Physical Steam gift cards are about to become extinct, due to concerns involving scams. The announcement may disappoint some PC gamers, but there are good reasons behind the decision from Steam.
Steam is the most popular PC gaming platform around, reportedly gaining over 20,000 games just in 2025. Unfortunately, its popularity also means that people can potentially be targeted and scammed, which is something Valve has previously taken steps to try and stop. Now, it’s taking more drastic action to protect consumers.
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Steam Says Goodbye to Physical Gift Cards
Physical Steam gift cards are still available in stores, but not for long, according to Valve. Physical gift cards for the PC game platform were introduced back in 2012, making it a convenient way to ensure that the gamers in one’s life get the games they actually want. However, Valve says that like with many other companies’ gift cards, bad actors have used gift cards to scam others, which Valve has been working to prevent. Valve notes that it’s tried a lot of things already, like working with retailers and law enforcement, adding scam warnings on the cards, limiting where the cards can be used, and so on. However, it hasn’t been enough, and as a result, the company won’t be making any more physical Steam gift cards.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Valve explains that scammers continue to adapt, and that Steam users and “unsuspecting individuals” are still being impacted. As a result, physical Steam gift cards will not be restocked, and Valve expects stock to run out sometime in 2026. While the physical gift cards are going away, digital gift cards will still be available. Additionally, those who already have unredeemed physical Steam gift cards don’t have to panic, as they will still be usable on Steam.
Gift cards are supposed to provide an easy way to ensure that the gift recipient is getting exactly what they want, but they’re often utilized in scams, too. These scams typically involve individuals being contacted by someone claiming to be with law enforcement or other official agencies, who say that the target owes money or is in legal trouble, and that the only way to pay off the debt or avoid prosecution is to purchase a gift card and give the scammer the code. Since gift cards typically can’t be refunded, once the code is transferred, that money is effectively gone forever, and it can be difficult to track. Warnings have often popped up at gift card kiosks and on the cards themselves, stating that federal officials will never ask for payment by way of a gift card, but it seems there are still some who get tricked.
What’s That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
It’s unfortunate that a convenient method of giving gifts on Steam is being discontinued due to scams. However, with digital gift cards still available, most will likely just move to giving those, instead. Generic prepaid gift cards that can be used just about anywhere, like Visa or MasterCard gift cards, will also still be usable on the platform. Those who want to keep a physical Steam gift card as a memento may want to hurry and acquire one soon, though, as supplies will only become more limited as time goes on.
