Can't stop buying steam games that i don't play

You have probably seen this one (but it doesn't always help ;))

i have almost 3000 games and if i played one or two that is a lot.

You should probably stop looking at new games to get. Maybe try a site blocker for the Steam Store, Humble, Fanatical or wherever you get your games from? That way you wouldn't be able to get to the sites and look at games. Blocking news sources about new bundles (like SG :( ) could maybe help too.

If you aren't prepared for that, you should probably get off your computer or something. Real life hobbies or exercise is a great way to take your mind off things that stresses you out.

Is this such a problem as to cause you to have a financial burden? Is it ruining your life in a way that makes it unpleasant for you? Most people have hobbies that cost money, some more than others. Gaming is one such hobby that can be fairly cheap or very expensive, depending on which end you head into.

Other question is whether you are buying mostly cheaper bundles and get a kick out of having more games. Or are you spending full price on new releases and they just sit there collecting dust.

At the end of the day, it's not so much of a problem if it's not cutting into your ability to have a normal life, whether that be school, work, social interactions, etc. It's especially a problem if you don't have that much money and you end up spending a lot of it on games and you end up not being able to afford proper food/clothing/shelter for yourself.

If that's the case, you may want to actually find yourself a therapist/counselor.

If it's not causing a major problem in your life otherwise, it's just a hobby that doesn't cause any physical cluttering around the house.

give them away instead of activating them in your account, problem solved. 🤷

lol i feel you :p if you cant stop than just buy on sales the games that you really want cause you never know when you can play them ;)

Maybe you could contact your bank to block all your payment methods to block Steam and other sites where you usually buy.

Can't you think of any other hobby? It wont save you any money because any hobby is more or less expensive but you might feel better with your spending habits if you spend your money (and time) on something else then just a shallow +1 in your games library. I know that it takes a fair bit of effort to break with old "habits" tho (still working on that myself :D). I guess in your case you could start by blocking sites you frequently visit to keep track of game deals and so on and then redirect your mind on something else whenever you try to visit them.

It hit me with 1000 games that i won't be playing all of them. So i stopped buying games unless i am willing to play them really soon and stopped buying bundles except there is a game fits the rule. Also with bundles, I don't activate games even if i don't own them, instead take the game i am interested give the rest to people i know or here. You can see with my gift history i haven't bought in a long time. :p Also getting away from games for 1.5 years helped me too. Because i was buying all that saying to myself "Yeah someday i will play!"

But i believe you don't even play them. So i guess you need to find why are you buying these games. Maybe some close friends can give you insight. So you can replace this with something you would enjoy. Because sometimes when we are into something we don't see ourselves well. A pair of eyes from outside can help if you are willing to listen.

Do search another Hobby and that's it. Go to a Sportsclub, you will know new people to hang out and do something for your health. If you don't like it, try another one. At first it might be extremely hard to stick to it, at least for me it was, because usually I'm pretty lazy, but you will get used to it and addicted aswell. I bought a lot of games also, but I wanted to complete them, not just hoard them, so I played the majority of my games, but there are also a lot which I probably never going to play...

PS: You should stop to call your life "sad", because actually it's in your hand to change something. I know it's a lot easier to blame others than yourself, wait for someone to rescue you, maybe even your new girlfriend will knock on your door...blabla
You have to take responsibility, you do live in a western country and you do have enough money, so make something out of it.

Spend more time playing games, then you'll have less time to spend shopping for them. Or step away from the computer.
If it really feels like an addiction though, get professional help.

Start playing games, at least this is what i did. I made a list on Steam with the games i intend to play (or at least try) and started with them. Tthe list total was about 500 games! I only buy new ones if there is a very good bundle, the Humble Monthly which i am subscribed to and if there is something i would like to play coop with my girlfriend or nephew.
I think a lot of us were or still are on the same page as you. Always buying games just to have them on our list and ending with huge backlogs. Maybe you should put some pressure on yourself to stop buying for a month and see how this goes.

Have another habit to remove this habit, that's what I'll recommend generally. However, I feel gaming is a good habit when you understand it and exercise it with moderation. Helps your mind to remain active, fingers/hands being active too. Although do get up and move around, eat well, rest well.

I recommend game appreciation, mate. I dont think your thread goes against anything in this forum. If any it actually goes with the basis of groups like Playing Appreciated and threads like play a game you've won.
When I started Steam, I thought it will be a goal to get all the games on steam gradually. That quickly went out of the window with prices and industry boom. For a few years I have only been able to play simple games as my PC couldnt handle the games. It allows me to kind of appreciate games. Then I started using Steam wishlist and it got over 1k+ and one of my friend commented at the monstrosity of wishlist titles I added. XD

After awhile, I joined Steamgifts. SG actually helped me to fine-tune my needs more. Initially, I still get bundles that are cheap and thought I'll try the game out. When one instance of a bad game I got for free really turned me off. I started to appreciate games even more. Only wishlist games I'll play if I have the time and looks really interesting to me not just because of the price. That cut my WL down alot and generally I try to maintain my WL to 350+.

