Steam UK Blocks Mature Games Without Credit Card

Valve has announced that Steam users in the United Kingdom will now need to link a credit card to their account if they want to access games or pages marked with “mature content.” This move is part of Valve’s compliance with the UK’s Online Safety Act, which enforces stricter age verification for online platforms.

Instead of using selfies or ID scans like Reddit, Discord, and Bluesky, Valve chose credit cards as the main verification tool. According to Valve, this method protects user privacy while ensuring that underage players do not easily bypass age restrictions. Since only people aged 18 and above can own credit cards in the UK, the responsibility for verification shifts to banks instead of Valve itself.

This new rule means that without a credit card, UK Steam users cannot even view community hubs or discussions about mature-rated games. It also comes after reports that other verification methods were easy to bypass using tools like VPNs or photo mode glitches in some platforms.

While this change is only being applied in the UK, it raises questions for Filipino gamers. If stricter rules like this are implemented in the Philippines in the future, many local players may find themselves locked out of certain games since not everyone has access to a credit card. For now, Filipino Steam users are not affected, but the situation in the UK shows how gaming platforms may eventually tighten their systems worldwide.