diff --git a/src/steam_mcp/client/steam_client.py b/src/steam_mcp/client/steam_client.py
index 995946b..b8085d9 100644
--- a/src/steam_mcp/client/steam_client.py
+++ b/src/steam_mcp/client/steam_client.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 """Steam API Client with rate limiting, caching, and error handling.
 
 This client provides a robust interface to the Steam Web API with:
-- Rate limiting to avoid hitting API limits
+- Rate limiting to avoid hitting API limits (global singleton by default)
 - TTL-based response caching to reduce API load
 - Automatic retry with exponential backoff
 - Consistent error handling across all endpoints
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+# Default rate limit (requests per second)
+DEFAULT_RATE_LIMIT = 10.0
+
+# Global rate limiter instance (singleton)
+_global_rate_limiter: "RateLimiter | None" = None
+
 
 class SteamAPIError(Exception):
     """Base exception for Steam API errors."""
@@ -67,6 +73,38 @@ async def acquire(self) -> None:
             self.last_request_time = time.monotonic()
 
 
+def get_global_rate_limiter() -> RateLimiter:
+    """
+    Get or create the global rate limiter singleton.
+
+    The rate limit can be configured via the STEAM_RATE_LIMIT environment variable.
+    Default is 10 requests per second.
+
+    Thread-safe due to GIL; RateLimiter.__init__ is synchronous so no async race.
+
+    Returns:
+        The shared global RateLimiter instance.
+    """
+    global _global_rate_limiter
+
+    if _global_rate_limiter is None:
+        rate_limit = float(os.getenv("STEAM_RATE_LIMIT", str(DEFAULT_RATE_LIMIT)))
+        _global_rate_limiter = RateLimiter(requests_per_second=rate_limit)
+        logger.debug(f"Created global rate limiter: {rate_limit} req/s")
+
+    return _global_rate_limiter
+
+
+def reset_global_rate_limiter() -> None:
+    """
+    Reset the global rate limiter.
+
+    This is primarily useful for testing to ensure a fresh state.
+    """
+    global _global_rate_limiter
+    _global_rate_limiter = None
+
+
 class SteamClient:
     """Async client for the Steam Web API."""
 
@@ -92,11 +130,12 @@ def __init__(
         self,
         api_key: str | None = None,
         owner_steam_id: str | None = None,
-        requests_per_second: float = 10.0,
+        rate_limiter: RateLimiter | None = None,
         max_retries: int = 3,
         timeout: float = 30.0,
         enable_cache: bool = True,
         cache_max_size: int = 1000,
+        requests_per_second: float | None = None,
     ):
         """
         Initialize Steam API client.
@@ -105,11 +144,14 @@ def __init__(
             api_key: Steam Web API key. If not provided, reads from STEAM_API_KEY env var.
             owner_steam_id: SteamID64 of the API key owner. If not provided, reads from
                            STEAM_USER_ID env var. This enables "get my profile" style queries.
-            requests_per_second: Rate limit for API requests.
+            rate_limiter: Optional custom RateLimiter instance. If not provided, uses the
+                         global shared rate limiter (configured via STEAM_RATE_LIMIT env var).
             max_retries: Maximum number of retry attempts for failed requests.
             timeout: Request timeout in seconds.
             enable_cache: Whether to enable response caching (default: True).
             cache_max_size: Maximum number of cached entries (default: 1000).
+            requests_per_second: Deprecated. Use rate_limiter or STEAM_RATE_LIMIT env var.
+                                Creates a dedicated RateLimiter for this client if provided.
         """
         self.api_key = api_key or os.getenv("STEAM_API_KEY")
         if not self.api_key:
@@ -120,7 +162,14 @@ def __init__(
 
         self.max_retries = max_retries
         self.timeout = timeout
-        self.rate_limiter = RateLimiter(requests_per_second)
+
+        # Rate limiter priority: explicit rate_limiter > requests_per_second > global
+        if rate_limiter is not None:
+            self.rate_limiter = rate_limiter
+        elif requests_per_second is not None:
+            self.rate_limiter = RateLimiter(requests_per_second=requests_per_second)
+        else:
+            self.rate_limiter = get_global_rate_limiter()
 
