The Rarest Steam Badges: What They Are and How to Get Them

Steam offers users many ways to personalize their profiles, including collectible badges. However, some badges are incredibly rare, owned by only a select few. In this article, we'll explore rare Steam badges, how they were obtained, and whether they can still be earned today.

Where to Find Badge Information?

To analyze Steam badges, one of the best resources is SteamDB, a site that gathers data on games, pricing trends, sales, and achievements. The badges section lists all profile badges officially awarded by Steam, whether from sales, events, or special community contributions. However, it does not include standard badges obtained by crafting game trading cards.

Many badges are tied to seasonal sales. For example, users may earn limited-time badges by completing event challenges or crafting special sale-related cards. Once the event ends, these badges become unobtainable, making them exclusive items for those who participated.

Rare Badges Owned by a Select Few

1. Steamworks Developer

This badge is awarded to developers who have successfully published at least one game on Steam. Currently, it is held by around 25,000 users and still seems to be obtainable. However, for unknown reasons, it no longer appears on profiles, though it is still recorded in the database.

1. Valve Employee

This exclusive Steam badge is given to Valve employees—the company behind Steam and games like CS, Dota 2, and Team Fortress. Only 629 people currently have this badge. The only way to obtain it is to secure a job at Valve.

1. Steam Community Translator

This badge was awarded to volunteers who actively contributed to translating Steam content into different languages. It had four levels, depending on the volume of translations completed. The last recorded badges were issued in 2022, suggesting that the translation program may have changed or been discontinued. Currently, only a few hundred users own this badge.

1. Steam Community Moderator

Given to Steam moderators responsible for maintaining order in discussions and forums, this badge appears in the database for only three users. This number seems surprisingly low, considering the size of the Steam community.

1. Retired Community Moderator

Similar to the previous badge, but for former moderators who have stepped down from their roles. This badge Steam has been awarded to only 49 users.

1. Game Collector

This badge is available to everyone who owns at least one game on Steam. However, it has different levels based on the number of games owned. The highest known level belongs to a user named Sonix, who owns 37,000 games.

1. Years of Service

This badge is given to every Steam user starting from their first year of registration. It levels up annually on the account's creation date. The oldest possible accounts were created in 2003, making the highest-level Steam badges over 20 years old.

1. Gem Maker

Previously, any user could earn this badge by converting Steam inventory items into gems. However, this feature was removed, making the badge permanently unobtainable and turning it into one of the rarest in Steam history.

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Conclusion

While Steam offers thousands of badges, truly rare ones are few and far between. Some can still be earned under specific conditions, while others will remain exclusive to a small group of users. For those looking to decorate their profiles, crafting standard badges from trading cards remains an option, as does keeping an eye on upcoming sales and events.