Of course! You’re referring to the **Steam Trading Card “Friend Slot” Bonus**.
This is a feature tied to **Steam Trading Cards** and **Steam Levels**, not directly to your friends list. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what it is and how it works.
### What is the “5 Friend Slot Bonus”?
When you **craft a game’s badge** using a full set of trading cards, you receive:
* 100 XP toward your Steam Level.
* 1 random **emoticon** and **profile background** from that game.
* A **+1 increase to your Friend Slot limit**.
The “5 Friend Slot Bonus” is the **maximum permanent increase** you can get to your friend list capacity from crafting badges.
### How It Works: The Tiers
Your base friend limit on Steam is **250**. You can permanently increase this limit by leveling up your Steam Profile through crafting badges.
1. **Initial Increase:** For every **10 Steam Levels**, you get a **+5 increase** to your friend slot limit.
2. **The “Bonus” Cap:** However, you can only earn this +5 increase **once per 10 levels**, up to **Level 50**. This means the maximum friend slot bonus you can earn from crafting badges is:
* Level 10: +5 slots
* Level 20: +5 slots
* Level 30: +5 slots
* Level 40: +5 slots
* Level 50: +5 slots
* **Total Bonus from Crafting: +25 friend slots.**
### The “5 Friend Slot Bonus” Explained
When people say “5 friend slot bonus,” they are usually referring to **one of those +5 increments** you get upon reaching a level divisible by 10 (10, 20, 30, 40, 50).
**Example:** If your Steam Level is 27, your maximum friend capacity is:
* Base (250) + Bonus for Level 20 (+10 total) = **260 friends**.
When you reach Level 30, you will immediately get the next “5 friend slot bonus,” raising your cap to **265**.
### Important Notes & Clarifications
* **Cap at Level 50:** After Level 50, you **no longer receive additional friend slots from leveling up**. Your maximum possible friends from leveling is **275** (250 base + 25 bonus).
* **Other Ways to Increase Limit:** The **only way** to increase your friend limit beyond 275 is through **Steam Community contributions**, like:
* **Purchasing the “Steam Community Contributor” badge** from the Steam Points Shop. This badge grants a **+100 friend slot bonus** and is the standard way for users with very large networks to expand their list.
* Older, discontinued methods like the “Squeenix” or “Steam Hardware” group badges also granted increases.
* **It’s Not About “5 Friends”:** The term “slot” is key. It’s not a bonus *from* having 5 friends; it’s an increase *for* 5 more friend **slots** in your list.
### Summary
* **What it is:** A permanent +5 increase to your maximum friend list capacity.
* **How to get it:** Earn it by reaching Steam Levels 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 (by crafting game badges for XP).
* **Maximum from Leveling:** +25 slots (for a total of 275 with the base 250).
* **Beyond 275:** Requires special community contributor badges from the Steam Points Shop.
So, if you’re trying to add more than 250 friends, focus on **crafting trading card badges to raise your Steam Level to the next multiple of 10** to claim your next “5 friend slot bonus.”
