Valve is discontinuing the sale of physical gift cards due to fraud, meaning they can now only be purchased digitally.

Valve has changed the way games are purchased on Steam. The era of physical, prepaid Steam gift cards available in retail stores is coming to an end. The company has decided to stop distributing them because an increasing number of scammers are using Steam cards for various scams to extort money from people. The announcement was posted on the Steam Gift Cards support page. The FAQ explains that the cards are still available in stores but will not be for much longer. If you find and purchase a card, it will continue to work. Valve expects all current in-store stock to be sold by the end of 2026.

This may not be a major concern for many players, but it signals the end of a revenue stream that has existed for over a decade. Those who grew up playing on PCs or consoles over the past two decades know how simple and practical it is to direct someone who wants to give them a gift toward a physical gift card. Of course, digital gift cards aren’t going away, so you can still give those as gifts.

“We introduced Steam Gift Cards in retail stores in 2012 and added the digital program in 2017. Unfortunately, scammers use gift cards from major brands, like Steam, to take advantage of people all over the world. As we have continued to implement more restrictions, the scammers have adapted. They continue to impact Steam customers and other unsuspecting individuals. Therefore, we have made the difficult decision to end the Steam Gift Card program in retail stores. As the cards run out of stock, we will not restock them. We expect retailers to run out of stock by the end of 2026. Although we will no longer sell physical gift cards, you can still use your existing cards on Steam whenever you want, as long as it’s legal. We also continue to offer Steam Digital Gift Cards and are working to improve the experience. Guest checkout, which we added last year, is another way for family members and friends to give Steam users a digital card at any time” reads the Steam FAQ.

Unfortunately, a part of the gift card program is coming to an end simply because Valve is trying to prevent scammers from taking advantage of people. The FAQ page adds that Valve tried several methods to keep the cards in stock at retailers, hoping to curb or prevent scammers from using Steam gift cards. Unfortunately, this effort has proven futile.

Source: WCCFTech, Steam