Steam’s Best of 2023 Reveals Its Highest-Selling and Most-Played Games of the Past Year

Valve has unveiled its annual ‘Best of 2023′ list on Steam, revealing which titles dominated sales on PC. The titles haven’t been numerically ranked, but have been grouped into tiers — Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze — based on data collected from January 1 through December 15, 2023. The Top 12 category is populated by both free-to-play multiplayer games and the biggest launches, with the award-winning Baldur’s Gate 3, Starfield, Cyberpunk 2077, and Hogwarts Legacy emerging as the best-selling titles. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which was disliked by both fans and critics alike, also made it to higher echelons, thanks to a dedicated fanbase wanting to experience its multiplayer segment.

The usual suspects like Counter-Strike 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Apex Legends, Dota 2, and Destiny 2 also made it to the Platinum rank — the last of them is getting a new expansion, ‘The Final Shape,’ in June, this year. Meanwhile, the Gold tier contains some absolute bangers like the Resident Evil 4 remake, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Elden Ring, for which the last-reported sales number was 20 million copies across all platforms. Its popularity was highly instrumental in plunking Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, a lesser-known FromSoftware franchise, among the top 24 best-selling games on the platform. Even FIFA 23 from last year made the cut, which shouldn’t be surprising considering its follow-up EA Sports FC 24 launched mid-year.

In addition to an overall Top-Sellers field, Steam has additional sections for New Releases by gross revenue, Most Played, Early Access purchases, and more. Multiplatform games that were received poorly seem to be the centre of attention among the latest releases, with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Payday 3 emerging on top, with the latter being criticised for lack of content. As you’d expect, multiplayer games held the highest player count (above 300,000 minimum), though some single-player affairs like Goose Goose Duck and Hogwarts Legacy charted alongside Baldur’s Gate 3, which at one point, peaked at over 800,000 concurrent players on Steam. Developer Larian Studios only anticipated 100,000, given the game had been out for nearly three years in early access. At the time of writing, over 176,000 concurrent players are logged into the expansive RPG, which is placed fourth among the most-played games on the platform.

2023 was also a great year for studios to test out their games in early access and gain feedback on them. The ocean exploration and fishing game from Mintrocket, Dave the Diver, was among the favourites, even turning out to be one of the most played games on the Steam Deck. While it’s only natural to expect less graphically intensive games like Vampire Survivor and Half-Life on there, somehow Starfield made it to the top despite its lack of optimisation causing heavy stutters in crowded areas like New Atlantis and the Wild West-themed Akila. Beat Saber and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR emerged among the favourites in virtual reality gaming, along with Half-Life: Alyx, pitting you in a vicious fight against the alien Combines.

Currently, Steam also has its annual Winter Sale going on, bringing steep discounts on new and returning games. It runs until January 5 at 10:30pm IST.


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Steam Deck OLED Release Timings Revealed by Valve Ahead of Launch

Steam Deck OLED, Valve’s updated handheld gaming device, is launching later this week. Ahead of the Steam-powered console’s release, Valve has unveiled release timings. The handheld gaming device will be available to purchase November 16 at 10am PST in the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe via the Steam store. To combat scalpers who purchase newly launched devices in bulk to resell them at a markup, the company has limited purchases so each customer can only buy one model per week. Additionally, the company has announced a limited-edition version, featuring a smoky translucent case, available for $679 (about Rs. 56,500). This is available only in the US and Canada.

The stipulations for getting a Steam Deck OLED remain the same, with Valve demanding that the buyer’s Steam account be in good standing (no bans), and that some form of purchase must be made on that account before November 2023. Given the company only announced this device earlier this month, no newly created bot accounts will be able to swipe them from legitimate customers. It is also worth mentioning that at the same time — 10am PT — players in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong can buy the Steam Deck OLED through its authorised Asian store site Komodo. Just like the limited-edition variant, Valve hopes to experiment with more colourways in the future — who knows, we might get to purchase the cover separately and swap it by ourselves.

