Key Highlights:
- Steam now requires UK users to verify their age with a credit card to access mature content.
- The move is tied to the UK’s Online Safety Act, which will be fully enforced in 2026.
- Protests continue online, but Valve insists this method protects user privacy.
Steam has introduced a new age verification system for its UK users that requires a credit card to unlock access to games featuring mature themes, such as graphic violence and sexual content.
The move comes in response to the country’s Online Safety Act, which demands tighter safeguards around adult material online.
Unlike some platforms that rely on photo ID uploads or facial recognition, Valve’s system is relatively straightforward. Users simply add a valid credit card through their account settings, which verifies both age and identity. Valve confirmed the process involves a small £0 authorisation and noted that anyone who already has a credit card stored on their Steam account is automatically verified.
I think it’s important to highlight why Valve went this route. Credit cards in the UK are restricted to people aged 18 or over, so the measure functions as a legal age gate while avoiding the need for sensitive ID scans.
Valve even pointed out that this option provides “the maximum degree of user privacy” compared to other forms of age assurance. For example, Epic Games with their Epic MegaGrants program, which requires applicants to confirm their age without requesting sensitive ID documents. Instead, Epic relies on a combination of self-declaration and optional third-party verification services that prioritise user privacy, reducing the risk of data breaches and misuse. Steam’s method, while not perfect, is less intrusive and harder to trick.
The decision follows changes to Steam’s publishing rules earlier this summer. On July 16th, Valve tightened restrictions to align with the standards set by its payment processors and global partners, which led to certain adult-focused games being removed.
Itch.io later rolled out similar adjustments, sparking frustration among developers and players alike. Some groups have since organised campaigns targeting both Steam and its financial partners, claiming these measures limit creative freedom and consumer choice.
Even GOG gave away 13 adult games for free as a protest against payment-processor-driven censorship
Regulator Ofcom has made it clear that age verification will eventually be required across all platforms hosting adult content, and the full enforcement of the Online Safety Act in 2026 will likely push more companies to follow suit.
Steam’s credit card check is essentially an early compliance measure, but one that has already stirred debate across the United Kingdom gaming community.
Whether this system will hold up long-term is still uncertain. On one hand, it avoids the pitfalls of invasive ID checks, but on the other, critics argue that requiring financial details just to browse mature games places unnecessary barriers on legitimate users.
What’s clear is that Steam is attempting to strike a balance between regulation and privacy, a line that will only grow more important as the Online Safety Act comes into full force.