How to Hide the NSFW Games You're Playing on Steam (Without Going Completely Offline)

August 14, 2026 - 18:37

Steam is a social platform by default. Your friends can see what you are playing right now, what you have played recently, and even what you just bought. For those who enjoy adult-themed games or visual novels, that level of transparency can be uncomfortable. You do not have to go invisible or disconnect from the internet to keep your habits private. A few simple settings changes will do the trick.

The first step is to adjust your profile privacy. Open your Steam settings and navigate to the Privacy section. You will see options for your profile, game details, and inventory. Set "Game details" to Private. This hides your playtime, your achievement list, and the total number of games you own. It also stops your friends from seeing which games you launch. This is the core fix for most people.

Next, you should deal with your game library itself. Even with a private profile, games you own can show up on your public wishlist or in the "recently played" widget on your profile page. To hide specific titles, right-click the game in your library, select Manage, and then choose "Hide this game." The game will vanish from your default view. To access it later, you need to click on "View" in the top menu and select "Hidden Games." This keeps the game off your main list but still installed and ready to play.

Finally, turn off the "Broadcast" setting if you ever stream to friends. Also, check your "Now Playing" status. You can set your profile to appear offline to specific people using the Friends list settings. This way, you are not fully offline to everyone, just to the people who might judge your taste. With these three changes, your gaming sessions stay yours alone. No one needs to know what you are doing after midnight.