How to Earn Levels in Steam for Free

Jessie Richardson Read more September 7, 2020

The rewards for Steam Levels are mostly cosmetic in nature, and there aren’t any real advantages to a higher level other than bragging rights. But if you really want to customize your profile page, then leveling up is the obvious way to go.

In this article, we’ll show you the ways on how you can get Steam levels for free.

What’s the Point of Steam Levels?

A newly minted Steam Account doesn’t have many options for profile customization. As you go up in levels, however, a whole lot of options are opened to you. Higher levels allow you to add windows to showcase your achievements, increase your max friends list, and even change the profile backgrounds.

So How Do I Raise Steam Levels?

Steam levels go up by earning XP points. For the first levels until level 10 it takes 100XP points to go up in level, increasing by 100XP every 10 levels. At level 10, for example, you’ll need to earn 200XP to get to the level 11, and at level 20, you’ll need 300XP to get to level 21, and so on. You primarily earn XP points by crafting badges, but it can also be increased by participating in events and buying games.

Do remember though that limited accounts won’t earn XP and will stay on Level 0. To remove the limit on your account you must have spent, or should have a Steam Wallet credit of at least $5.

Leveling by Earning Badges

The fastest way to level up your Steam account would be to earn badges. Badges are rewards for performing actions in the game like completing a card set, or joining events. Below are some of the badges a Steam user can get for free:

Community Badges – Community badges are given for performing simple tasks while on Steam. This could be playing a game, adding a friend, or even posting screenshots. None of the tasks requires you to spend money, and even the Play a game task can be completed by playing one of the numerous free games available on the platform. It comes in three levels, the first level badge is worth 100XP, the second is 200XP, and the third is 500XP.
Game Collector Badges – Although this badge means that you need to have games registered to your account, this doesn’t mean that those games have to be bought. Free games that you get either from events or giveaways count under the Game Collector Badge. The first level badge is worth 100XP for getting one game, and increases in XP value the higher you go.
Years of Service badge – This badge is given every time the anniversary of the creation of your account passes. The first badge is worth 50XP and is given a year after you created your account, and will be given every year afterward, with the XP value going higher.
Event Badges – Steam has a habit of holding numerous events for its community members, and completing some of these events may earn you badges as well. The XP value for these badges may vary, but the normal value is 100XP for each.
The Steam Awards Badge – In recent years, Steam has held an annual community poll to determine the best games for different categories that came out for that year. You don’t have to own the game that you wish to vote for. The Steam Awards began in 2016 and has been held annually since then. Nominations usually start during the Fall sale, then the voting for the winners is made during the Winter sale.
Steam Card Collection badges – A majority of the games in the Steam Platform will drop Steam Trading Cards when you play them. Collecting a full set of these cards will allow you to craft a badge for that game. Even free games can drop cards, and many games that are given away are eligible as well. To check if a game has steam cards, go to its store page and scroll down to see its stats.

The Steam Sale

Another quick way to level up your badge is to participate in the Steam Sale. You don’t have to buy games during the sale if it would raise your level too. All you have to do is participate in the free events that Steam usually holds during the occasion.

The biggest sales happen in Summer and Winter, but usually, a sale will occur every three months, or when there’s a major holiday. The Black Friday sale is an example of this, which usually lasts for only a day or two. If there’s an event that happens during a sale, a banner for the event will be displayed on the front page.

Encouraging Participation

Tying customization to the Steam Levelling System is Valve’s way to encourage participation among its community of users. Its many events, not only promote the storefront, it allows its members a way to show off their love for the platform through their profiles.

Do you know of other ways on how to get free Steam levels? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.