TL;DR- Add a Community Sponsorship feature to Steam — let players gift games directly to people who have them wishlisted and mark themselves as open to sponsorship.

It connects existing systems (wishlists + gifting + Steam Points) to make generosity easy, visible, and meaningful — especially for indie and player-driven communities that grow through word-of-mouth.



I’d love to see Steam introduce a Community Sponsorship system — something that lets players pay it forward and help others experience the games they love.

The idea builds on features Steam already has — gifting, wishlists, and points — but connects them in a way that encourages generosity and community growth.

Players could mark games on their wishlist as open to community sponsorship, and others browsing the game’s store or community page could choose to gift a copy directly to someone who’s expressed interest.

Steam could show a small note like:

“3 community-sponsored copies available — gifted by players who love this game.”

Developers could theme or personalize how sponsorships appear

It encourages generosity, discovery, and a sense of shared ownership — especially for smaller studios that thrive through word-of-mouth.

Steam Points or a simple “Community Patron” badge could recognize sponsors who take part, but it doesn’t have to be about rewards — just connection.

This kind of system would make wishlists and community hubs feel more alive, giving players a tangible way to help others join small communities they care about.