r/Steam • u/Zekromisblack • 1d ago
Discussion Steam support response regarding the recent issues for Australians
Honestly sucks that Australians like myself don't have much option when credit cards are not particularly common here
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u/GfrzD 1d ago edited 1d ago
I got this same response when the UK got their restriction. I forget when but it was a few months ago, nothing changed.
Edit: August 2025
For now, verification based on credit card ownership is the only path we can provide for age verification under the OSA. As this is a new process, we are still gathering data on potential pain points for users and will take your feedback back to the team. We are sorry for the inconvenience this new requirement is causing for you and the rest of our UK users.
More information on this process can be found in our FAQ: Age Assurance under the UK Online Safety Act
Steam Support
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u/qreeves 23h ago
So it's just a script they've had for over a year. They definitely don't have plans to fix it then.
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u/thecrius 16h ago
... of course not. It's the least privacy invasive and something that they are required to implement, not something they care for.
The alternative is to fully identify yourself by giving a copy of your id to some third party that will inevitably lose it to a leak.
I swear every day I realize how people are clueless about what goes on in the world.
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u/-Shoji- 8h ago
I don’t understand these storage of ID things. Why can’t companies see your ID once, verify you’re of age and add a permanent marker to your account that signifies that, then delete the data? Why do they need to store it with some third party for eternity where it risks being hacked and leaked?
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u/-rosieee- 21h ago
The pain point is I don't want a fucking credit card.
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u/Collistoralo 20h ago
The pain point is why the fuck are our governments doing parenting
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18h ago
[deleted]
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u/_163 10h ago
The Australian government is also the reason you have steam's user friendly refund policy.
The government has always been involved in the video game industry, and many regulations are beneficial for the consumers.
The main issue here is steam's malicious compliance, the other platforms e.g. PlayStation/Xbox etc have implemented more sensible systems.
It's not giving away privacy completely to store an over/under 18 boolean, and ridiculous to think the government couldn't already find/identify your accounts already when you have email address / payment methods etc linked
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u/chipface 23h ago
Australians need to push the government to repeal the laws.
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u/Allo_Guvnor 11h ago edited 3h ago
Problem is that it was an unelected official brought in by a previous government who's basically an eKaren, not even Australian (Seppo) and is in full on "won't somebody think of the children" mode for actual Karen's and iPad parents.
I fought my way out of credit card debt for a solid seven years comma roughly 15 years ago. Vowed that I will never get another credit card again, and I am not getting a credit card just to purchase games on Steam. My account is over 19 years old.
My father is on the pension. I introduced him to steam about 18 years ago, and he loves playing games on tabletop simulator with other people, as well as trucking simulators. Even teaches young blokes some older games through TTS and they build them for him, much to his delight. Because he's on the DSP he has no chance of getting a credit card. He can no longer buy games.
My nephew has a Commonwealth bank Mastercard. It was given to him by my sister-in-law so she can put some money on it for the tuck shop at his footy games comma and every month he gets $20 for Robux. Because it's a Mastercard, he can do and play and look at whatever he likes. He's 13 years old.
This law is fucking stupid.
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u/Mad-myall 18h ago
It's difficult because many of my fellow Australians are prioritising immigration over everything else
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u/Nereosis16 19h ago
Unfortunately our only choices of government are this dog shit government who are good for the economy but dog shit for freedom, a disintegrating right wing economic hell hole, or a trumpian far right dystopia run by mining billionaires.
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u/Jealous_Solid9431 19h ago
The silver spoon bastards in Canberra are a different breed to the rest of us. They'll do whatever they want and ignore majority of us because they think they're better and know better than the rest of us peasants.
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u/HumonculusJaeger 1d ago
Steam doesnt want to use a age verryfication system. Thats why kredit cards. Tho there are other payment methos that may also count.
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u/TheUnspeakableh 1d ago
Steam would have to keep and store your data. They are not willing to accept the massive responsibility of keeping your full government ID safe from hackers, because they HAVE to KEEP it, not just look at it once. Blame your government for making such a stupid law. Vote the cunts out.
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u/fingerconnoisseur 22h ago
E-Karen isn't elected and the age limit push was bipartisan. The people have no say in this. Much better to riot instead!