Serving as an overhauled version of the Steam Deck, this refresh understandably comes with a 7.4-inch HDR OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and promises up to 50 percent longer battery life. This is an improvement over the 60Hz 7-inch screen on the base version. The new OLED variant also supports Wi-Fi 6E for faster downloads and adds a larger heatsink and a quieter fan for better heat dissipation across the board. Temperature issues on handheld consoles have been a hot topic for a while, with several modders cutting holes into their Steam Deck case to enable better airflow. Hopefully, this refresh solves some of those problems when playing on higher graphical settings. In general, though, the processor and performance remain the same, albeit the 16GB RAM sees a slight uptick in frequency, going from 5500 MT/s to 6400 MT/s.

It is worth mentioning that the base 256GB Steam Deck with LCD screen is still up for sale, albeit at a lower price tag of $399 (about Rs. 33,200). Meanwhile, the OLED versions start coming with a 512GB NVMe SSD, along with the other improvements that raise the console’s battery life from 2–8 hours to 3–12 hours. Indeed, it all depends upon the in-game settings and what kind of game is running on the Steam Deck. The kit also comes with a carrying case, a 45W power supply with a 2.5-metre-long charging cable, and a Steam profile bundle to customise stuff to your liking. It’s priced at $549 (Rs. 45,700). Then there’s a 1TB Steam Deck OLED variant, which as the name suggests, comes with more storage, a premium anti-glare glass, and a virtual keyboard theme. It costs $649 (Rs. 54,000).

As before, there’s no word on Steam Deck OLED being officially available in India, so your best bet is to overpay for an imported one from online retailers.


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SteamVR 2.0 Launched With New Store UI, Dual-Cursor Typing, More

Valve has launched its much-awaited SteamVR 2.0 update, following a one-month beta testing period in September. While it’s unclear whether the company is laying the groundwork for a new virtual reality headset, the update brings a complete overhaul to the user interface, in a way that matches the current Steam Big Picture mode. The store prioritises new and major VR releases at the top, in addition to making it easy to navigate through a consistent experience across the desktop app, the Steam Deck, and other devices. The update was originally supposed to drop in 2020.

Maintaining a similar feel to the Steam Deck’s interface, all the notifications, chat messages, and even in-game screenshots are now accessible directly while wearing the VR headset. The keyboard has been updated as well to allow for typing in new languages and using emojis — the experience can be further personalised via downloadable themes. Dual-cursor typing should allow for quick problem-solving, and the dashboard comes with battery indicators and charging status for each controller, akin to wireless earbuds. “This is our first big step in a larger ongoing effort to better unify the Steam ecosystem for all users, providing a more consistent experience across devices,” the blog post reads, indicating that the interface will be constantly updated and kept bug-free.

SteamVR 2.0’s release has led to speculations that Valve is planning to launch a new VR device soon. Reports from last month suggested that the company registered a mystery hardware in South Korea — a wireless device, which is presumably a successor to the wired Valve Index, which was released in 2019, before Half-Life: Alyx was launched. A de-facto Steam Deck 2 is out of the question, given its designer Lawrence Yang’s claims that a new one with a ‘significant bump in horsepower’ won’t be launched within the next few years. A standalone VR device codenamed ‘Deckard’ is also allegedly in the works, which is poised to be a competitor to the upcoming Meta Quest VR headsets.

The SteamVR 2.0 update is completely free and can be accessed by clicking Steam, followed by the ‘Check For Client Updates’ option. It’s not very frequent for someone to fire up their VR headset to play games — not a go-to option — so there’s a good chance yours might be out of date. Elsewhere, Steam has revealed its biggest releases from September, which include the rebranded EA Sports FC 24, the expansive space RPG Starfield, the gloomy Pinocchio souls-like Lies of P, and more. The platform also has a Halloween Sale coming up later tonight, October 26 at 10:30pm IST/ 10am PT in the US, bringing heavy discounts on select scary games. Indeed, if you’re ever worried about finding a better price on a major sale, like the upcoming Autumn Sale, you can always check the price history on Steam Database.


