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Valve Opens Steam Controller Reservation Queue to Curb Scalpers

The move targets scalpers using account checks with strict one-per-customer limits.

Overview

  • Valve’s reservation queue, which opened Friday at 10 a.m. PT, holds each buyer’s place in line and triggers order emails as stock returns.
  • Customers get 72 hours to complete a purchase, reservations are limited to one controller per account, and anyone who already bought one cannot reserve another for now.
  • Eligibility checks require a Steam account in good standing plus at least one prior Steam purchase made before April 27, 2026.
  • Fulfilling reservations will roll out by region, starting next week in the US and Canada, with the UK, EU, and Australia to follow in the coming weeks.
  • The change follows Monday’s sell-out in roughly 30 minutes, widespread checkout errors, and eBay listings at multiples of the $99 price, and it reprises the queue system Valve used for the Steam Deck as other Valve hardware faces delays.