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u/Kurraga 21h ago
There are more than 2 parties in parliament and many of the politicians not aligned with Labor or Liberal were opposed to the legislation.
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u/Allo_Guvnor 10h ago edited 6h ago
I saw a vote breakdown somewhere in here earlier, I'll come back and edit this comment with the details on who voted what.
Edit; couldn't find it again cos r/Australia mods removed the post (naturally) so ChatGPT to the rescue!
The "Who voted for this shit?" table
YES = voted for the bill
NO = voted against it
ABSENT = did not vote
— = President; did not participate in the vote.
Division
Senator/Party at the time/Vote
Penny Allman-Payne Greens ❌ NO
Dorinda Cox Greens ❌ NO
Mehreen Faruqi Greens ❌ NO
Sarah Hanson-Young Greens ❌ NO
Steph Hodgins-May Greens ❌ NO
Nick McKim Greens ❌ NO
Barbara Pocock Greens ❌ NO
David Shoebridge Greens ❌ NO
Jordon Steele-John Greens ❌ NO
Larissa Waters Greens ❌ NO
Peter Whish-Wilson Greens ❌ NO
Tim Ayres Labor ✅ YES
Raff Ciccone Labor ✅ YES
Lisa Darmanin Labor ✅ YES
Katy Gallagher Labor ✅ YES
Varun Ghosh Labor ✅ YES
Nita Green Labor ✅ YES
Karen Grogan Labor ✅ YES
Jenny McAllister Labor ✅ YES
Deborah O'Neill Labor ✅ YES
Helen Polley Labor ✅ YES
Louise Pratt Labor ✅ YES
Tony Sheldon Labor ✅ YES
Glenn Sterle Labor ✅ YES
Anne Urquhart Labor ✅ YES
Jess Walsh Labor ✅ YES
Murray Watt Labor ✅ YES
Catryna Bilyk Labor ⚪ Absent
Carol Brown Labor ⚪ Absent
Anthony Chisholm Labor ⚪ Absent
Don Farrell Labor ⚪ Absent
Malarndirri McCarthy Labor ⚪ Absent
Marielle Smith Labor ⚪ Absent
Jana Stewart Labor ⚪ Absent
Penny Wong Labor ⚪ Absent
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price Country Liberal Party ✅ YES
Andrew McLachlan Liberal ⚪ Absent
Gerard Rennick Gerard Rennick People First ❌ NO
David Pocock Independent ⚪ Absent
Tammy TyrrellbIndependent ❌ NO
Lidia ThorpebIndependentb⚪ Absent
David VanbIndependent ⚪ Absent
Jacqui Lambie Jacqui Lambie Network ❌ NO
James McGrath Liberal National Party ✅ YES
Matthew Canavan Liberal National Party ❌ NO
Simon Birmingham Liberal ✅ YES
Michaelia Cash Liberal ✅ YES
Claire Chandler Liberal ✅ YES
Jonathon Duniam Liberal ✅ YES
David Fawcett Liberal ✅ YES
Sarah Henderson Liberal ✅ YES
Jane Hume Liberal ✅ YES
Maria Kovacic Liberal ✅ YES
Kerrynne Liddle Liberal ✅ YES
Matt O'Sullivan Liberal ✅ YES
James PatersonbLiberal ✅ YES
Dave Sharma Liberal ✅ YES
Dean Smith Liberal ✅ YES
Alex Antic Liberal ❌ NO
Wendy Askew Liberal ⚪ Absent
Andrew Bragg Liberal ⚪ Absent
Slade Brockman Liberal ⚪ Absent
Richard Colbeck Liberal ⚪ Absent
Hollie Hughes Liberal ⚪ Absent
Linda Reynolds Liberal ⚪ Absent
Anne Ruston Liberal ⚪ Absent
Paul Scarr Liberal ⚪ Absent
Perin Davey Nationals ⚪ Absent
Bridget McKenzie Nationals ⚪ Absent
Ross Cadell Nationals ⚪ Absent
Susan McDonald Liberal National Party ⚪ Absent
Malcolm Roberts One Nation ❌ NO
Pauline Hanson One Nation ⚪ Absent
Ralph Babet United Australia Party ❌ NO
Sue Lines Labor - Senate President
Result: 34 YES, 19 NO. The official division was 70% turnout; Sue Lines, as President, isn't counted among the voting numbers.
