Overview
- Valve rolled out a credit-card age gate for Australian Steam users on Wednesday, blocking access to R18+ store pages unless a valid Australian credit card is linked to the account.
- Games already in users' libraries remain playable but Steam will not show storefront pages or allow purchases of MA15+/R18+ titles without the linked card.
- Acceptance of debit cards is inconsistent with some Australian Mastercard debit cards reportedly working while many Visa and other debit cards fail the verification check.
- Players are buying R18+ Steam keys from third-party sellers as a workaround and are calling on Valve to add alternative verification methods that other platforms already offer.
- The change responds to the Online Safety Act deadline and risks excluding young adults and people on disability or low incomes who often lack credit cards, which could push banks, platforms or regulators to alter verification options.