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As you can see my Steam profile says I'm level 20:

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What exactly do levels do? Do they provide any sort of benefits? I've noticed the following as well:

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Some of the other users have different colored circles around their levels. Do they get additional benefits that other lower levels don't get?

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4 Answers 4

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The higher your level the more "showcases" you can add to your profile which includes:

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You'll want to join the Steam trading card group to level up your profile.

Joining the Steam trading card group is no longer required.

On May 15th, 2013 the Steam Trading Card system went into Beta. In order to gain access to the beta, users must join the Steam Trading Cards Group on Steam and will then receive an invite based on the time they joined. Being a part of the beta will change the way your profile looks to the new updated style.

From the Trading Cards FAQ:

What is my Steam Level? Your Steam Level is a summary of your badges and shows off your trading card collection and participation in Steam events. Each badge earned increases your XP, and every 100 XP gives you an added Steam Level (at least to start).

How do I add a showcase to my profile? Once you reach Steam Level 10 you can pick and customize a showcase from the profile edit page. Each 10 Steam Levels earns you an extra showcase, i.e. two showcases at Level 20, three showcases at Level 30, etc.

What are the direct benefits of my Steam Level? You get more options to customize your profile, and the maximum number of friends you can have on your friends list increases.

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  • Well, what benefits can I get for levels? Like, can I have two or more showcases, and if so, how do I unlock two, which levels can I get them?
    – childe
    Commented Jun 18, 2013 at 22:35
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    The answers to your questions are in the FAQ I linked. ;)
    – k1DBLITZ
    Commented Jun 19, 2013 at 13:35
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    You'll want to join the Steam trading card group to level up your profile. <- Why is this? What benefits do you get from joining the group?
    – Adam V
    Commented Dec 6, 2013 at 18:17
  • @Adam V Updated my answer to reflect the reason why. It is no longer required. When trading cards were in beta (when the question was asked) it was a requirement.
    – k1DBLITZ
    Commented Jul 12, 2017 at 13:20
  • Every level you earn in Steam increases the number of friends you can have by 5. The number of friends you can have initially is 250. Source: support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=1184-UOZV-2743
    – Unknown
    Commented May 23, 2020 at 16:23
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Higher Steam levels help with:

  • better drop rates for booster packs - Every 10 levels gets you a 20% increase in drop rate. At level 50 you are getting 100% increase in the drop rate for booster packs
  • profile customization - everybody gets the same set of choices it seems but you can add more showcases as your level increases. (I had 3 showcases at level 33. Another showcase opened up at level 40, 50, and 60 so I'm confident you get 1 additional showcase for every 10th Steam level.)
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  • 3
    I don't know about that better drop rate statement... I'm at 35 right now and would expect a 60% increased on top of the base rate. I barely ever get booster packs. And I highly doubt people over 100 get a booster pack every chance it's determined. A linear increase doesn't sound right, maybe exponentially decaying? i.e., (0.20)^-floor($level/10)
    – Jeff Mercado
    Commented Aug 16, 2015 at 15:55
  • Good question, Jeff, but I don't have enough data to say. I have not been playing the games much where i am eligible for a booster pack.
    – chicks
    Commented Aug 16, 2015 at 16:02
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    @JeffMercado When you upgrade to a 10th level (20, 30, etc) the Steam client tells you that you get these things (better drop rate, profile customization improvements, etc.) The drop rate of booster packs is low overall, but, unless Steam has some bug—which I doubt—it is increasing that already low rate at least a little bit as Steam says it is.
    – Mufasa
    Commented Dec 21, 2016 at 18:28
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    @JeffMercado: a 60% boost to a very small chance is still a very small chance. Even 100% boost still doesn't mean you have a high chance of booster packs. It's like when people say doing x will increase your chance of getting some very rare cancer by 50%. It's still going to be very rare. Example, if the base rate was 1% and you boost 1% by 100%, then you total chance now is 2%.
    – Wjousts
    Commented Dec 27, 2017 at 18:03
  • Do you have a source for your answer? I've heard almost mythological claims about what Steam levels do and don't, but it turns out many people are simply misinformed and/or influenced by confirmation bias.
    – Mast
    Commented Dec 28, 2017 at 9:37
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Levels provide the following benefits - every level you get will increase the size of your Steam Friend's list and every 10 levels you will get access to a Showcase on your profile.

More details about the stuff you can get on your profile can be found here http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=145245037

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Levels provide some degree of Gamification to your committent in your Steam account. This serves both to encourage spending, encourage you to submit more personal data and to discourage from practises like compartmentalizing your games into separate accounts.

Oh, benefits for YOU? Well, you get some more customization options on your profile page and a non-verifiable claim of increased booster pack drop rate.

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  • 1
    I see this is immediately downvoted. There are benefits in the Steam levelling system already better described in other answers, but I made this answer to point out there are also other factors at play here - which you may or may not care about personally.
    – SpacemanSpiff
    Commented Dec 27, 2017 at 16:13

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