Steam Chat review

Steam Chat ranks second because it removes a step for PC players: the voice chat is already inside the client they use to launch games. Valve rewrote Steam voice on a WebRTC backend, and its chat update page says voice uses high quality Opus encoding, is encrypted, and is sent through Steam servers rather than directly to other players, which keeps IP addresses private. Group chats work much like a small server, with persistent text or voice channels created in one click and invite links that open in the client or a web browser. The friends list is grouped by game and by party, so you can see who is mid-match and who is ready to play, and you can right-click a friend to pull them into your current voice channel. The limits are reach and depth. Console friends cannot join, and there are no bots, roles or moderation tools on the scale of Discord, so larger communities outgrow it.

Who it is for

PC squads that already buy and launch their games through Steam.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending); voice chat is part of the Steam client.

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Group chats with persistent text and voice channels
• Voice rebuilt on WebRTC with Opus encoding
• Encrypted voice routed through Steam servers to hide IP addresses
• Friends list grouped by game and by party
• Invite links that open in the Steam client or a browser

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Already installed for anyone who plays on Steam
• Strength: Friends list shows who is in a match and who is free
• Strength: IP addresses stay hidden because voice goes through Steam servers
• Weakness: Built for Steam users, so console friends are left out
• Weakness: Fewer community tools than Discord, such as bots and roles
• Weakness: Valve does not publish a separate price statement for chat

Key facts

• Voice codec: Opus
• Backend: WebRTC, routed through Steam servers
• Encryption: Voice traffic encrypted
• Channels: Persistent text and voice channels in groups
• Access: Steam client and web browser

Where it ranks

Steam Chat is No. 2 in our Best Voice Chat Apps for Gamers verdict.