Steam just rolled out a small but brilliant quality-of-life feature that perfectly demonstrates why Valve dominates PC gaming. When you add something to your cart, Steam now warns you if that item can be purchased cheaper as part of a bundle. It’s a simple notification that could save you anywhere from a few bucks to significant amounts depending on what you’re buying. And it’s exactly the kind of pro-consumer move that makes competitors like Epic Games look bad by comparison. Tim Sweeney is probably drafting an angry tweet right now about how this somehow hurts developers.
How the Warning Works
When you add a game or DLC to your Steam cart, the platform now checks if that item is included in any bundles currently on sale. If buying the bundle would be cheaper than buying the individual item, Steam displays a clear warning message letting you know. You can then click through to view the bundle and decide if you want the other items included or if you’d rather stick with your original purchase.
This feature was spotted by xPaw, a developer known for tracking Steam updates and features. The warning appears directly in your cart, impossible to miss, with a link to the relevant bundle. It’s not hidden in fine print or buried in settings. Steam wants you to see it and save money, which is refreshingly honest in an industry where most storefronts try to maximize every transaction.
Dynamic Bundle Pricing Already Existed
Steam has actually had sophisticated bundle pricing for years. If you own some items in a bundle, Steam automatically adjusts the bundle price to reflect what you already have. You only pay for the new content, not the full bundle price. This “complete your collection” feature has been around for a while and is incredibly consumer-friendly. Publishers have to opt into it, but most do because it incentivizes buying more games in a series or franchise.
What’s new is the proactive warning system. Before, you had to manually check if bundles existed and compare prices yourself. Now Steam does that work for you and notifies you directly in the cart. It’s the difference between a store that wants informed customers versus one that hopes you don’t notice you’re overpaying.
Real World Examples
Reddit users started sharing examples immediately. One user tried to buy E33 and was redirected to a bundle that included Dead Cells, dropping the total price from $27 to $25. Another noticed Rift of the Necrodancer showing a lower price in notifications compared to the store page because the bundle had a promotional discount. These aren’t massive savings individually, but they add up, especially during major sales when you’re buying multiple games.
The feature also works with DLC bundles. If you’re buying season pass content piecemeal, Steam will warn you if the complete season pass is actually cheaper than buying individual DLC episodes separately. This is particularly useful for games with tons of DLC like Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, or any Paradox grand strategy title where buying everything individually would cost hundreds more than bundle deals.
Why This Matters Beyond Savings
The bundle warning feature is symbolic of Steam’s overall approach to the platform. Valve consistently adds features that benefit customers even when those features might theoretically reduce revenue in the short term. Letting people know they can save money by buying bundles instead of individual items could mean fewer individual purchases. But it builds trust and loyalty that keeps people using Steam exclusively.
Compare this to Epic Games Store, which launched with a barebones feature set and has spent years slowly adding basic functionality that Steam had from day one. Epic’s strategy revolves around exclusives and free games to attract users. Steam’s strategy revolves around being so good at what it does that people choose it voluntarily. One approach requires constant spending to maintain. The other builds a moat through quality and trust.
The Tim Sweeney Response
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has repeatedly attacked Steam’s 30% revenue cut, calling it exploitative and harmful to developers. He’s positioned Epic as the developer-friendly alternative with its 12% cut. But features like this bundle warning demonstrate what Valve does with that revenue: they build better infrastructure, better discovery tools, better refund systems, better community features, and better shopping experiences.
Reddit users immediately joked about Sweeney’s likely response. One commenter sarcastically predicted: “STEAM IS HARMFUL; THEY’RE ROBBING DEVELOPERS BY PROVIDING CONSUMERS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT LOWER PRICES. THIS ENDANGERS THE LIVELIHOODS OF DEVELOPER FAMILIES.” It’s funny because it’s not far from actual arguments Epic has made about Steam being anti-competitive while Epic literally pays for exclusive games to block them from other storefronts.
Developers Benefit Too
The irony is that this feature probably helps developers as much as customers. When customers trust a platform to give them good deals and fair pricing, they buy more games. When they feel like they’re being nickel-and-dimed or that the platform is hiding better deals, they get cautious and buy less. Steam’s approach of radical transparency around pricing likely increases total sales volume even if individual transaction values might be slightly lower.
Publishers who create bundles benefit directly because Steam is now actively promoting those bundles to customers who might not have noticed them. A customer who came to buy one game might end up buying a whole franchise bundle because Steam told them it was a better deal. That’s additional sales the publisher wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
EU Regulations Might Be Involved
Some users speculated this feature might be related to recent EU consumer protection regulations requiring transparency around lowest prices in the past 30 days. However, that’s a separate feature Steam already implemented back in 2023 for EU customers. The bundle warning is different and applies globally, not just in Europe. It’s about comparing current bundle prices versus individual item prices, not historical pricing data.
