Valve has expanded the ways Australians can navigate its Steam age verification requirements. Long-standing accounts can now unlock R18+ games without a credit card.
First spotted by PC Gamer, according to Steam’s updated Age Assurance in Australia support page, accounts are now automatically considered age-verified if they are at least nine years old and have kept a consistent email address or billing information.
Steam age verification – quick links
Why does Steam need age verification in Australia?
Steam’s age checks are a product of Australia’s Age-Restricted Material Online Safety Codes, which apply to app stores and digital storefronts.
Under the codes, platforms such as Valve, Microsoft and Sony must stop anyone under 18 years of age in Australia from buying or downloading games rated R18+ by the Australian Classification Board. The rules took effect on 9 March 2026, and eSafety gave storefronts until 9 September to introduce age checks for R18+ downloads.
These obligations are separate from the social media minimum age laws, which have barred under-16s from holding accounts on age-restricted social platforms since December 2025.
What was the problem?
When Steam introduced age verification in Australia in September, the only option it provided was to add a credit card to your account.
That proved to be a controversial decision, because many Australian adults don’t hold a credit card. Debit cards couldn’t be accepted, Valve said, because they didn’t meet the codes’ requirements.
As a result, unverified users suddenly found R18+ titles hidden from the Steam store.
A brief, personal anecdote: Your humble reporter’s Steam account will be 22 years old in about a week from now and has never prompted me to verify my age. This may mean that some version of the account age verification was already in place.
Of course, by not asking me to verify my age, Valve has called me old, and I don’t know how I feel about that.
What has changed?
As well as the new automatic option, Valve’s support page now says each account only needs to be verified once. The earlier version of the page tied verified status to keeping a working credit card on file.
Credit card verification remains available, and Valve says no purchase is required to use it. Once verified, users can switch on mature content in their Mature Content Preferences settings. Games already purchased remain playable for unverified users.
The automatic option has conditions, however. An account created before November 2017 may qualify, but users who have changed their email or billing details could still miss out.
Is this the final fix for Steam age verification?
Valve has acknowledged that not every Australian will be able to verify their age using its current options. The company said it was looking at other ways to comply with the rules while also ‘limiting the data we collect and store from users’.
Other platforms have taken different approaches. Some storefronts offer ID or face scans through age assurance provider Yoti. The Microsoft Store can verify users via their email account through VerifyMy, the same provider YouTube uses. PlayStation and Xbox have also introduced age verification on their Australian storefronts.
For younger adults, those who have changed their details, or anyone without a credit card, the wait for a more flexible option on Steam continues.
