Orders for the Steam Controller finally became available on Steam earlier today, but it became extremely difficult to snag one before it went out of stock due to payment processing errors.
The Steam page for Valve’s latest hardware launch opened up ordering around 1 PM ET. While some were able to pick up a Steam Controller as soon as this happened, others were served the following message after inputting their shipping and payment information: “There seems to have been an error initializing or updating your transaction. Please wait a minute and try again or contact support for assistance.”
Initially, Steam stated that deliveries would be made in 3-5 days, but later expanded that window to 6-10 business days. Eventually, the error message disappeared and was replaced with one stating, “Your order cannot be completed because one or more items in your cart is currently out of stock. Please try again later.” Its Steam page now displays an “Out of Stock” message, and the product can’t be added to your digital cart.
At this time, Valve has not disclosed when it will widely restock the Steam Controller, though some have spotted it momentarily becoming available to purchase again since the initial out-of-stock message and have been able to buy one.
It’s here! Steam Controller has officially arrived. Made for you to play all your games on Steam, however you like to play them.
Buy now on @Steam. https://t.co/rRiQFxLKxA pic.twitter.com/KwBxu69AQU— Valve (@valvesoftware) May 4, 2026
A quick glance at the replies to Valve’s X post about the Steam Controller’s launch shows this was a widespread issue. I was impacted by this too, unable to purchase the controller with pre-added Steam Wallet funds despite trying to buy it right at 1 p.m. and spamming the purchase button for over 30 minutes.
Otherwise, the Steam storefront and launch has operated normally, so it didn’t crash the platform like Hollow Knight: Silksong. This whole debacle does not bode well for the Steam Machine’s inevitable launch, though.
