Overview
- Valve rolled out the update July 22–23, 2026, adding user‑defined wishlist categories, faster search with autocomplete, demo availability markers and hover microtrailers to improve discoverability.
- Users can share links to a single wishlist category or a filtered view so recipients can view or buy directly from a curated list without seeing the rest of the owner’s wishlist.
- Guest checkout now supports buying any game on Steam, purchases can be sent to an email address, and unclaimed email gifts are automatically refunded after 30 days.
- Steam will calculate recipient‑region pricing at checkout to enable cross‑region gifting, but some cross‑region flows still require the recipient’s Steam account or friends‑list information to prefill details, creating a nuanced friend‑requirement.
- The changes make surprise gifting simpler for non‑Steam buyers such as relatives while also introducing possible abuse vectors, including scams and regional‑pricing workarounds, and owners can revoke shared links to limit exposure.