Valve will stop selling Steam gift cards at retailers over scam concerns

First spotted by D0ntevenknowme on the PC gaming subreddit, Valve has updated its Steam store help page with a notice that it is phasing out physical gift cards for the service, with the last ones expected to go out of stock before the end of this year. Those cards will continue to be honored by Valve, though, and the company will continue to sell digital gift cards through the Steam storefront.

Under the heading "Can I purchase Steam gift cards at retailers," Valve has updated its language to say, "Yes, but only for a limited time." Valve linked to an FTC page about gift card scams as a reason for the change.

Gift cards for digital services like Amazon or Apple Music have become a bit of a punchline, as spam text messages and emails will often request them under fraudulent circumstances. Valve listed a number of anti-scam measures it has previously taken with its gift cards, but lamented that "scammers have adapted. They continue to have an impact on Steam customers and other unsuspecting individuals."

"As Steam Gift Cards run out of stock at retail locations," Valve wrote, "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."

Valve also noted that its digital gift cards, which are tied directly to Steam accounts, will continue to be offered as normal. I can't imagine this will be a hugely impactful change: I've always pictured the median Steam gift card purchaser as some kind of frazzled parent or other older relative looking for a gift for a young gamer they don't really understand anymore.

When I first saw the news, I found it heartening to see Valve sacrifice its profits in some small way for the benefit of its customers, but the change was assuredly more motivated by a fear of potential legal liability⁠—the North Star guiding all ethics in the year of our Lord 2026. In that way, this decision rhymes with Valve caving to payment processors on content moderation, though to a far less noxious end in this case.

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