That said, the EU’s consumer protection push has generally been good for everyone. When regulators force companies to be more transparent in one region, those features often roll out globally because maintaining separate systems for different regions is expensive and complicated. So European consumer protection laws indirectly benefit gamers worldwide when platforms like Steam implement features globally rather than regionally.
Complete Your Collection
The bundle warning works especially well with Steam’s “Complete Your Collection” bundles, which are dynamically generated based on what you already own. If you have several games in a franchise, the complete collection bundle will only charge you for the games you’re missing. The new warning feature helps surface these personalized bundles when they offer better value than buying missing items individually.
One user shared a perfect example: they tried to buy No Man’s Sky individually, but the Hello Games Bundle was cheaper because they already owned other Hello Games titles. The bundle price adjusted to reflect their existing ownership, making it a better deal than buying just No Man’s Sky. Without the warning, they might never have noticed this personalized discount existed.
Small Features Add Up
This bundle warning is one of dozens of small quality-of-life features Steam has added over the years that competitors lack. Curated discovery queues, automatic wishlist notifications with price comparisons, two-hour refund windows regardless of reason, family sharing, remote play together, Steam Workshop for mods, community guides and reviews, broadcast functionality, the list goes on. None of these features individually makes or breaks a platform, but together they create an ecosystem that’s miles ahead of alternatives.
GOG has DRM-free games and fantastic curation. Epic has free weekly games and lower developer cuts. Itch.io has radical inclusivity and revenue sharing options. Each competitor has strengths. But Steam has the complete package refined over two decades of continuous improvement. Every year they add features that make the platform better without removing things people already loved. That consistency and commitment to improvement is why Steam remains dominant despite well-funded competitors.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Steam add the bundle warning feature?
The feature was spotted and reported by xPaw on December 11, 2025. It appears to have rolled out quietly without an official announcement from Valve.
Does the bundle warning work worldwide?
Yes. Unlike some regional pricing transparency features required by EU regulations, the bundle warning appears to be a global feature available to all Steam users.
Will it always recommend the cheapest option?
The warning appears when buying a bundle would be cheaper than buying items individually. It doesn’t force you to buy the bundle, it just informs you of the option so you can decide.
Do all bundles qualify for this warning?
It depends on how publishers set up their bundles. Some bundles deduct the value of games you already own, others don’t. The warning should appear when there’s a price advantage, but bundle configurations vary.
Can I turn off these warnings?
Not currently, but they’re unobtrusive notifications designed to save you money. There’s no real reason to disable them unless you actively want to overpay for games.
Does this mean Steam is trying to push bundles on people?
No. Steam is providing information so customers can make informed decisions. You’re free to ignore the warning and buy individual items if you prefer.
How does this compare to other storefronts?
Most other PC game storefronts don’t have comparable features. Steam’s dynamic bundle pricing and proactive price warnings are unique in the industry.
Will Epic Games add something similar?
Possibly, but Epic has been playing catch-up on basic features for years. Their focus has been on free games and exclusives rather than building comprehensive storefront tools.
Why Valve Keeps Winning
Features like the bundle warning demonstrate why Valve maintains its dominant position despite competitors offering lower revenue splits or free games. They obsessively focus on making Steam better for users. Better for customers means more customers, which means more sales for developers, which incentivizes developers to support the platform, which brings more games, which attracts more customers. It’s a virtuous cycle built on trust and quality.
Epic’s strategy of trying to force adoption through exclusives and free games is fundamentally extractive. They’re spending money to artificially create value rather than building genuine value through superior service. It works in the short term to boost user numbers, but it doesn’t build lasting loyalty. The moment Epic stops giving away free games or paying for exclusives, what reason do people have to stay?
Steam’s approach is harder and slower but more sustainable. Every feature they add, from the bundle warning to automatic refunds to family sharing, makes Steam stickier. People don’t stay because they’re locked in or because games are exclusive. They stay because Steam is genuinely the best place to buy and manage PC games. That’s a moat competitors can’t breach by spending money. They have to actually build better platforms, which requires time, expertise, and commitment to customers over short-term profits.
So yes, a small cart warning about cheaper bundles might seem trivial. But it’s representative of a philosophy that’s kept Steam on top for two decades and will likely keep them there for many more. Valve understands that helping customers save money builds trust, and trust is the most valuable currency in digital retail.