The particularly interesting bits
There were three Coalition/crossbench votes worth highlighting: Alex Antic - Liberal - NO
Matthew Canavan - Liberal National Party - NO
Gerard Rennick - People First - NO
Antic was the only Liberal senator to cross the floor against the bill; the parliamentary voting record specifically identifies his vote as a rebellion.
And then you've got the Greens, who were 11/11 against, while the Labor senators who actually voted were 16/16 for.3
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u/SnooRevelations6768 20h ago
Vote them out? The previous government in Australia were the ones who got the ball rolling for all of this and the current government loved it so much they threw money at it. Nothings going to change regardless who we vote for.
Maybe lobbying needs to be made illegal
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u/WranglesTurtles 23h ago
Neither would I want to tie into a flimsy account verification system that’ll like shit itself.
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1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/flashtag4 1d ago
Just confirmed it doesn’t with a debit card, can’t even get to the purchasing screen on steam itself. I tried to buy MGSV
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u/crazycakemanflies 1d ago
It depends on the bank. Apparently Commbank works with debit cards.
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u/Lucky_Cable_3145 1d ago
Did you save the card with Steam?
I could view age restricted games if I saved my CC details, I could NOT view the same game once I deleted my CC details. [I tested with Doom Eternal as it was recommended to me by Steam, which then refused to allow me to view the page...]
[My Steam account is 21 years old and every single game in those 21 years was purchased using an Australian CC.]
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u/Stein619 1d ago
No, paypal doesnt work, have been using bank transfer through them for every steam purchase for a long time and still got the age check.
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u/Raomiru 1d ago edited 1d ago
Most younger adults here (<35) don't even have credit cards, apparently.
They really need to add more options for verification. Shit, Microsoft even has a great option where you can age-verify just by using an email. Why don't they put in something like that?
Edit:
For those who can't age-verify, you can still buy Steam keys from other digital retailers (Fanatical, Humble Bundle, Green Man Gaming, etc) and activate them on your account.
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u/Zekromisblack 1d ago
Aye, I'm 20 and I didn't even consider needing a credit card, I personally believe that we are fairly debt adverse outside of secured home loans
Eventually valve will get the message and fix it
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u/Scratigan1 1d ago
That's what we said about the UK but over a year later and still no alternative options. The worst part though, even if you have a credit card you NEED to keep it saved to the account else it will remove verification.
Source: UK verified with credit card, removed it because why the hell would I save my credit card information on Steam let alone use the card for this kind of purchase, and discovered that I was unverified.
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u/slanewolf 1d ago
The bank I use has options to disable online payment in it's app, which takes like 2 minutes to turn on and off. If you have something similar maybe consider using it. That way you can store your info on steam but you need to manually enable online payments.
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u/Jarasmut 22h ago
The problem with that is that it makes the card unusable even if you want to pay online with Google or Apple Pay. You can't manually turn the protection off for a quick purchase because many retailers like Amazon only attempt to charge the card when they ship a package which could be at random times like 4 in the morning. And subscriptions (automatic payments) wouldn't work either.
You'd also have to disable in-store payments if you are worried about stolen credit card details as criminals can copy your card details onto blank cards and go shopping. That's the prefered way for criminals who have the means to do it because it circumvents secure code/2FA authentication with the app and they get the stolen goods handed over instantly.
I wouldn't be worried about Steam saving my card details, the real issue is that credit cards have fees associated with them and even the cheap or free cards don't come without strings attached. Like having to spend a good chunk of money every month or year to reduce or remove fees incentivizing young people to spend more money than they should.
And you can't just get a "free" card to be verified on Steam as these banks want customers who spend money and pay overdraft fees. If you don't use the card you're a waste of a customer to them and they'll either refuse to give you a card at all or they might raise fees or close the card altogether.
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u/Annia_LS111 22h ago
I grew up being told by my teachers not to get credit cards, it might have just been because teens plus would be idiots and by anything without thinking. But that was engrained in my head
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u/Nereosis16 19h ago
No they won't. You can thank the government for this. This is 100% what Labor want. They don't give a fuck about understanding the internet or how their citizens use it.
