Upgrading your PC costs a fortune in 2026 — Steam’s new feature will let you see how your old rig handles games

A new Steam feature will help you ensure your favorite games run smoothly on your system before making a purchase. Valve is adding the option to attach hardware specs when writing or updating a user review on Steam.

That addition should make it clear to those shopping for games if a title ran well on a system with similar specs. The feature is optional, so it won't reveal all specs used to power a specific game, but it should give people a general idea of performance on different setups.

Of course, reviews can already include a PC's specs that were entered manually, but the new Steam feature reserves an area for that information.

That option is in beta testing by Valve and started shipping to testers on February 12, 2026. Below is the full change log:

• General
  • Added the option to attach hardware specs when writing or updating a Steam User Review on a game's store page
  • Added the option to provide anonymized framerate data. When enabled Steam will collect gameplay framerate data, stored without connection to your Steam account but identified with the kind of hardware you are playing on. This data will help us learn about game compatibility and improve Steam. This feature is currently in Beta with a focus on devices running SteamOS.
• Steam Families
  • Improved setting layout and navigation on desktop, deck and mobile devices.
• Streaming
  • Fixed a case where streaming could leave downloads throttled even after the stream stopped.
• Linux
  • Fixed a bug that could result in Proton games showing up as "Not valid on current platform" for users with very large libraries when using offline mode.
• Steam Deck
  • When submitting feedback on whether you agree with a Deck Verified rating, if you disagree we'll now ask for the reason. Providing a reason is optional.

The option to add anonymized frame rate data is also quite useful. If you enable that feature, Steam will collect data about the frame rates hit by your system when playing games, but the data is not attached to your Steam account. Instead, Valve will use that information to learn about compatibility and to improve Steam.

Considering the cost of RAM and upgrading a PC in 2026, it's more important than ever to be able to see if your current PC can handle a game without any hardware upgrades.

The final point in the change log is quite interesting. Valve will give users the option to indicate if they agree or disagree with a Deck Verified rating. The Steam Deck is a lovely gaming handheld, but it is far from the most powerful device.

Steam Deck owners want a clear way to know if a game works on the handheld, which should be "Deck Verified" status. That status should mean more in the future since people will have the chance to refute a claim that a game works well on Steam Deck.

Valve seeking feedback and collecting data is potentially paving the path to ensure that "Verified" is a meaningful for those who pick up a Steam Machine once that device launches.

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