Valve said it will cease production of physical Steam gift cards and will not restock them once current retail inventory runs out, which is expected by the end of 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The company updated its Steam Support page on June 9 to announce the discontinuation of the physical cards at retail [5].
Physical Steam gift cards were originally launched in 2012, with digital gift cards added in 2017 [1, 4, 5]. Despite numerous anti-scam efforts, Valve said scammers continue to exploit physical gift cards to defraud users worldwide. The company explained, "As we have continued to put more and more restrictions in place, scammers have adapted. They continue to have an impact on Steam customers and other unsuspecting individuals. So we've made the difficult decision to end the Steam Gift Card program at retail stores" [1].
Valve has tried multiple measures to combat the scams, including adding warnings on cards, limiting physical card availability, cooperating with retailers and law enforcement, removing cards from sale in some locations, and restricting redemption by currency [1, 4, 6, 7]. However, scams such as romance fraud and gray-market resales persist, making gift cards a favored payment method due to their difficulty to trace [2, 5]. Typically, scammers instruct victims to buy Steam gift cards and share the codes, which are then resold at a discount to launder money [2, 5]. Valve noted, "Unfortunately, scammers use gift cards from major brands like Steam to take advantage of all people all over the world" [5].
Though physical cards will be phased out in stores, any purchased cards can still be redeemed on Steam [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7]. Valve will continue to offer and develop digital Steam gift cards as an alternative payment option [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
Physical Steam gift cards will remain available for purchase while supplies last until the end of 2026, after which they will be out of stock and no longer sold at retail [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
