Steam data API: the official API or an Apify Actor?

Steam has a public official API. 3 Apify Actors in this catalogue return Steam data over HTTP too: send the input to Apify's run-sync endpoint with your token and get the records back as JSON, from $0.40 a run plus $0.99 per 1,000 results at Store prices (plus platform usage).

Side by side

Steam Web APIApify Actors (3)
AccessPublic, self-serveApify API token (any account)
What you getValve's Steam Web API requires an API key obtained through a form on Steam Community and acceptance of the Steam Web API Terms of Use. Steamworks documentation points user review lookups to…Rows defined by each Actor's published schema; up to 16 fields per record
PriceFree; an API key is required.From $0.40 a run plus $0.99 per 1,000 results (Store price, Free plan), plus platform usage
LimitsThe Steam Web API Terms of Use limit each key to 100,000 calls per day; keys must stay confidential and cannot be transferred.Synchronous calls wait up to 300 s; longer runs go asynchronous
DocsSteam Web APIApify API: run-sync

Official API facts checked 2026-11-11. The Steam Subscriber Agreement (updated September 10, 2026) bars scripts and bots that interact with Steam; API use falls under the API terms; not legal advice.

Which Actor for which job

All of them list $0.99 per 1,000 results on the Store, plus a start fee per run.

ActorReturnsFields includeCall it
Steam Game Pricing & Metacritic Scraper Steam store records with pricing, discount, Metacritic score, review summary, tags, media, DLC, and platform data. appName, appType, currentPrice run-sync · Apify
Steam Game Reviews & Playtime Extractor Steam review rows with reviewer profile, playtime, votes, hardware and flags, plus per-game metadata and overall score summaries. gameTitle, rating, reviewText run-sync · Apify
Steam Game Specs, Pricing & Media Extractor One record per Steam app with pricing and package options, system requirements, platform and language support, media, DLC, tags… appId, title, appType run-sync · Apify

Call Steam Game Specs, Pricing & Media Extractor

The call waits for the run and returns the records as JSON. Swap the Actor ID for any Actor in the table. Set APIFY_TOKEN first; runs bill to that account.

curl

Actor on Apify
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/dataspryva~steam-game-specs-pricing-and-media-extractor/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode":"urls","startUrls":[{"url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/570/Dota_2/"}],"maxItems":1,"includeReviews":true,"includeSimilarGames":false}'

Generated from the Actor's published schema and checked, not executed.

Same data, other routes

When a call fails

Why does the workflow or script stop with HTTP 408?

The synchronous endpoint waits at most 300 seconds. After that it answers 408 while the run keeps going in Apify. Lower the result limit, or start the run asynchronously, wait for it to finish and then read its dataset.

Source: Apify API: run Actor synchronously and get dataset items

What do 400, 401, 402 and 403 from the Apify API mean?

Read error.type in the response body. 400 is invalid Actor input. 401 (user-or-token-not-found) means a token reached Apify but it is wrong or revoked. 402 with x402-payment-required means no token reached Apify at all: the n8n credential or the Authorization: Bearer header is missing, and Apify is offering its pay-per-run x402 route for agents instead; any other 402 is an exhausted usage limit on the account that pays for the run. 403 is a token without permission for that Actor or storage.

Source: Apify API: authentication; Apify documentation: agentic payments with x402; Apify API: run Actor synchronously and get dataset items

Why does starting an Actor through the API return run information instead of scraped results?

The Run Actor endpoint starts the Actor and immediately returns a Run object without waiting for completion. For results stored in the default dataset, pass the response's defaultDatasetId to Get dataset items; to wait and receive output directly, use the synchronous endpoint for dataset items or a key-value store record.

Source: Apify Run Actor API

Why are rows and hidden fields missing from my Apify dataset export?

The clean parameter enables both skipEmpty and skipHidden, removing empty items and fields whose names begin with #. This can produce fewer items than the requested limit; to retain those rows and fields, disable clean and ensure skipEmpty and skipHidden are also disabled.

Source: Apify Get dataset items API

Questions

Is there an official Steam API?

Valve's Steam Web API requires an API key obtained through a form on Steam Community and acceptance of the Steam Web API Terms of Use. Steamworks documentation points user review lookups to IUserReviewsService/GetAppReviews. Free; an API key is required.

How much does Steam data cost through an Apify Actor?

The Actors listed here charge from $0.40 a run plus $0.99 per 1,000 results on the Apify Store (Free plan), checked 2026-11-12, billed to the Apify account whose token makes the call. Actor start events and platform usage can add to that.

Can I get Steam data as JSON in one HTTP request?

Yes, through Apify's run-sync-get-dataset-items endpoint: POST the Actor input with your token and the response is the dataset as JSON. It waits up to 300 seconds; longer runs need the asynchronous run endpoint.

Can an AI agent use the same Steam data?

Yes. The Steam MCP page bundles these Actors into one Apify MCP URL for Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code and Codex.

Is it allowed to collect Steam data?

The Steam Subscriber Agreement (updated September 10, 2026) bars scripts and bots that interact with Steam; API use falls under the API terms; not legal advice. Read Steam's terms before you build on the data.