I also recommend trimming your game list on Steam other than the games you won here, rather than selling it. I've done so on many occasions. At some point I got my hands on games I thought maybe interesting or a +1 but now, I remove them. Technically they are not gone. you can add them back if you remember the games, I do maintain a list of games i remove.

I am currently considering games I got from Dollar bundles before that I will play if I have free time and removing them. There are alot of good games out there and the way I spend time on quality games will just take up alot of time.

I do not know your reasons for not playing them. Perhaps you're not a gaming person to begin with. Yes, I do recommend being perhaps more sociable outside the internet. As others had recommended, physical activity is a good start. Just taking a 15mins walk in the park for thoughts, enjoying breezes and scenery. Take a breather. <3

STOP! Buying games now and start looking into your library! ^^
May you resolve this issue, Best wishes and warmest regards,
Cruse~

Mine solution: Dont push yourself to buy games on sales. Just buy games when you just start playing it even if there is no discount. You will realize you wont buy games xD

Any addiction that is mental and not a physical dependency, is about patterns.
I don't work in addiction counseling, but as part of my studies, I did have placements there and have a little bit of knowledge about the things people should do to stop it.

Basically, don`t focus on the buying games part, but rather what you do before you buy games. Are you likely to buy games after opening steam and going to store page? (change settings to start steam on library instead), or are you more likely to buy after visiting steamgifts deal section? (maybe stop visiting here?).
If it at a specific time or after a specific activity, maybe try to replace that activity with something else or find something else to keep you busy at that time. Blacklisting websites, etc is a bit of an extreme solution, but if you are struggling then just block the websites that you buy games from. Find something else to do instead of gaming, or maybe spend less time on your PC all together.

In short, don't wait until you are about to buy the game before you try to stop yourself. Intervene before you even get to that stage and you will have an easier time in achieving your goal.

Solve the other problems, and this one will solve by itself.
Addiction is a way to "avoid" the actual problem (by creating others).
Good luck to you!

Who cares? Keep getting them till you get naturally sick of it. You probably need to collect games at this point in your life. It doesn't mean it will go on forever. Sooner or later a new thing will replace this "addiction". If you're not burning anything but some extra money and your bills are paid, it's fine.

A John Lennon's song:

Whatever gets you through the night
It's all right, it's all right
It's your money or your life
It's all right, it's all right
Don't need a sword to cut through' flowers
Oh no, oh no
Whatever gets you through your life
It's all right, it's all right
Do it wrong, or do it right
It's all right, it's all right
Don't need a watch to waste your time
Oh no, oh no
Hold me, darlin', come on, listen to me
I won't do you no harm
Trust me, darlin', come on, listen to me
Come on, listen to me; come on, listen, listen
Whatever gets you to the light
It's all right, it's all right
Out of the blue, or out of sight
It's all right, it's all right
Don't need a gun to blow you mind
Oh no, oh no
Hold me, darlin', come on, listen to me
I won't do you no harm
Trust me, darlin', come on, listen to me
Come on, listen to me, come on, listen, listen.

Many people have a desire to collect as a human behavior.
Usually there is no problem.

If it matters?
For example, use the cost of living for a lifetime.
This is bad. XD
Separate the money you spend on clothing, food, housing, medical care and study, and if you are within the remaining budget, it is a hobby and amusement, so don't be shy.(人Θ'o)　=͟͟͞͞( っ'Θ')╮ =͟͟͞͞💸　🎮ﾍ('.'o)📺💻

in addition···.
Humankind's "money and currency" do not always have "value".
It may be a time when game activation codes are more valuable.┐(´Θ`)┌ooO(Lie money stands out)

anyway….
If you want to reduce your expenses, make sure you can buy without duplication.
Set a monthly budget limit and do not purchase more (up to one prepaid card, etc.)
It might be good to consider such a thing.
(If there is a problem)

How about blocking your card to online shopping?

i feel your pain too man. i don't have as many games as some of these guys (something like 1.1k, plus ~300 from family share), but i try my best to only buy, and enter giveaways for, games i absolutely know i'll play, and give away anything that would just be a +1. i know i've missed out on a lot of trading cards, but it irks me to see wasted games in my library. i used to redeem every key i could get my hands on, but after so many, it felt like they were just clogging my library, and i figured that was enough. even still, i habitually buy something new before i have to chance to finish up a previous purchase. what i've been trying to do lately is complete a few mediocre/short games i know i can knock out, then squeeze in a game i'm excited about in between batches. sometimes it can be a pain because i try to go for 100% achievements, but if there's some time-related, multi-player or just stupid difficult achievements then i'll cut my losses and skip those. creating a new category/collection in your library titled 'next' and adding a queue of games you're interested in can also help.
but hey, at least be glad to know we'll probably never not have a game to play. and it's not like they're taking up any physical space.