         # Initialize cache if enabled
         self._cache: TTLCache | None = None
diff --git a/tests/test_global_rate_limiter.py b/tests/test_global_rate_limiter.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..848eefd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_global_rate_limiter.py
@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+"""Tests for global rate limiter functionality."""
+
+import asyncio
+import pytest
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+from steam_mcp.client.steam_client import (
+    DEFAULT_RATE_LIMIT,
+    RateLimiter,
+    SteamClient,
+    get_global_rate_limiter,
+    reset_global_rate_limiter,
+)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def reset_limiter():
+    """Reset global rate limiter before each test."""
+    reset_global_rate_limiter()
+    yield
+    reset_global_rate_limiter()
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def mock_env():
+    """Set up mock environment variables."""
+    with patch.dict("os.environ", {"STEAM_API_KEY": "test_key"}, clear=False):
+        yield
+
+
+class TestGetGlobalRateLimiter:
+    """Tests for get_global_rate_limiter function."""
+
+    def test_returns_rate_limiter_instance(self):
+        """Should return a RateLimiter instance."""
+        limiter = get_global_rate_limiter()
+        assert isinstance(limiter, RateLimiter)
+
+    def test_returns_same_instance(self):
+        """Should return the same instance on subsequent calls."""
+        limiter1 = get_global_rate_limiter()
+        limiter2 = get_global_rate_limiter()
+        assert limiter1 is limiter2
+
+    def test_uses_default_rate_limit(self):
+        """Should use DEFAULT_RATE_LIMIT when env var not set."""
+        limiter = get_global_rate_limiter()
+        assert limiter.requests_per_second == DEFAULT_RATE_LIMIT
+
+    def test_uses_env_var_rate_limit(self):
+        """Should use STEAM_RATE_LIMIT env var when set."""
+        with patch.dict("os.environ", {"STEAM_RATE_LIMIT": "5.0"}):
+            reset_global_rate_limiter()
+            limiter = get_global_rate_limiter()
+            assert limiter.requests_per_second == 5.0
+
+
+class TestResetGlobalRateLimiter:
+    """Tests for reset_global_rate_limiter function."""
+
+    def test_reset_creates_new_instance(self):
+        """After reset, should create a new instance."""
+        limiter1 = get_global_rate_limiter()
+        reset_global_rate_limiter()
+        limiter2 = get_global_rate_limiter()
+        assert limiter1 is not limiter2
+
+
+class TestSteamClientRateLimiter:
+    """Tests for SteamClient rate limiter integration."""
+
+    def test_uses_global_rate_limiter_by_default(self, mock_env):
+        """SteamClient should use global rate limiter by default."""
+        global_limiter = get_global_rate_limiter()
+        client = SteamClient()
+        assert client.rate_limiter is global_limiter
+
+    def test_multiple_clients_share_rate_limiter(self, mock_env):
+        """Multiple SteamClient instances should share the same rate limiter."""
+        client1 = SteamClient()
+        client2 = SteamClient()
+        assert client1.rate_limiter is client2.rate_limiter
+
+    def test_can_use_custom_rate_limiter(self, mock_env):
+        """SteamClient can use a custom rate limiter."""
+        custom_limiter = RateLimiter(requests_per_second=5.0)
+        client = SteamClient(rate_limiter=custom_limiter)
+        assert client.rate_limiter is custom_limiter
+        assert client.rate_limiter is not get_global_rate_limiter()
+
+    def test_backward_compat_requests_per_second(self, mock_env):
+        """SteamClient should support deprecated requests_per_second param."""
+        client = SteamClient(requests_per_second=5.0)
+        # Should create a dedicated limiter, not use global
+        assert client.rate_limiter is not get_global_rate_limiter()
+        assert client.rate_limiter.requests_per_second == 5.0
+
+    def test_rate_limiter_takes_precedence_over_requests_per_second(self, mock_env):
+        """Explicit rate_limiter should take precedence over requests_per_second."""
+        custom_limiter = RateLimiter(requests_per_second=20.0)
