Valve announced new features for Steam's wishlist and gifting systems today. Users can now create custom categories with no restrictions to better organize wishlisted games, assigning titles to categories when adding them or afterward through the store pages [1, 2, 3, 4]. Wishlist pages were upgraded with faster search including autocomplete, microtrailers for games, and flags indicating demo availability [1, 2, 4]. Notifications about wishlist items can be customized on a per-category basis, and sharing links now open directly to specific categories [1, 2, 3, 4].
The gifting system also received major updates. Steam now allows guest checkout, enabling customers to purchase games without needing a Steam account [1, 2, 3, 4]. Gifts such as games and digital cards can be sent directly to an email address even if it is not linked to a Steam account. If the recipient’s email is associated with a Steam account, the gift email includes a link for signing in and accepting the gift, Valve explained [2, 4].
For friends across regions, Steam supports cross-region gifting with prices automatically adjusted to the recipient’s region at checkout [3, 4]. Gifts expire after 30 days if not accepted and are refunded to the sender [1, 4].
Valve noted, “With so many amazing games on Steam, players are wishlisting more and more titles. Existing options like ranking and filtering are great, but players have asked for even more ways to manage their Steam wishlists. Today we’re adding categorization as well as improved search and sharing to the wishlist,” highlighting user demand [2].
The rollout of these features is live now, giving players new flexibility to organize wishlists and gift games more conveniently.