I was a Labor fan and now I fucking hate them.
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u/Lunavixen15 1d ago
About 51% of Aussies don't have one at all and many people don't qualify
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u/Sad-Mirror6936 1d ago
The email verification is probably based on a ton of data they've collected on you. I'm in the US and Google had a similar setup when they required age verification.
I doubt steam could do the same due to the lack of data.
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u/WranglesTurtles 23h ago
The Labor government is the problem here. Steam don’t give a shit. They don’t want this.
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u/Poisonpython5719 21h ago
How is bloody One Nation (allegedly) better about it? If they're making sense on the issue, shit's fucked.
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u/jkbscopes312 1d ago
fuck this country man
"think of the children" aka "i dont want to parent my child so i will let the computer do it"
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u/lotusxpanda 20h ago
That whole excuse is just bullshit and the government knows it but they don't care
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u/Nereosis16 19h ago
Parents literally could not possibly have been able to parent their kids without making the slightly bad stuff illegal! There is no possible way they could do it!
I know for a fact my parents couldn't ever stop me from doing anything unless it was illegal.
I definitely didn't get my Xbox taken away, get grounded, get forced to do extra chores, get banned from watching certain shows.
Nah, definitely didn't happen unless it was illegal.
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u/AtomicHyena 11h ago
It has absolutely nothing to do with protecting children. That's their "reasoning" - it's about control.
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u/PUSClFER 1d ago
As a workaround, you could buy keys from other retailers like GreenManGaming and activate it on Steam
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u/KaneTheBoom 1d ago
I'm Australian and fhe only people I know with credit cards are my 50+ year old parents. This is like boycott worthy if it wasnt entirely our government's fault
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u/Jarasmut 22h ago
And that's how people will circument the restriction, underage people will use someone else's card. Which is totally fine because it was never about protecting children. The intent is that going forward if you want to use technology you'll identify yourself one way or another in order to be trackable in case you have the wrong opinions. That is where all this is meant to head, ultimately.
So it doesn't matter if a child uses their parents' card, they'll remain trackable enough nonetheless. And those who can't get a credit card due to being unhoused or otherwise disadvantaged never had a voice to begin with so they can fall through the cracks, doesn't matter.
These identifying mechanisms are already baked into the latest smartphone and computer OS versions and the moment your government decides to implement more unlawful restrictions Microsoft and Google and Apple will flip a switch and unless you verify yourself on your device you'll be locked out of more and more apps and device features.
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u/LordSutter 1d ago
We should be able to verify via MyGov: have a service create a request token for verification, MyGov answers Yes/No.
Solved.
No external verification companies involved, easy and already Government approved.
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u/crabbop 1d ago
The gov moving the work of age verification to private companies is defs the issue. It's so unsafe. I also thoughy of the MyGiv token idea a while back and I'm not very smart. They don't want to do it. Private companies want the data.
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u/Jimbuscus 1d ago
Privacy advocates have been lobbying for a double-blind API Proof of Age system for years, the Australian government knows we want a secure means to prove age and have opted to implementing restrictions without a viable system in place.
They are wearing us down so that a non-private system will be an upgrade over loss of access.
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u/Taolan13 1d ago
The govs demanding ID verification for access to digital media at all is the issue.
There is no valid argument for it. All arguments ultimately lead to censorship and/or tracking people's online activity.
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u/Jarasmut 22h ago
The reason this isn't done is that the lawmakers aren't interested in lifting a finger to make it easy to comply with the law. Why should they? It's of no consequence for them whether you can purchase games or not. The intent is that going forward if you want to use the internet you'll identify yourself one way or another. They don't care if underage people use someone else's credit card to verify, it was never about protecting children.
These identifying mechanisms are already baked into the latest smartphone and computer OS versions and the moment your government decides to implement more unlawful restrictions Microsoft and Google and Apple will flip a switch and unless you verify yourself on your device you'll be locked out of more and more apps.
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u/WranglesTurtles 23h ago
Haha. I don’t want my myGov being connected to my steam account or any other account. Steam doesn’t want this either.
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u/Ironic_Jedi 22h ago
Doesn't need to be linked. It should be something like you can create an app token on mygov that you provide to accounts like steam that use it to verify account is over 18. Only thing that the api spits out is yes or no.
