Steam now requires credit card age checks for Australian R18+ games

Steam has begun requiring Australian users to verify their age with a credit card before they can access R18+ games on the platform, according to user reports. The change goes beyond the purchase step: players say they cannot even browse the store pages for R18+ titles without first adding a credit card to their account.

The reports surfaced on the r/pcgaming subreddit, where a user described the new requirement as blocking store browsing for the highest-rated content. The post does not specify when the change rolled out, whether it applies to all Australian accounts or only new ones, or whether Valve communicated the policy shift in advance.

The move aligns with Australia's classification system, under which R18+ games carry a legally restricted rating. Retailers and digital storefronts in the country are expected to take reasonable steps to prevent minors from purchasing or accessing such content, and age verification tied to a payment method is one mechanism storefronts have used to satisfy that expectation.

What is new here is the scope of the check. Requiring a credit card simply to view a store page is a stricter gate than verifying age at the point of purchase, and it effectively blocks browsing for anyone who has not added a payment method, including adults who prefer other payment options or who only want to look at a game's listing.

Valve has not issued a public statement about the change, and the company's policy documentation was not part of the report. It is also unclear whether the requirement is limited to Australia or whether similar verification is being introduced in other markets with restricted ratings.

The report is a single user account and has not been independently confirmed. Valve has not responded publicly, and no official announcement or support page describing the new verification step has surfaced. Australian players affected by the change, and whether any workaround exists for browsing without a credit card, remain open questions.