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Diablo IV Is Headed to Steam This Month, Just in Time for the Vampire-Themed Season 2

Diablo IV is coming to Steam, merely four months after its multi-platform launch. The devilish loot RPG is headed to Valve’s game storefront on October 17, keeping with creator Blizzard’s promise to bring more of its PC catalogue to the commonly preferred choice of platform. You see, all PC games from Blizzard are restricted to its proprietary Battle.net launcher, making it a nuisance for players to jump between and log into different accounts. It’s a hot topic among the community, who’d much rather have their entire library on Steam, for easy access. The free-to-play shooter Overwatch 2 was the first to break this tradition in August, albeit that ended poorly.

The Steam version is now available for wishlisting, and owners will be required to link/ connect Diablo 4 to a Battle.net account, enabling cross-platform play and cross-progression. That said, the game can be launched natively and there’s no need for you to keep Blizzard’s app installed on your PC. The arrival also brings the niceties of unlockable achievements, alongside smooth access to the Steam friend list, so you can invite others for co-op demon-killing sessions. For now, there is no word on whether existing owners of the game will be getting a discount on their Steam purchase, but the store page listing does feature three editions — Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate — same as the initial launch. During the developer update live stream, held late Wednesday, the team noted that the dungeon-crawler is playable on the Steam Deck, though they never went into the specifics of graphical settings.

Diablo 4’s arrival on Steam coincides with the upcoming season 2 content, titled ‘Season of Blood,’ granting you vampiric powers to storm through the lands of Sanctuary. The update will introduce a new questline, pairing you with the crossbow-wielding vampire hunter Erys, voiced by Gemma Chan (The Eternals), as you investigate a string of bloodied murders and the Dark Master responsible for it. More importantly, players can access the season 2 content right after completing the Missing Pieces prologue quest, essentially skipping the campaign to fulfil their blood-sucking desires. The update also vastly improves the endgame progression by increasing XP gains after level 50, faster by up to 40 percent. Expect five new endgame bosses, a general balance of skills, and faster mounts for traversal.

As mentioned before, Overwatch 2 was the first Blizzard PC game to make a jump to Steam, with the publisher promising that it plans on bringing over more titles. The shooter’s arrival was instantly blasted with negative reviews, making it the worst-reviewed game on the platform. At the time of writing, it’s got an ‘Overwhelmingly Negative’ review score, due to players’ dissatisfaction with the battle pass system and the cancellation of its long-promised PvE mode. Diablo IV, on the other hand, was received well at launch but slowly fell off with season 1’s release that made the game incredibly unfun to grind. Hopefully, fate doesn’t repeat itself this time.

Diablo IV is headed to Steam on October 17. It is already available to play on PC via Battle.net, in addition to console through PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.


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Counter-Strike 2 Has Officially Launched on Steam, Replacing CS:GO

Counter-Strike 2 is finally available on Steam, after spending months in limited testing. Billed as the ‘largest technical leap’ in the perennial shooter’s history, CS2 replaces the original CS:GO and is ready for download on the platform. Running on the Source 2 Engine, which powered the acclaimed Half-Life: Alyx, the successor now gets a graphical facelift with redesigns to certain maps, alongside some technical upgrades that strengthen the overall gunplay. Interestingly, while Valve never openly announced a release date, the official Counter-Strike Twitter account updated its header image with cryptic phrases like “Dawn of the Final Day” to signal its imminent launch.

CS2 functions as a free update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, automatically transferring all purchased skins and cosmetics to the new version. All classic maps — Dust 2, Inferno, Mirage, and the ilk — come with lighting improvements that create reflections on surfaces like tiles and puddles, alongside more realistic shadows. Using Source 2, the maps have been rebuilt from the ground up to suit a modern aesthetic — the same tools will be available to community map makers so they can build and share their own creations. One of the major physics-based shifts has to be the inclusion of volumetric 3D smokes that are super-reactive to movement, be it any bullets passing through or a nearby explosion that causes the plume to change shape naturally. Previously, these used to be stagnant — like a grey mass.

Valve has also introduced a new sub-tick architecture, which lets the official servers know the exact timing at which you hurled a grenade or fired a bullet. CS:GO relied on a discrete time interval mechanic called ticks, which were set to 64hz by default, causing a chunk of ranked players to flock over to unofficial servers offering a more responsive 128hz tick rate. Speaking of ranked play, CS2 brings an all-new rating system that is split between two modes: the classic competitive and Premier. The former functions the same as before, allowing you to pick your choice of map and strive to gain the highest elo, going from Silver 1 to Global Elite. However, now the ranks are divided based on maps, so you could be a Master Elite on Dust 2 while simultaneously being a Gold Nova level player on Vertigo.

