pros, cons, final verdict, and who you‘d recommend the game to.
- Upload 2-3 screenshots to showcase the game.
- You‘ll typically get 50-300 points per helpful/funny review mark.
Create Funny or Interesting Content
- Post funny or scenic screenshots from games you play.
- Upload clips of cool moments, like achievements or easter eggs you find.
- Create Steam guides for achievements, easter eggs, mods, etc. Include images!
- Make gameplay compilation or montage videos. Memes and over-edits go viral.
- You can earn 500-1,000 points when your content gets popular.
Be Helpful in Discussions
- Answer questions and give recommendations in game forums.
- Join community discussions and provide thoughtful perspectives.
- Give feedback to developers on new features or issues.
- Share mods, configs, and tips that help other players.
- Points awarded range from 50-500 depending on contribution quality.
Play and Review New Releases
- Purchase and play new games in the first 2 weeks after launch.
- The developers may award you "Newcomer Points."
- To qualify, you must post a review of the game as well.
- Typically grants 100-300 points per qualifying game.
Adding up points from awards really makes a difference. I average 1,000 awarded points per month simply by engaging with the community.
Method 2: Participate in Events and Challenges
Steam always has new events and challenges running that offer chances to earn points:
Steam Seasonal Events
- Lunar New Year – dress up your avatar, earn a red envelope, and more.
- Summer / Winter sale – browse and nominate discounted games for points.
- Point Shop – rotating seasonal themes with custom items to unlock.
- Events grant anywhere from 100 – 1,000 points for participation.
Steam Quests
- Daily login quests – earn points just for checking in to Steam daily. Easy!
- Achievement hunt quests – complete achievement milestones in certain games.
- Create item quests – craft game badges, review games, etc.
- Quest points range from 50 – 300 per quest completed.
Marketing Promotions
- Watch video ads – sometimes popup offers will let you watch a short ad for free points.
- Join Steam chat – you‘ll occasionally get 1,000 points just for joining chat.
- Check the main Point Shop page for any active promos.
It‘s amazing how fast points add up when you engage with everything Steam has going on. I average around 5,000 points per year from events and quests alone.
Method 3: Maximize Points From Game Purchases
You can be strategic with game purchases to earn far more points:
- Buy bundles – You earn significantly more points per dollar compared to individual games.
- Spend during sales – Get the same points buying at sale price vs. full price.
- Use loyalty discounts – Your points earned increases for each year of Steam account age.
- Pay with Steam Wallet – Adding funds gives 100 points per $1 spent compared to direct credit card purchase.
- Craft game badges – Convert any eligible trading cards you have into badges for 100 points each.
I buy 90% of my games during Steam sales and always use my Steam Wallet to checkout. This nets me around 20,000 extra points per year from purchases!
Maximizing Points from Game Purchases:
| Points Earning Method | Additional Points Earned |
|---|---|
| Purchased $400 worth of games during Steam Summer Sale | 40,000 points |
| Bought 2 game bundles at 50% off | 4,000 points |
| Used Steam Wallet for purchases | 6,000 points |
| Crafted badges from trading cards | 1,500 points |
| Total extra points earned: | 51,500 points |
Being strategic with buying habits really adds up over time. I average around 50,000 purchase points per year on top of my free earnings.
Tips to Earn Points Faster
To maximize your free Steam Points earnings, make sure you:
- Post reviews regularly – Don‘t just review new releases. Revisit older games too.
- Create Steam Guides – Fill gaps by writing guides for lesser known games.
- Engage with the community – Be active on forums, discussions, and guides.
- Make entertaining content – Funny memes and clips get more engagement.
- Give thoughtful awards – Reciprocate awards to build relationships.
- Do ALL Steam events – Never miss seasonal events or daily quests.
- Use points before expiry – Points expire after 1 year of account inactivity.
Following these tips religiously over the years is how I was able to earn so many free points. It does take dedication, but the payoff is worth it!
Is Buying Points Worth It?
Of course you can shortcut the process by buying points directly:
- 100 points = $1 USD
- 1,000 points = $10 USD
- 5,000 points = $50 USD
- 13,500 points = $100 USD
In my opinion, buying points defeats the purpose of the entire system. But some users may find it justified to speed up profile customization.
You‘re better off being patient and earning points the legitimate way. Purchased points aren‘t special in any way. Focus on engagement and optimization instead!
Steam Points Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common Steam Points questions:
How do I check my points balance?
Your balance displays at the top of the Steam Points Shop page. Click your Steam username > Points Shop.
Where can I see my points purchase history?
View your transaction history by clicking your Steam name > Account Details > View Purchase History.
What happens when I refund a game?
When you refund a game, the points earned from that purchase are deducted from your balance.
Can I gift points to friends?
Unfortunately there is no way to directly transfer points between accounts. You can only award points to other users.
Do my points transfer between countries?
Yes, your points balance remains the same regardless of your Steam store country setting.
How do I activate Steam Wallet gift cards?
In Steam, go to Games > Activate a Product on Steam and enter the gift card code to add funds to your wallet.
Time to Start Earning Your Free Points
As you can see, it is completely achievable to earn tons of Steam Points without spending anything. You just need patience and a strategy.
Begin engaging with the community through reviews, guides, discussions, and content creation. Participate fully in all Steam events and quests. And be smart with your game purchases.
If you make the effort, you‘ll be surprised at how quickly your balance grows. Before long, you‘ll have all the customized bells and whistles you want on your Steam profile!
So get out there and start leveling up your Steam presence with free points. I hope these tips help you on your journey to customization greatness. Happy Steam-ing!
