---
license: cc-by-4.0
task_categories:
  - graph-ml
  - feature-extraction
language:
  - en
tags:
  - steam
  - games
  - network-analysis
  - graph-data
  - collaborative-filtering
  - co-review
  - video-games
pretty_name: Steam Universe Co-Review Network
size_categories:
  - 10K<n<100K
source_datasets:
  - FronkonGames/steam-games-dataset
---

# Steam Universe Co-Review Network

A graph dataset connecting **25,996 Steam games** through **861,232 weighted edges** based on shared player reviews. If two games have many of the same reviewers, they're linked. The edge weight is the number of shared reviewers.

Paired with a full catalog of **82,928 Steam games** (2005-2025) with genres, tags, ratings, prices, and developer info.

**Live visualization**: [dr.eamer.dev/datavis/interactive/steam-network](https://dr.eamer.dev/datavis/interactive/steam-network/)

## Files

### steam_network.json (41 MB)

The co-review graph.

- **25,996 nodes** (games with enough reviews to form connections)
- **861,232 edges** (weighted by shared reviewer count)

Node fields:
```json
{
  "id": "1000010",
  "title": "Crown Trick",
  "year": "2020",
  "rating": "Very Positive",
  "ratio": 85,
  "reviews": 5263,
  "price": 4.99,
  "genres": [3, 0, 6, 5],
  "tags": [40, 7],
  "developer": "NEXT Studios"
}
```

Link fields: `source` (node index), `target` (node index), `weight` (shared reviewers).

### steam_all_2005.json (6.2 MB)

Full catalog of 82,928 games in packed array format for compact transfer:

```
[name, year, approval_ratio, review_count, price, rating_index, genre_indices, tag_indices, developer]
```

Includes lookup tables for 9 rating tiers, 33 genres, and 50 tags.

### steam_force_layout.json (252 KB)

Pre-computed force-directed layout coordinates. Saves about 30 seconds of simulation time when loading the visualization.

### Pipeline scripts

Four Python scripts to rebuild the dataset from source:

| Script | Purpose |
|--------|---------|
| `build_network_v2.py` | Scans 2GB recommendations.csv to find co-reviewers and build the edge list |
| `enrich_data.py` | Processes the FronkonGames enriched CSV into the compact JSON catalog |
| `compute_layout.py` | Runs a force simulation in Python to pre-compute node positions |
| `build_all_games.py` | Legacy catalog builder (superseded by enrich_data.py) |

## Network Construction

The network is built from 41 million Steam user review records. Two games share an edge when **5 or more users** reviewed both. Key parameters:

- `MIN_SHARED = 5` -- minimum shared reviewers for an edge
- `TOP_K = 50` -- maximum neighbors retained per node
- `MAX_USER_GAMES = 75` -- caps per-user pair generation to prevent combinatorial blowup

## Use Cases

- **Game recommendations** -- collaborative filtering through graph traversal
- **Community detection** -- find genre clusters, indie vs. AAA ecosystems
- **Network analysis** -- centrality measures, bridge games connecting disparate genres
- **Market analysis** -- price, rating, and genre distributions across 82K titles
- **Visualization** -- the companion interactive viz has 8 rendering modes

## Sources

- **Game metadata**: [FronkonGames/steam-games-dataset](https://huggingface.co/datasets/FronkonGames/steam-games-dataset) (January 2026 snapshot)
- **User reviews**: Kaggle Steam recommendations.csv (41M review records)
- **Network**: Derived from the review data

## Quick Stats

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Games in catalog | 82,928 |
| Network nodes | 25,996 |
| Network edges | 861,232 |
| Genres | 33 |
| Tags | 50 |
| Rating tiers | 9 |
| Year range | 2005-2025 |
| Most reviewed | Counter-Strike 2 (8.8M reviews) |

## Author

**Luke Steuber**
- Website: [lukesteuber.com](https://lukesteuber.com)
- Bluesky: [@lukesteuber.com](https://bsky.app/profile/lukesteuber.com)