Premier is being touted as the main competitive mode, introducing an active pick-ban system that lets you ban certain maps before the start of a match. So, it’s ideal that you master certain maps on the standard ranked mode, before heading into the serious leagues. Upon finishing 10 placement games, players will be granted a numeric skill rating — called CS Rating — instead of a rank emblem, as a means to show where you rank among friends, the region, and even worldwide. As a general bonus feature, CS2 also lets you refund any weapons, equipment, or throwables you purchased on accident, as long as you manage to do it during the prescribed buy time.

Counter-Strike 2 is now available to play for free on PC via Steam.


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Steam Is Ending Support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 in January 2024: Details

Valve is ending Steam support on some older editions of Windows. Starting January 1, 2024, Steam will cease to function on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 operating systems. The official blog post reads, “The newest features in Steam rely on an embedded version of Google Chrome, which no longer functions on older versions of Windows.” Furthermore, future versions of Steam will rely on features and security updates that are present only in Windows 10 and beyond. With Microsoft itself halting support for those versions earlier this year, it was only a matter of time before others such as Steam followed suit.

As per Valve’s February Hardware and Software Survey, only 0.09 percent of players use a Windows 7 system, with an additional 1.43 percent running Steam on the 64-bit version. Only 0.34 percent of players take up the Windows 8.1 slot, while Windows 10 constitutes the largest amount of players — 62.33 percent. Meanwhile, 32.06 percent of players run Steam on the new Windows 11, coming in second place. Using Steam and any games purchased through the app from 2024 onwards will require users to update to a recent version of Windows. While any PC running Windows 7 can be upgraded to Windows 10 without hassle, moving to Windows 11 requires a TPM 2.0 setting for security reasons. This can be enabled through your motherboard’s BIOS settings.

Earlier this month, Fortnite dropped support for Windows 7 and 8, citing security concerns as well as the implementation of Unreal Engine 5.1. For those unable to upgrade, game streaming via Nvidia GeForce Now was mentioned as an alternative.

On a different note, Dolphin Emulator, the go-to app for playing Nintendo Wii and GameCube games on PC, will soon be available on Steam. A store page for the emulator is now live, featuring an option to wishlist it and plans to release sometime in Q2 2023.

“When we launch on Steam, we’ll have a feature article detailing the process and features of the Steam release,” the Dolphin blog post reads. “We’re pleased to finally tell the world of our experiment. This has been the product of many months of work, and we look forward to getting it into users’ hands soon!” the post continues. The Steam page also notes ‘Partial Controller Support’ for the Dolphin Emulator, alongside a promise for cloud saves. When ready, it will be launched in Early Access, as the developers continue gathering data for a streamlined experience later down the line.

In February, Steam unveiled its entire Sales and Fests scheduled for 2023, allowing users to mark their calendars and plan out their game shopping spree. Last year, the company also updated its regional pricing tool, setting higher recommended game costs for countries outside the US. According to that chart, default PC game prices in India could increase by up to 85 percent, provided the developers accept those increments and make changes to the base prices of their games.

As stated before, Steam support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 ends on January 1, 2024.


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Valve Sets Trap, Permanently Bans Over 40,000 Dota 2 Players for Cheating: Details

Over 40,000 Dota 2 players have been banned in the past couple of weeks, having been caught using third-party software to cheat in games. Dota 2 developer Valve hasn’t revealed what the software was, but stated in a detailed blog post that the app in question was able to access internal data used by the Dota client. Under normal circumstances, this information should not be available to regular players, as it would provide an unfair advantage. However, upon learning how the cheats worked, Valve laid out a trap via a downloadable patch, containing a “secret” area in the client that could only be accessed using third-party software. Understandably, the players that fell for the trap were soon hit with the heavy end of Valve’s ban hammer.

