Steam displays an in-game status whenever you launch a game from the library. By default, the activity status shows the game name next to the In-Game label, but you can change that name to whatever you want with some easy configurations.

By the end of this guide, you'll be able to customize the in-game status on Steam and surprise your friends by adding random games to the status.

How to Change the Steam In-Game Status

Before you begin, note that Steam only displays the activity status when you launch a game from the library. Therefore, you'll have to add the program to the Steam library first. To do that, launch Steam and go to Games > Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library.

In the following window, select a random program from the list and click on the Add Selected Programs button to continue. Once done, go to your Steam library and right-click on the game from the left-sidebar. Then, select Properties from the context menu.

editing the program name on steam

The first text field in the Properties window denotes the program name. Edit the name according to your preference. You can also change the program icon if you want. Steam automatically saves the modified settings in real-time for you. When you're done, click on the Cross (X) icon in the top-right corner.

For the purpose of this guide, let's add WordPad to the Steam library and change the program name to "GTA VIII." After launching the program, Steam displays the in-game status on your profile page.

steam in-game activity status

Note that your friends don't need to visit your profile to check the status, they'll be able to view the status by accessing their friend's list.

Here are some interesting program names that will surely get your friends' attention:

  1. The Matrix
  2. Any unreleased game like GTA VIII (or RDR3)
  3. Respawning...
  4. Squid Game
  5. At Work

Related: How to Customize the Design of Your Steam Profile

Confuse Your Friends on Steam

Although there's no way you can really play unreleased games on Steam, you can still deceive others by customizing your in-game activity status. You can literally change the program name to anything—the sky's the limit (or your wit). But don't make it too obvious otherwise all the fun will wear off.

Apart from the status, you can also change your profile URL on Steam. This ensures that your Steam profile is easy to remember (and access) for your fellow gamer friends.