Valve moves Steam gift card sales away from retail stores due to scams
Valve is ending the Steam Gift Card program at retail stores, with physical cards set to disappear once current stock runs out.
The company says it will not restock Steam Gift Cards at retail locations. Retailers are expected to sell through remaining inventory by the end of 2026. Existing physical Steam Gift Cards will remain redeemable on Steam, subject to local laws.
Valve introduced Steam Gift Cards to retail stores in 2012. The digital gift card program followed in 2017, giving users another way to send Steam Wallet credit directly through Steam.
Retail cards are going away, digital cards stay
The decision is linked to gift card scams. Valve says scammers continue to use gift cards from major brands, including Steam, to target people worldwide. The company says it previously tried several restrictions to reduce abuse, including work with retailers and law enforcement, warning labels on cards, currency-based redemption limits, reduced availability and removing cards from sale when abnormal activity was detected.
According to Valve, scammers adapted as more limits were added. The company says this led to the decision to end the retail program altogether. Steam Digital Gift Cards will continue to be offered, and Valve says it is working to improve that experience.
Source: Valve
Valve also points to guest checkout, which was added last year, as another way for friends or family members to send Steam users a digital gift card without relying on physical retail cards.
Can I purchase Steam Gift Cards at retailers?
Yes, but only for a limited time.
We introduced Steam Gift Cards to retail stores back in 2012, and added the digital program in 2017. Unfortunately, scammers use gift cards from major brands like Steam to take advantage of all people all over the world.
We’ve responded to gift card scams over the years by taking a number of actions to protect customers, including:
- Working with retailers
- Working with law enforcement
- Making changes to the cards, including adding a prominent scam warning
- Limiting redemption to be in the currency of your Steam wallet
- Limiting availability of cards
- Removing cards from sale when we observed abnormal activity
As we have continued to put more and more restrictions in place, scammers have adapted. They continue to have an impact on Steam customers and other unsuspecting individuals. So we’ve made the difficult decision to end the Steam Gift Card program at retail stores.
As Steam Gift Cards run out of stock at retail locations, we will not be restocking them. We expect all retailers to be out of stock by the end of 2026. Though we will no longer be selling physical gift cards, you will still have the ability to use your existing gift cards on Steam whenever you choose, subject to local laws.
We also continue to offer Steam Digital Gift Cards , and are working to make this an even better experience. Guest checkout, which we added last year, is another way for family members and friends to gift Steam users with a digital card anytime.
Source: Steam