“This patch created a honeypot: a section of data inside the game client that would never be read during normal gameplay, but that could be read by these exploits. Each of the accounts banned today read from this ‘secret’ area in the client, giving us extremely high confidence that every ban was well-deserved,” the statement from Valve reads. This ban wave sure is huge, but Dota 2 wanted to set a visible example for the community, with no exceptions for professional players either, who if caught cheating, will be prohibited from all of Valve’s competitive/ esports events. These initial bans should also deter any potential cheaters, who are safe for now, from continuing their nefarious activities — be it auto-aim for abilities, champions hurling out attacks right when a target comes into proximity range, seeing through the Fog of War, and more.

Valve concludes by claiming that it will continue its pursuit of cheaters in Dota 2 by removing new exploits as they come, and thanking all those who individually reported players and scrubbed through overwatch cases to deal justified punishments. In recent times, the US-based company isn’t the only one trying to ward cheaters from its ecosystem. Earlier this week, Ubisoft banned nearly 19,000 accounts, the owners of which were found to be using cheats within their games. The company hasn’t revealed the specifics of what games or the type of software that was used.

Additionally, a new ‘Mousetrap’ update to Rainbow Six Siege aims to sniff out players using hardware devices such as XIM to use a keyboard and mouse with an Xbox console — granting better movement and targeting against those using a controller. However, instead of being handed a ban, Ubisoft will gradually increase input lag on those systems — essentially pestering you until you pick up the controller again. Meanwhile, Riot Games has warned its players that some new cheats could be emerging, given that source codes for League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics were stolen last month.


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Steam Reveals Major Sales and Fests Schedule for 2023: The Full List

Valve has dropped its entire Steam Sales and Fests schedule for 2023, serving as an advanced notice for you to plan out video game shopping sprees. In a blog post, the company listed a calendar, creating a solid distinction between the major seasonal sales and themed events. The former occurs only four times a year and offers discounts on pretty much every released title. These are set for Spring, Summer, Fall/ Autumn, and Winter. Fests, on the other hand, shine a spotlight on a select category of games during a short period of time — usually based on genre — while promoting some free-to-play titles in the mix. The schedule is also intended as a guide for developers, who can now register and enter discounts for their games.

Previously, players had to rely on assumptions or the SteamDB website to keep track of when the next sales event was. With Valve being more forthcoming with this new calendar, there shouldn’t be room for confusion or fear of missing out anymore — although day one of all major Steam sales results in site-wide lags due to server overload. The calendar also lists Steam’s Next Fest event, running three times a year — the first one is live now — allowing players to try out demos/ previews, interact with developers, and watch livestreams. Developers can expect early feedback on their games and gradually build an audience for the future — similar to what Recreate Games did with Party Animals.

With that, here’s the entire Steam Sales and Fest schedule for 2023:

  • Mystery Fest: February 20–27
  • Spring Sale: March 16–23 (major seasonal sale)
  • Puzzle Fest: April 24 to May 1
  • Sports Fest: May 15–22
  • Next Fest: June 19–26
  • Summer Sale: June 29 to July 13 (major seasonal sale)
  • Stealth Fest: July 24–31
  • Visual Novel Fest: August 7–14
  • Strategy Fest: August 28 to September 4
  • SHMUP Fest: September 25 to October 2
  • Next Fest: October 9–16
  • Return of Steam Scream Fest (Halloween sale): October 26 to November 2
  • Autumn Sale: November 21–28 (major seasonal sale)
  • Winter Sale: December 21 to January 4, 2024 (major seasonal sale)

Valve previously only had three major seasonal sales — Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The Spring Sale joined the roster back in September, based on popular demand from their “developer and publisher community.” This new sale replaces Steam’s Lunar New Year Sale, which kept changing based on the East Asian calendar — at times, aligning itself too close to the Christmas season and creating an uneven waiting period between the promotions. Besides the aforementioned events, there will always be the occasional developer-oriented sales and weekend deals on Steam.

Last year, Steam also updated its regional pricing tool, setting higher game costs for all supported countries outside the US. The tool essentially recommends updated prices for developers, who can set a new base price for their games by comparing it with Valve’s suggestion. The report suggested that default PC game prices in India could go up by 85 percent, should the studio accept those values and slap them onto their titles. At the time, the company also mentioned that once a price was adjusted using the toolkit, Steam would trigger a 28-day cooldown period on it, during which the game cannot be offered at a discount.


