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Could Wuthering Waves ever come out on Steam? What we know

wuthering waves character art

Wuthering Waves is coming to PC on May 23, 2024 but unfortunately, players won’t be able to get it through Steam. Is there any chance this changes?

While the expectation of PC gamers is for pretty much everything to be released through Steam, that’s not actually the case. Many of the biggest games in the world, even those on PC, remain distant from Valve’s digital storefront. One of the most notable examples is Genshin Impact, which is only available through miHoYo’s website and the Epic Games Store.

Currently approaching its fourth birthday, there’s no sign of Genshin Impact landing on Steam, even as others like Kingdom Hearts make the jump and Minecraft hints at doing the same. So why isn’t Wuthering Waves on Steam and is there any hope of it happening?

Why isn’t Wuthering Waves available on Steam?

It is unknown why Wuthering Waves isn’t available on Steam, but it’s unlikely this changes.

Many fans speculate that there’s a standing exclusivity arrangement between Epic Games and the developers of Wuthering Waves, Genshin Impact, and other similar gacha games. There’s no official word that this is the case, though.

Instead, the more likely explanation is Valve’s system for monetizing free-to-play games on its platform. Valve takes a portion of the money made through all game purchases on Steam, and all purchases made with users’ Steam Wallet. The company is historically rigid with this, which has kept games that independently reach major success away. By comparison, Epic Games has reached unique arrangements with publishers on many occasions.

The most likely scenario where Wuthering Waves arrives on Steam isn’t necessarily a good one. Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 landed on Steam after the games famously struggled out of the gate as Battle.net exclusives. Wuthering Waves will look to avoid that fate.

How to play Wuthering Waves on PC

Wuthering Waves can be played on PC by downloading it through the Epic Games Store or from the game’s official site.

The game is only available on PC and mobile devices at launch. Those looking to play the game on anything better than their phones will need to choose one or the other. While harrumphing over the Epic Games Store is mostly a thing of the past, developer Kuro Games lets players get its standalone launcher. 

A console release has been confirmed but it’s unclear when it will happen and which consoles it might land on.

Written by Steven Rondina X Twitter Logo

Steven Rondina has been playing video games since he was a toddler and appreciates every genre out there. He has earned the platinum trophy in every Soulsborne game, is regularly Master Ball-ranked on the competitive Pokemon ladder, and has spent thousands of hours missing shots on Dust 2. His work has previously been featured by Bleacher Report and The Washington Post, and he was an Assistant Editor at WIN.gg. You can follow him on Twitter / X at @srondina.

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