The world’s most popular videogame storefront., Steam finally went live in China Yesterday with a special “Steam China” client. The difference between the International and Chinese version of Steam is enormous. The Chinese client feels nothing like the international version, rather it gives the early 2000s vibe with a barebone client with no extra bells and whistles.
Steam China only has games that are approved by the Chinese Government. Hence a very limited number of games are unavailable. Right now only 53 games appear on the store, with more games to be added soon. Although some of Valve’s most popular games — CSGO and Dota 2, are already available on the Store.
Other than a limited number of games, Steam China lacks community features such as chat, workshop, community forum, etc. While both versions differ greatly, Valve has linked both regions into one account. The game review system is also tied together meaning both versions can see and review the same game. Additionally, anyone who purchases a game in the international version will be able to play it in the Chinese version and vice-versa (limited to game availability in the region).
With the launch of Steam China, Chinese players will finally be getting local servers and exclusive games. While the international version is still available in China, it is plausible that Valve might make it inaccessible and only offer the Steam China client in the country. If Valve decides to pull the plug on the international version in China, it might deal a heavy blow to many games that exploded in popularity due to Chinese players.