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Infinix Zero 5G 2023 Turbo First Impressions: Worth It?

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Steam Replay 2022: PC Gamers Get a Recap, With Statistics on Their Past Year

Steam Replay 2022 has arrived, detailing your personal experiences on the platform, over the past year. Akin to Spotify Wrapped and PlayStation 2022 Wrap-Up, the feature offers a statistical analysis of your gaming milestones on PC — ranging from most played games, total achievements unlocked, a monthly breakdown, and more. And you can share all of it with your friends. Let’s be honest, that’s what these yearly recaps are all about. Steam Replay adds up all your playtime between “the first second of January 1 and the last second of December 14 (GMT),” as long as you’ve spent it online. Progress made when signed in as ‘Invisible’ counts as well, just not ‘Offline Mode’.

Steam Replay 2022: How do I get mine?

The year-end wrap feature can be accessed by clicking the panel on the Steam store page — you need to scroll down a little — or by visiting the Replay page and signing in. This presents a custom infographic that details an overwhelming amount of information, which is by default set to Private. One could then click on the drop-down list so it’s visible to friends only, or share a public link that anyone can open. At the top, there’s a highlights panel that compiles your most-played games of the year, dividing them based on how much percentage of playtime you’ve invested. Clicking on them will open a respective bar graph, which shows the number of play sessions, the percentage of time invested each month, and any unlocked achievements.

Steam Replay 2022 also details your longest streak in gaming (average at 7 days), though there’s no mention of how it’s calculated — whether one needs to simply launch a game, hit a specific time, or whether they need to be actively engaged within. Up next comes a pie chart that segregates the percentage of games played that were new releases, classics released 8–9 years ago, and recent favourites that dropped within the last seven years. There’s even a spider graph that picks your top played genres — in Steam’s case, these are called tags — and offers a peek at what kind of games you showed an affinity to. Then there are some community-based records, such as badges earned, any games you gifted, new friends, shared screenshots, reviews, etc.

At the very bottom of Steam Replay 2022, you’ll be greeted with a grid view of all the Steam games you launched in 2022 — even the ones you refunded — noting what month you first opened them. The statistics, of course, are not just limited to PC-only and keep track of Steam Deck entries in case you own one. A specialised, smaller summary can also be downloaded as an image file, cropped in multiple formats that are suited for posting on social media. Those looking to spruce up their Steam profile can also unlock a Steam Replay 2022 badge by simply viewing the statistics. It awards 50 XP to your profile.

Amidst all this, Steam also has its annual Winter Sale going on, offering massive discounts on games and software. The promotion runs until January 5, 2023 at 11:30 pm IST, and offers digital rewards and XP for voting in the 2022 Steam Awards.


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Yahoo, Paypal Blocked in Indonesia Over Failure to Comply With License Rules

Indonesia has blocked search engine website Yahoo, payments firm Paypal, and several gaming websites due to failure to comply with licensing rules, an official said on Saturday, sparking a backlash on social media.

Registration is required under rules released in late November 2020 and will give authorities broad powers to compel platforms to disclose data of certain users, and take down content deemed unlawful or that “disturbs public order” within four hours if urgent and 24 hours if not.

Several tech companies had rushed to register in days leading to the deadline, which had been extended until Friday, including Alphabet, Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and Amazon.

Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, a senior official at Indonesia’s Communications Ministry, said in a text message websites that have been blocked include Yahoo, Paypal, and gaming sites like Steam, Dota 2, Counter-Strike, and Epic Games, among others.

Paypal, Yahoo’s parent private equity firm Apollo Global Management, and US game developer Valve, which runs Steam, Dota, and Counter-Strike, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Epic Games could not be reached for comment.

Hashtags like “BlokirKominfo” (block Communication Ministry), Epic Games, and Paypal trended on Indonesian Twitter, with many writing messages criticising the government’s move as hurting Indonesia’s online gaming industry and freelance workers who use Paypal.

Pangerapan did not respond to a request for comment.

With an estimated 191 million internet users and a young, social-media savvy population, the Southeast Asian nation is a significant market for a host of tech platforms.

© Thomson Reuters 2022


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