Steam's redesigned store menu is in beta, and it hides that giant left-side link panel, adds an "enhanced" search bar, and puts recommendations all in one place

The previously leaked Steam store menu design is now available to explore in the platform's beta client, confirming a number of changes Valve is testing for full release.

A new community update from Valve reads: "Just as the Steam Store has changed with the addition of new features in past few years, the ways users browse the store have changed too. Today's Steam Client Beta features a new store menu that is designed to provide easier access to the places Steam users most frequently visit."

Valve adds that it's "been hearing from players, and experiencing ourselves, that some of the most commonly visited areas of Steam were hard to get to," and that the updated store menu is "part of our ongoing efforts to help users find new and exciting games to play on Steam."

Some of the key changes highlighted by Valve include a new menu combining that giant column of links on the left side of the screen and the blue menu bar at the top. You'll also see this menu "on more pages across the store" now.

There are also more options in the main search menu, including "Popular Searches," "Recently Viewed," "More than just games" (lets you search for categories/tags, publishers, etc.), and an easily accessible link to Advanced Search.

There's also a new Recommended tab on the main menu that takes you to a new page with all of your recommended games based on things like playtime, what you've purchased in the past, and recommendations from friends.

Meanwhile, Valve says the new Browse tab "offers a variety of ways to find games based on popularity, release date, price and discount." That's accessible right from that main top menu as well.

The categories tab has also been updated to be more personalized toward your specific preferences, featuring hubs based on the genres and tags you play the most.

I gave the updated menu a quick spin before writing this story, and it's definitely noticeably cleaner and a little easier to narrow down games to stuff I actually care about. That said, it's hard to say if that's because I knew exactly what to look for after reading Valve's community update. Why don't you check it out for yourself and let Valve know what you think right here.

Nah? Play some of the best PC games instead.