Skip to main content

How to appear offline on Steam

hrkgaming exclusive digital trends sale july 2024 gaming on pc at desk by axville from unsplash
Axville / Unsplash

No one can deny that Steam is the most fully-featured storefront for PC gaming. With regular Steam sales that discount the best PC games, every gamer has a Steam account. That likely means you have a full Friends list of people wanting to play or chat all the time. That's usually great, but sometimes you just want to settle in for some solo gaming without people sending messages or asking to play. An easy way to avoid that is to appear offline.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • A Steam account

How to appear offline on Steam

If you want to go incognito and appear offline on Steam, all it takes is a few clicks from the home screen and you can play whatever you like without anyone knowing.

Step 1: Launch Steam.

Step 2: Click the Friends and Chat button in the bottom-right corner.

The steam home screen.
Valve

Step 3: Click the dropdown arrow to the right of your username.

Step 4: Choose Offline to appear offline. You can also select Invisible if you want to be able to start conversations with specific people while appearing offline to everyone else.

A steam friends list menu.
Valve
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
How to hold more potions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
A dark and dreary landscape in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Potions are a mainstay in almost all fantasy media. In the world of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, they only come in one form, which is your classic healing potion. These mysterious elixirs are your only way to restore HP after you get smacked around a bit by some Darkspawn, but they are a notably limited resource, with just three by default. Upgrading how many potions you can hold is a common mechanic in games such as this, yet you would be hard-pressed to find a way to do it here since there's nothing in the skill trees or upgrade system that seems to allow it. There are at least two ways to hold more potions, however, so drink up as we go over what you need to do.
How to hold more potions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

The first way to hold one extra potion in Dragon Age: The Veilguard has to be done during the character creator phase. When you're selecting which Faction your Rook is as part of their background, you will see that each one comes with several traits. The Antvan Crows specifically are the only one that gives you the Hidden Pouch trait that lets you hold one extra potion. Sadly, just like your class, this isn't something you can change once you've selected it.

Read more
How to become Aetherella in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies
A horde of zombies about to get slammed in Black Ops 6.

There are a lot of tips and tricks to learn just on the multiplayer side of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 but nothing can compare to how many secrets are tucked away in the Zombies mode. While there are only two maps at launch, they are both packed with Easter eggs to discover. If you've explored Liberty Falls then you've no doubt come across the statue of the supervillain known as Aetherella in the comic book shop, but did you know you can actually play as her? It's just as fun as it sounds, and will earn you a Trophy, but is not easy to do without some help.

Read more
How to craft the Jet Gun in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies
A soldier holding a giant jet engine gun in Black Ops 6.

In the world of Call of Duty Zombies, one type of weapon has always been the most powerful, but hard to get. Wonder Weapons are back in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and that includes the old favorite known as the Jet Gun. This jet-engine-looking weapon is part of a long string of steps you can only do on the Liberty Falls map but is well worth the effort. Make sure you have your crew around to watch your back while reading through our guide on how to craft the Jet Gun, aka the Thrustodyne M23.

Read more