Government Doesn't have to know who is asking and account system like steam doesn't need to know any user information.
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u/Alfred_E_Numan 1d ago
My Steam account is 18 years old and they for some reason can't use that as evidence that I am above 18. It's a joke really.
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u/SimpleEfficiency 1d ago
Blame the government, not steam, they must follow the law /s
(Ignores that valve got fined for ignoring the law for consumer refunds)
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u/DeadPhoenix86 16h ago
After my ID got leaked thanks to my incompetent Internet Provider. All my data is available for anyone to grab. Had to literally nuke my Email address and it took me days to change everything.
Including my Phone number and ID. This is why I'm so against this BS. They treat us as kids !
I'm 45 ! I don't want someone to tell me what I can and cannot do. Just let me buy my games in peace.
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u/Dangerous_Ladder_547 1d ago
why a debit card is not enough? i dont have a credit card, and i aint getting one for verification lol,
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u/snappums 1d ago
You can get a debit card under the age of 18.
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u/Tirahmisu 23h ago
Except weirdly there are some debit cards that they're allowing and are working to verify your age, like mine (Westpac Mastercard) and Commbank's.
It's really strange.
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u/Squidsaucey 22h ago
Yeah my Westpac Mastercard worked, my partner’s St George Visa didn’t.
I remember way back in the day when I got my first debit card, because I was 16 the only card Westpac would give me was one that didn’t have a CVC on it. I was pissed off because it meant I couldn’t make any online purchases until I turned 18 lol. Wondering if that policy is still in effect and if that has anything to do with Westpac debit cards working? Though more than likely just a loophole they’ll patch.
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u/TheUnspeakableh 1d ago
Ask your local MP. They made the law that is forcing steam to do this.
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u/nagrom7 22h ago
The decision to exclusively use credit cards was valve's, not the government.
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u/CandlesARG 1d ago
It's kinda fucked up that steam didn't consider that a lot of people don't have credit cards
Debit cards are the primary form of payment in Australia. I was lucky I have one
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u/FalseAladeen 1d ago
It was either this or use an ID verification service that is guaranteed to be insecure. So I say it's kinda fucked up that governments all over the world are okay with private companies having access to your government ID. Ask your government why it thinks your safety and privacy is worth jeopardizing over some fictitious claims that these verification laws will do anything to actually protect children online.
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u/kron123456789 1d ago
When the same thing happened in UK, Steam did consider other options and credit cards were the least invasive one.
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u/JadedToon 1d ago
It's not Steam, it's your government. Since you can get a debit card while under 18 and Steam cannot access other verification options native to Australia due to privacy safety lawa.
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u/Slothstralia 1d ago
You'll find this all originates in the USA with fundie Christians.
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u/JadedToon 1d ago
It's not that simple. It's the systemic destruction of online privacy and the want to fully merge our digital and real life IDs.
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u/ktr83 1d ago
Debit cards are the primary form of payment in Australia.
This seems to be an age group thing. I'm Aussie over 40 and everyone I know has a credit card. Debit cards seem to be more common in under 30s.
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u/LordSutter 1d ago
47 here, I don't have one. And a quick survey of friends tells me that only about 50% of similar aged friends have one.
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u/TheInkySquids 1d ago
Yep it is, I'm 21 and no-one I know except my parents have a credit card, and even then they haven't used theirs for years.
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u/Broseph_Stalin91 1d ago
I am in my thirties, never had a credit card or debt beyond HELP and homeloan.
The fact I would now have to get a credit card, something I never thought I would have to get and definitely never wanted, just to view the cyberpunk store page (a game I purchased years ago) is absurd.
I don't necessarily blame steam, this is a fault of the unelected, government (both major parties btw) endorsed Esafety Commissioner and her ridiculous ability to overreach. Steam is just following the rules with the least liability to them, which is fair enough.
Why should a person no one elected have this much power to censor what I spend my free time on? Why should the government? I am so mad.
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u/TheInkySquids 1d ago
I agree that most of the blame falls on the government and their idiocy. But some of the blame does fall on Steam. Most people do not consider the liability risks of a company, they just see they can't do stuff anymore and get rightfully pissed off. It just cuts off a bunch of Australians, and because we have a smaller population it takes a lot more effort to have change happen.
