Steam is rolling out significant improvements for game demos.

Valve has implemented updates to Steam aimed at simplifying the discovery and installation of playable game demos. According to a new events blog post, the “Great Steam Demo Update” is driven by feedback from developers and players, introducing features that make demos function more like standalone games on the platform.

Key changes include the ability for demos to have their own separate store pages, where developers can showcase demo-specific content like trailers, screenshots, and supported features. These pages will feature buttons for both installing the demo and visiting the main game’s store page, and will allow players to leave demo-specific reviews.

Additionally, users will now receive email or mobile notifications when a demo becomes available for a game on their wishlist or from a developer they follow. Demos can also appear in the same lists and category pages as free games, such as the “New & Trending” section of Steam’s homepage charts.

Steam has adjusted the thresholds to better balance demos with paid products, increasing their visibility.

Other updates include the ability to add demos to Steam libraries without immediate installation, the option to install demos even if the user owns the full game, and easier removal of demos by right-clicking them, which also removes them from the user’s library upon uninstallation.

Steam acknowledged that these changes might bring back older demos to user accounts and mentioned efforts to clean up demos that users might no longer care about. In a humorous note in the “infrequently asked questions” section, Steam clarified that its demo icon is based on a Compact Disc, not a dinner plate, poking fun at the outdated floppy disk save icon.