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Steam level calculator
See exactly how much XP, how many trading card sets, and roughly how much money it takes to go from your current Steam level to a target one. New to the system? Our guide to leveling up a Steam account covers the method and the costs, and the card farming guide covers where the cards come from.
One card set = 100 XP, always — that part is exact. Cards-per-set and cost-per-card are averages you can edit: real card counts and market prices vary a lot by game. Prefer real numbers? The level cost calculator prices your target from live cheapest card-set listings.
How the Steam level curve works
Steam levels are stair-stepped. Levels 1 to 10 cost 100 XP each, levels 11 to 20 cost 200 each, levels 21 to 30 cost 300 each, and every block of ten after that costs 100 XP more per level than the one before. The totals from level 0:
- Level 10: 1,000 XP, 10 card sets
- Level 20: 3,000 XP, 30 card sets
- Level 50: 15,000 XP, 150 card sets
- Level 100: 55,000 XP, 550 card sets
- Level 200: 210,000 XP, 2,100 card sets
That is why the jump from 90 to 100 costs more than the whole climb from 0 to 30: the price per level only goes up.
Where the XP comes from
Almost all of it comes from crafting badges. Every game with trading cards has a badge, a full card set crafts it for exactly 100 XP, and each game’s badge can be crafted up to five times. Sets hold between 5 and 15 cards depending on the game, which is why the calculator lets you change the cards-per-set average. Smaller sources add up too: seasonal sale and event badges, the community badge, and the Years of Service badge at 50 XP per year (the account age checker shows yours).
Playtime gives no XP by itself, but it does drop cards: roughly half of each game’s set drops just from hours played. The Steam card farmer guide explains how those drops work and how to collect them without leaving your PC on.
What a higher level gets you
Every level adds 5 to your friend-list limit, every 10 levels unlocks another profile showcase, and higher levels improve your odds of receiving booster packs, which are free card drops toward the next badge. The guide to leveling up a Steam account covers the cheapest way to get there.
Steam level questions
How much XP do I need for Steam level 100?
55,000 XP in total from level 0, which is 550 crafted card sets. Each block of ten levels costs 100 XP more per level than the block before, so levels 91 to 100 alone take 10,000 XP.
How many card sets does one Steam level take?
One set per level from 1 to 10, two per level from 11 to 20, three from 21 to 30, and so on: level N costs N divided by 10, rounded up, card sets. A crafted set is always worth exactly 100 XP.
Do Steam hours give XP?
No. Playtime never grants XP directly. What playtime does is earn trading card drops in games that have cards, roughly half of each set, and crafting full sets into badges is what raises your level.
Is there a maximum Steam level?
Steam has no published level cap. The cost per level just keeps climbing: level 200 takes 210,000 XP in total and level 500 takes 1,275,000 XP, which is why very high levels are rare.
Leveling up the slow way? Let it happen while you're offline.
HourFarming idles up to 32 games per account, 24/7, so drops and playtime add up on their own.
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