Steam Gets Overhauled In-Game Overlay in Latest Beta Update

Steam has unveiled a major update for the Steam PC desktop client. Currently available through the Steam Client Beta, the update brings with it new features, and general improvements to Steam’s desktop experience.

While most of the improvements are largely under the hood, the entirety of the Steam desktop client has seen smaller changes all over the place, including an updated look for several buttons, menus and fonts throughout the Steam UI.

The most obvious change to Steam is its new in-game overlay. The overlay now features an entirely new UI that revolves around a new toolbar that gives you access to options like friends chat, achievements progress, and guides.

The new in-game overlay also brings with it a new feature—the ability to take notes while playing games. These notes are saved on a per-game basis, and players can make multiple notes for each games. The notes will also be available in offline mode. Players can also pin windows from the overlay so that they always appear in-game, including their notes.

Other changes include an update to Steam’s notifications, as well as how its screenshot manager works. A major part of the update is how Steam handles updates between the Steam desktop client, Big Picture Mode, and the Steam Deck.