There’s no getting around it: Windows 11’s default backgrounds are downright dull. If you’re bored to the backteeth of Microsoft’s official wallpapers, do I ever have an amazing app to brighten up your desktop.
Wallpaper Engine is one of the best Steam apps I’ve ever used. Actually, scratch that. It’s the absolute best. I’ve been using it for half a decade, and there’s no question it’s my favorite piece of software that I’ve ever downloaded from Valve’s digital storefront. Considering my Steam library has swollen to an absurd 264 titles, I’m in no way making that statement lightly.
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An app that lets you endlessly customize your desktop
Bring your Windows background to life
Forget Cyberpunk 2077 or Resident Evil Requiem. It’s this $4.99 app that has stolen my heart even more than bona fide PC gaming greats.
Once you download Wallpaper Engine on Steam, you’ll immediately gain access to a colossal collection of customized, well-curated desktop backgrounds. It will only take up a minuscule amount of space on either your laptop or PC, too.
The install size for Wallpaper Engine takes up just 629.57 MB of storage on my Asus ROG Zephyrus G14’s 2TB SSD. Considering the likes of beloved open-world arcade racer Forza Horizon 5 weighs in at a gargantuan 177GB, that’s a tiny amount of space to sacrifice for so many hours of screen delight.
First released back in 2018, Wallpaper Engine has amassed an incredible collection of both animated and static desktop backgrounds over the years. Thousands of talented artists have concocted and uploaded incredible works of art that often lift my mood whenever I’m interacting with my Windows devices.
Software that supports any screen resolution you could ask for
Ultrawide or dual-monitor setup, you’re covered
Wallpaper Engine is also incredibly malleable. With filters that let users seek out specific resolutions or categories (be it anime, cyberpunk, pixel art, nature, plus many more), it’s quick and easy to curate a collection of backgrounds that fit your screen size and personal tastes.
The resolution filters are super varied. From 720p all the way up to 4K (3820 x 2160 pixels), even users with aging, low-res monitors will be able to find a wallpaper to freshen up their display.
If you’re lucky enough to own a multi-monitor setup, you’re also well catered for. Rocking a duo of 27-inch, 1440p displays? Wallpaper Engine’s filters make it a doddle to track down a background that will stretch to cover both of your screens.
Hardcore gamers like myself who might own desk-dominating, super ultrawide displays like the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 haven’t been forgotten either. 32:9 monitors may still be fairly niche, but I’ve downloaded a bunch of 5120 x 1440 pixels backgrounds that look sensational on my ultra-fast gaming panel.
Glamming up 4K desktops to Android screens
Screen settings galore
You don’t need a cutting-edge PC to run Wallpaper Engine without issue. The app’s settings menu allows you to set FPS (frames per second) limits, tweak or turn off post-processing effects, and fiddle with texture quality, while you can also flick between various anti-aliasing presets.
The app can also be enjoyed on mobile devices. If you own an Android phone, you can download the Wallpaper Engine companion from the Google Play Store. This free software allows you to import your wallpaper collection from your PC in a flash. And there’s no shortage of backgrounds to download that have been specifically designed with mobile screen dimensions in mind.
The sheer spectacle of the coolest Wallpaper Engine backgrounds rarely fails to impress. From dazzlingly inventive alien landscapes, cyberpunk cities where constant lashing rain brings back memories of Blade Runner, to all manner of gasp-inducing natural vistas, I switch between a constantly increasing array of wallpapers on a weekly basis.
There’s another reason this display tech-obsessed Windows user has fallen for Wallpaper Engine. As someone who owns a variety of gadgets with OLED screens, I think about burn-in way too much. Thanks to my favorite Steam app’s dizzying array of animated backgrounds, though, I no longer fret about this harmful screen defect quite so often.
Own an OLED monitor? Meet your new favorite app
Banish burn-in
OLED burn-in isn’t a myth. If you leave a static image on your screen for a prolonged period, eventually, permanent image retention can manifest. Thankfully, most modern OLED monitors and TVs come equipped with pixel refresh cycles that will automatically run whenever the display is turned off for several hours, meaning screen burn is far less common than it once was.
That doesn’t mean OLED screens are now immune to burn-in, though, especially if you use an OLED as your main PC display. Having browser tabs or the Windows taskbar displayed on-screen for hours on end can increase the chance of unremovable image retention, and it’s something I still worry about now and then.
Said worries have at least decreased since I installed Wallpaper Engine. On my living room LG G3 OLED, I make sure my background is always animated to decrease the amount of static elements on my desktop — yes, I have my PC hooked up to my main TV. Don’t judge me.
I’ve currently got a swirling galaxy as my go-to background on my PC/TV setup, and the constantly shifting stars help to allay fears about static images being permanently burned into my beloved display. Heck, I’ve even set Wallpaper Engine to run concurrently on my dual-chamber, mid-tower PC case, which just so happens to have its own LCD touchscreen.
6 simple settings that will double the lifespan of your OLED TV
Few tweaks and you have a long-time companion.
Hundreds of hours of pleasure for just $5
The best value app on Steam
As I’m writing this, Steam informs me I’ve used Wallpaper Engine for a whopping (and very specific) 222.9 hours. This figure is clearly wrong, seeing as I’ve been running the app pretty much every single day since late 2021, and it launches automatically each time I boot up my gaming laptop or RTX 5090-powered rig.
Less than $5 for well over 200 hours of desktop enjoyment is clearly a phenomenal deal, yet I’m confident my actual usage figure is far, far higher than that. I’m assuming Steam only tracks Wallpaper Engine activity when one of its beguiling desktop backgrounds is physically visible on-screen, rather than when it’s buried behind, say, a bunch of Google Chrome tabs.
PC technology is one of my main passions in life, so I’ve normally got a desktop background running on one of my Windows devices for the vast majority of not only my working day but also my evenings. In my almost 22 years of being a Steam user, Wallpaper Engine is the one piece of software I simply can’t do without.
This cheap, amazing value app has brightened my day more times than I can count. Banishing generic Windows desktop backgrounds is one of the wisest tech decisions I’ve ever made. If you love PC tech, I can’t imagine a cheaper use of $5 than downloading Wallpaper Engine.
- OS
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Windows
- Developer
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Wallpaper Engine
- Price model
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Paid
A Steam app that replaces static wallpapers with animated, interactive backgrounds that can react to music, system stats, and your mood.