Valve has implemented a proof-of-age verification system for Australian Steam users, which was required due to new laws in the country forcing online gaming platforms to require users to prove they are over 18 years of age to access games classified R18+. That law actually came into effect way back in March.
However, unlike PlayStation and Xbox (which offer multiple ways to verify you’re over 18), Valve has opted that it will only accept ownership of an actual credit card as sufficient proof of age. Despite some users anecdotally reporting otherwise, it does not appear debit cards are sufficient, and nor is PayPal. It also doesn’t matter if your Steam account is already well over 20 years old.
Without verification, Australian Steam users trying to access the store page of a game rated R18+ will be met by the following message:
“Valve is required by the Age-Restricted Material App Distribution Services Code to verify that you are 18 or older before accessing mature content. If you wish to do so, please add a valid Australian credit card to your account and afterwards update the Mature Content Preferences.”
Of course, not all Australian Steam users over 18 have a credit card, or indeed want a credit card – when there are already a ton of more convenient ways to make purchases online. Unfortunately for Australian Steam users, an active credit card is all Valve is willing to accept, despite other methods of verification being readily available. This active credit card also reportedly needs to remain active on the account, even if you do not want to make purchases with it.
The fact that Valve’s proof-of-age verification “system” has come so late and yet is so unfit for purpose is either arrogance or naivety on the company’s part, considering how significantly credit card ownership in Australia has fallen over the past decade. Today, only around half of Australian consumers even have a credit card, with adoption lowest amongst young adults (only around a quarter of Australian consumers aged 18 to 24 have a credit card). Credit cards are entirely unnecessary to make online purchases in 2026, and Valve should have known better considering its payment option data in Australia ought to have made that more than evident.
IGN has contacted Valve for comment.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.
