Steam, run by Valve, is now requiring age verification for some users in the UK to view mature-rated store pages and community content. The change ties into the UK Online Safety Act and asks accounts to add a credit card so an age check can confirm they’re at least 18.
Valve will not request passport scans or utilize webcam-based face checks. Instead, the platform will rely on a credit check tied to a card on the account to confirm age. That method utilizes the rule that one must be 18 to hold a credit card in the UK, and therefore, adding a card serves as the verification step.
More on the decision and how it applies to the Steam storefront is covered on the platform’s pages; see the Steam support page for the official guidance and step-by-step instructions for adding a card to an account.
Some players have suggested accounts could be auto-verified if they already show an age over 18, but that has not been confirmed by Valve. The requirement means that users who want to view store pages, forums, or community areas for mature-rated titles will need a credit card attached before the page becomes visible. Ownership of a mature title already on an account may still grant access to related content, but the rules around that are not fully clarified.
