Steam's age verification in Australia only accepts credit cards — and that's a problem

Valve has rolled out an age verification system for Australian Steam users, but the implementation has immediately drawn criticism for being needlessly restrictive. Under Australia's Age-Restricted Material App Distribution Services Code, which came into force back in March, online gaming platforms must confirm users are 18 or older before granting access to R18+ content. Valve waited until now to act — and when it did, it landed on the most limiting option possible.

The only accepted proof of age is an active Australian credit card linked to the account. Debit cards don't work. PayPal doesn't work. A Steam account that's been active for two decades doesn't count. Users who try to access an R18+ store page without a verified credit card see a message directing them to add one and then update their Mature Content Preferences. That credit card also reportedly needs to stay on the account permanently, even if the user has no intention of buying anything with it.

The problem is that credit card ownership in Australia has been declining sharply for years. Today, roughly half of Australian consumers have a credit card at all — and among 18-to-24-year-olds, that figure drops to around one in four. That's precisely the age group this law is designed to verify. By contrast, PlayStation and Xbox both offer multiple verification methods, making Valve's single-option approach look especially out of step. Credit cards are simply not how most Australians pay for things online in 2026, and Valve's own payment data from the region should have made that obvious.

IGN has reached out to Valve for comment but had not received a response at time of publication. Until Valve expands its verification options, a significant chunk of adult Australian Steam users will be locked out of R18+ content they're legally entitled to access — not because they're underage, but because they don't own a credit card.