Minecraft Steam rumors reignite, after insider says more Xbox games will land on Valve's PC store

Many popular Xbox Studios games are already on Steam, including numerous Halo entries. Yet one major exception is Minecraft, which consistently ranks among the most played titles. After an insider leaked that “heavy-hitting Xbox first-party experiences” will soon land on Valve’s marketplace, Minecraft is one possibility.

How likely is a Minecraft Steam release?

In a recent Windows Central article, Jez Corden explained that these experiences will appear on Steam in the “coming months”. Mojang Studios’ open-world builder isn’t the only candidate, but it’s a common guess on Reddit and from a writer at TheGamer. It’s also not the first time there has been reason to believe a Minecraft Steam version is incoming.

In 2024, a description for a Minecraft Bedrock Edition perk on Game Pass mentioned Steam. In another instance, an individual created a fraudulent listing on Valve’s site for the game. Unfortunately for Steam users, playing the title still requires using a separate launcher.

Microsoft bought Mojang in 2014, adding the developer to its collection of studios. The company kept Minecraft on PlayStation consoles rather than making it an Xbox exclusive game. Nevertheless, it has yet to debut on the world’s most successful PC gaming marketplace.

Minecraft has thrived even without Valve

The prevailing theory for excluding Valve centers on revenue sharing. Microsoft would have to hand over 30% of all proceeds to the rival storefront. Since the sandbox title is already widely recognized, there is less urgency to expand its player base further. By contrast, the publisher can’t resist releasing upcoming titles like Forza Horizon 6 and the Fable reboot day one on Steam.

Even considering the financial drawbacks, Xbox has become more focused on PC gaming. With console sales struggling, it’s no longer as fixated on marketing the Series X|S. Also, a future gaming system currently being developed with AMD will likely rely on Windows.

As Corden notes in his report, many gamers remain hesitant to embrace the Xbox PC app. Microsoft added the ability to launch Steam games, but finding non-Game Pass titles is often frustrating. Given Valve’s continued dominance, it may be inevitable that Minecraft ends up on the store.