Valve ends physical Steam gift cards amid widespread scams

Valve announced on a Steam support page that it will stop selling physical Steam gift cards. The company said it will cease restocking the cards this year; when retailers run out of stock in 2026, the physical cards will no longer be available. Valve first began offering physical gift cards in 2012.

The move responds to a surge in scams that rely on those cards. Scammers contact victims by call, text, email or social media, pose as officials or acquaintances, demand urgent payment and instruct the victim to buy a gift card and share its number and PIN. Targets are often elderly or otherwise vulnerable, and the problem has drawn a government response.

Valve says it has tried a range of protections — working with retailers and law enforcement, changing card designs, limiting availability and removing suspicious cards — but scammers have adapted. Because those measures have not stopped the fraud, the company opted to retire the physical cards.

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