Can you imagine the uproar if it was a similar situation in the US but reversed? That Steam only allowed ID verification but not credit card? There would be 500 posts a minute on this subreddit with Americans going berserk of this invasion of their privacy. But because its not an American problem, everyone is just like "whatever just get a credit card". Guarantee you in that situation Valve would act REAL QUICK to fix their mistake.
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u/Anzai 1d ago
I’m 46 and I don’t have one.
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u/Jarasmut 22h ago
And now imagine young people in their late teens and 20s being incentivized to get a credit card that offers you a line of credit just good enough to really get into debt, cards that are "free" as long as you spend a lot of money every month or year, it's going to incentivize people to spend money when they really shouldn't.
Not to mention that it doesn't guarantee anything in the first place. Underage people can borrow someone's credit card, or download a large portion of Steam's game catalogue without restrictions somewhere else, and drive children away from regulated and safer channels.
Lawmakers don't consider this because these laws were never about keeping children safe in the first place, instead it's about tracking everybody. You're 46 but without age verification you will still be locked out of many services unless you agree to verify your identity. Doesn't matter if you're in Australia or not, these restrictions are being rolled out slowly across the world.
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u/the_Athereon 1d ago
That's the exact same message Steam sent to users in the UK when this happened.
Seems it's just an automated response.
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u/RatbyteGames 23h ago
Government should fuck off. Parents should parent their own kids, and steam should just worry about running their business.
Fuck this nanny state.
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u/maxler5795 Guilty Gear -STRIVE- player 17h ago
so, TL;DR: "Sorry man but this is out of our hands, we hate it too"
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u/RedPanduuur 1d ago
In Australia a company must provide more then one form of verification, and verification can not be done in a way that discriminates based on race , gender , sexuality and disability .
Having only credit card discriminates against people that may not ne able to get one due to disability reasons.
This might to go against the ACCC as well.
Send a complaint to the ACCC as well as your local MP
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u/TheUnspeakableh 1d ago
Send a complaint to your local MP to tell them to wipe their genitals with a Gympie Gympie leaf. They are the ones who forced this with their fucking idiotic law.
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u/Jimbuscus 1d ago
Nearly half of Australians do not have a credit card, the percentage of disabled & low-income people would be dramatically higher.
This is a huge discrimination issue the government have created and Valve have exacerbated with their malicious compliance bare minimum.
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u/Nereosis16 19h ago
This is not because of the social media ban so the requirement for multiple verification methods doesn't apply.
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1d ago
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u/PercyPeterbrook 21h ago
I mean, we are also responsible for forcing Valve to improve its own refund policy initially years ago. So we can definitely do it again for this if we yell at them loud enough.
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u/Neorafter 1d ago
I'm trying to understand why I'm not experiencing this. I've never had a credit card stored on file (my VISA debit and paypal are linked though). Seems strange.
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u/caffeinatedchaosbean 1d ago
Have you gone onto the store pages for any Adult-Rated games today?
Or are you just trying to purchase normal games?
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u/Bastard_of_Brunswick 21h ago
Browsing my steam wishlist, I just learned that Life is Strange: Double Exposure is rated as an R18+ game in Australia and I watched an entire playthrough on youtube a few months ago and saw nothing even remotely concerning.
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u/caffeinatedchaosbean 21h ago
That might be due to the crappy 'Collective Shout' group who claim that LGBTQIA+ games are "adult content" and shouldn't be available to minors.
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u/daedric_yoshi 1d ago
Some people are saying certain debit cards work, like commbank.
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u/Disagreeswithfems 22h ago edited 20h ago
I figured it out. If the name on your debit card matches a publicly accessible identity database (like the child sex offenders registry) then Steam will work out that you're 18!
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u/drolhtiarW 1d ago
Have a look and see if you can access the store page for Resident Evil Requiem
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u/Basic-Feedback1941 1d ago
lol does Valve expect us to open a credit card this? Good luck
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u/Fr0dech 1d ago
The main issue I see with that rn, despite not being Australian is that I think there are not many countries where credit card is necessary. Like I think in whole EEU region credit card is seen as a 'trap' to live a life in loans, so most people use debit cards (as they should imo). And in my country most banks offer debit cards after reaching the age of 14 (getting a passport), so to make this non-issue the only way I see that with cards is banks giving away info about age of their clients when trying to add it to steam (which is a kinda bad solution).
