Your Steam level is a number shown on your profile. It does not change how Steam works, but it unlocks real perks: a bigger friends list, more profile showcase slots, and a higher chance of getting booster pack drops. Most people raise it by crafting badges from trading cards, which is why a whole industry of level up bots exists.
Where XP comes from
Steam level is driven by XP. The main source is badge crafting: when you own a full set of trading cards for a game, you can craft a badge, and each badge level you craft gives you 100 XP. A normal badge can be crafted up to level 5, so one game can give you up to 500 XP in total. Foil badges can be crafted once, for 100 XP.
Why each level costs more
The XP needed to move from one level to the next grows every ten levels. Going from level 0 to level 1 costs 100 XP, and that stays true up to level 10. From level 10 to 11 the price is 200 XP, from level 20 to 21 it is 300 XP, and so on. In short: the XP for the next level is 100 times (your level divided by 10, rounded down, plus 1).
What it takes to reach a level
| Target level | Total XP from level 0 | Card sets needed |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1,000 | 10 |
| 25 | 4,500 | 45 |
| 50 | 15,000 | 150 |
| 75 | 32,000 | 320 |
| 100 | 55,000 | 550 |
If you already have a level, you only pay for the gap. Going from level 10 to level 50 costs 14,000 XP, which is 140 card sets. You can plan your own route with the Steam level calculator.
How people get the sets
You can collect cards yourself by playing games and trading, but it is slow, and you need to own five copies of each set to craft a badge to level 5. Level up bots sell ready made sets for TF2 keys, CS2 keys, Hydra keys or gems. A bot's rate tells you how many sets one key buys, and our guide to reading bot rates explains the numbers.
Ready to compare real offers? Browse the live card bot directory, sorted by the rates bots are publishing right now.