+        client = SteamClient(rate_limiter=custom_limiter, requests_per_second=5.0)
+        assert client.rate_limiter is custom_limiter
+        assert client.rate_limiter.requests_per_second == 20.0
+
+
+class TestConcurrentAccess:
+    """Tests for concurrent access to rate limiter."""
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_concurrent_acquire_is_serialized(self):
+        """Concurrent acquire calls should be properly serialized."""
+        limiter = RateLimiter(requests_per_second=100.0)  # Fast for testing
+        acquire_times = []
+
+        async def track_acquire():
+            await limiter.acquire()
+            acquire_times.append(asyncio.get_event_loop().time())
+
+        # Launch multiple concurrent acquires
+        tasks = [asyncio.create_task(track_acquire()) for _ in range(5)]
+        await asyncio.gather(*tasks)
+
+        # Verify all acquired (should have 5 entries)
+        assert len(acquire_times) == 5
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_global_limiter_serializes_across_clients(self, mock_env):
+        """Global rate limiter should serialize requests across multiple clients."""
+        reset_global_rate_limiter()
+
+        # Create multiple clients sharing the global limiter
+        client1 = SteamClient()
+        client2 = SteamClient()
+
+        # Verify they share the same rate limiter
+        assert client1.rate_limiter is client2.rate_limiter
+
+        acquire_count = 0
+        lock = asyncio.Lock()
+
+        async def acquire_from_client(client):
+            nonlocal acquire_count
+            await client.rate_limiter.acquire()
+            async with lock:
+                acquire_count += 1
+
+        # Launch concurrent acquires from different clients
+        tasks = [
+            asyncio.create_task(acquire_from_client(client1)),
+            asyncio.create_task(acquire_from_client(client2)),
+            asyncio.create_task(acquire_from_client(client1)),
+            asyncio.create_task(acquire_from_client(client2)),
+        ]
+        await asyncio.gather(*tasks)
+
+        # All should have completed
+        assert acquire_count == 4
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_rate_limiter_enforces_rate(self):
+        """Rate limiter should enforce the configured rate limit."""
+        import time
+
+        # Very slow rate to make timing measurable
+        limiter = RateLimiter(requests_per_second=10.0)  # 100ms between requests
+
+        start = time.monotonic()
+
+        # Make 3 requests
+        await limiter.acquire()
+        await limiter.acquire()
+        await limiter.acquire()
+
+        elapsed = time.monotonic() - start
+
+        # Should take at least 200ms for 3 requests at 10 req/s
+        # (first is instant, second waits 100ms, third waits 100ms)
+        assert elapsed >= 0.18  # Allow small margin for timing variance
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_no_race_conditions_under_load(self, mock_env):
+        """Global limiter should handle many concurrent requests without races."""
+        reset_global_rate_limiter()
+
+        # Use a faster rate for this test
+        with patch.dict("os.environ", {"STEAM_RATE_LIMIT": "1000.0"}):
+            reset_global_rate_limiter()
+
+            # Create multiple clients
+            clients = [SteamClient() for _ in range(3)]
+
+            # Verify all share the same limiter
+            assert all(c.rate_limiter is clients[0].rate_limiter for c in clients)
+
+            results = []
+            lock = asyncio.Lock()
+
+            async def acquire_and_record(client_idx):
+                client = clients[client_idx % len(clients)]
+                await client.rate_limiter.acquire()
+                async with lock:
+                    results.append(client_idx)
+
+            # Launch many concurrent requests
+            tasks = [
+                asyncio.create_task(acquire_and_record(i)) for i in range(20)
+            ]
+            await asyncio.gather(*tasks)
+
+            # All should complete without errors
+            assert len(results) == 20