Australian Steam users trying to access R18+ games and mature content are encountering a new requirement: prove that they are an adult by adding a valid Australian credit card to their Steam account.
The change arrives as new age-assurance requirements take effect under Australia’s Age-Restricted Material Codes. While the underlying regulation applies more broadly across online services, Valve’s implementation is particularly notable because Steam is currently using a credit card as its method of confirming an Australian user is 18 or older.
What changed on Steam in Australia?
Australian users who want access to mature content are being told that Valve is required by the Age-Restricted Material App Distribution Services Code to verify that they are 18 or older. The prompt directs users to add a valid Australian credit card and then update their Mature Content Preferences.
Reports from users and gaming publications indicate that debit cards are not currently accepted for this verification method. The credit card also needs to remain associated with the account; removing it can cause Steam to stop treating the account as age-verified.
Why is Australia introducing age checks?
The requirement stems from Australia’s Age-Restricted Material Codes under the Online Safety Act. According to the eSafety Commissioner, the codes are designed to reduce children’s exposure to age-inappropriate material including pornography, high-impact violence and self-harm content.
For online gaming, eSafety says users must complete some form of age assurance to access games classified R18+ by the Australian Classification Board. Other games do not require the same age check simply because they are games.
Some provisions have been introduced in stages. Age-assurance requirements affecting app distribution services had to be in place no later than 9 September 2026, making Steam’s Australian rollout particularly timely.
Why a credit card?
The interesting part is not simply that Steam is checking ages. It is how Valve has chosen to do it.
Valve previously explained in relation to its UK implementation that credit-card verification was intended to preserve a high degree of user privacy compared with approaches involving identity documents or facial scans. But the trade-off is obvious: not every adult owns a credit card, particularly younger adults who may rely on debit cards or digital payment services.
Other gaming platforms are taking different approaches
Steam’s credit-card-only approach is not the only way gaming companies can comply with Australia’s rules. PlayStation, for example, says Australian adult accounts can verify their age using a facial scan or identification through verification provider Yoti before adding R18+ games and content to their library.
That difference could become increasingly important. Australians may find themselves completing different forms of age assurance depending on which gaming store or online service they use.
This is separate from Australia’s under-16 social media rules
It is also important not to confuse Steam’s new R18+ checks with Australia’s separate social-media age restrictions. The Steam change relates to the Age-Restricted Material Codes and access to age-restricted content, rather than a blanket rule preventing Australians under 16 from using Steam.
What Australian Steam users need to know
If Steam asks you to verify your age before viewing R18+ or mature content, the restriction is not simply a new preference Valve has added globally. It is part of Steam’s response to Australian online-safety requirements.
The bigger question is whether Valve will eventually offer Australians additional verification choices. A credit card may minimise the amount of sensitive identity information users need to provide, but excluding debit cards and other methods could create unnecessary friction for legitimate adult Steam users.
With Australia’s new age-assurance regime now reaching gaming storefronts, Steam is unlikely to be the last platform where Australians notice a change.
Sources
- Australian eSafety Commissioner — Age-Restricted Material Codes and regulatory guidance
- Steam / Valve age-verification messaging
- PlayStation Australia — Age verification FAQ
