When the Steam Machine was first announced back in November 2025, Valve told me that the console-like PC would be launching in the first quarter of 2026. But things might be more complicated now.
Valve just released a blog post, where it says "we planned on being able to share specific pricing and launch dates by now." However, the AI shortages that are causing PC hardware to spike in price has caused the company to take a bit more time to nail down the price and release date for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame.
Valve does still claim that it intends to launch the Steam Machine in the first half of the year, which follows an AMD earnings call that also suggests an early 2026 launch date. No matter how you slice it, though, it looks like the Steam Machine will be coming a bit later than we initially expected it to.
When is the Steam Machine Coming Out?
Shortly after the Steam Machine was announced, I tried to predict when Valve was going to launch its mini gaming PC – but that was before the RAM crisis really kicked off in earnest. Back in November, I guessed that Valve would have announced a release date and price for the Steam Machine by the end of January 2026 – but obviously, that didn't happen.
Instead, it looks like the Steam Machine has been delayed, if only by a few months, until Valve can find concrete pricing. But with how volatile the RAM market is right now, Valve is probably holding off until pricing stabilizes a little bit. Either way, this probably means the Steam Machine will also be more expensive.
From the beginning, Valve has been adamant that it would price the upcoming mini PC according to a PC with comparable hardware. A few months ago, I figured that this would put the Steam Machine at around $800. But with the way PC pricing has been for the last few months, I could easily see the upcoming console hit $1,000 or more.
This is all just speculation, and we won't know the actual Steam Machine launch date or price until Valve announces something. But if you were looking forward to the Steam Machine, you might want to brace yourself for a longer wait and a higher price tag.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