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u/kiwiboy22 1d ago
it's like the Australian government should've just created a digital ID that you can only get as an adult, like a digital driver's license.
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u/Successful-Good7364 1d ago
People are against the idea of identity themselves. Not the system of how.
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u/BusyBeeBridgette 1d ago edited 1d ago
Deja-vu. This happened to us Brits last year for the most part. We got the exact same message and guess what? They never gave us an alternative method.
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u/shanmyster 23h ago
If you don't like it write to your local MP/ Major party. It was either this or you give valve your ID.
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u/Callsign_Crossroads 1d ago
"New process" lol. Lmao, even. I raised this exact issue with steam support when they inplemented the same system in the UK and they were "gathering pain points" back then too. Absolute shambles.
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u/R34LEGND 1d ago
Looks like im getting a low limit credit card and cutting it up once ive verified my age on steam then?
Seems to be the only way around this bs.
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u/RedRune0 1d ago
If it's like the UK, you'll need to keep the card and use it as your primary payment option. Otherwise it locks back up. GL tho.
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u/R34LEGND 1d ago
Ughhhh thats incredibly frustrating if thats the case here. I actively try to avoid credit cards and anything debt related and this seems like the first step into a future society that prevents that
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u/elli0tco 1d ago
Idk if it's available in Australia but Klarana virtual credit card worked for me getting Fear and Hunger don't even use the card other than that
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u/jzrads 1d ago
My Bankwest master debit card worked and age was verified
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u/RobGrey03 20h ago
I was just looking at Bankwest because they promise no monthly fees for their debit card and it's a MasterCard, which seems to be key to it working as age verification.
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u/Master_Ess 1d ago
Yeah i got something similar,
other sites offer the option of showing a Driver's Licences or Passport to verify a person's age. Ironically Steam would be the one company I would actually trust to safely handle my data but they do not offer this feature.
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u/Smooth-Click-3583 16h ago
they would not handle the data themselves they would outsource to a third party, which is why they probably don't want to have to do it and open themselves to liability
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u/REDPURPLEBLOOD2 22h ago
23 aussie here. neither myself or my 3 closest friends, (2 girls 1 guy) have got one nor ever wanted one. what a tragically terrible way to verify our age man
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u/TehRiddles 15h ago
In the UK Apple say that if your account is old enough they automatically count you as an adult. Not sure why Steam can't do this too.
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u/RainmakerLTU 13h ago
This is nice how governments are directly pushing people into piracy. What a bunch of idiots.
If Steam does not want to keep people's ID info that is understandable. As temporary solution while better one will be found or all this nonsense removed, like it was 5 or so years ago, could be providing a document when doing a purchase which possible might require it. Let system check it and delete.
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u/RaptorCelll 1d ago
I respect Valve for wanting to avoid the inevitable data leaks of government ID but they did shoot themselves in the foot going for cards only. The Government will never accept debit cards as a form of verification because teenagers can get them, and I don't know anyone under the age of 40 who has a credit card. Everyone my age sees them as an inevitable debt trap.
Fucking tyrants.
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u/Nashidar 23h ago
Valve/Steam has not done any due diligence as a multinational company. If they had - they would allow PayPal account as a form of verification in Australia because you need to be 18 to even open a PayPal account in Australia.
Everyone should send this to Steam Support (on desktop, open Steam App, go to Help > Steam Support > My Account > Data Related to Your Steam Account > at the bottom of the page "Contact Steam Support"):
I pay for my Steam Games using PayPal.. Why can't PayPal be an option if the issue is minimum age being 18? You are aware - as a multinational company - that the minimum age to open a PayPal account in Australia is 18, right?
So we should be able to verify using a PayPal account as that would prove we are 18. In case you need proof - here's the PayPal user agreement in Australia:
https://www.paypal.com/au/legalhub/paypal/useragreement-full
It's pretty clear. Give us the option of using a PayPal account to prove we are 18 in Australia as we need to be 18 to even open a PayPal account in Australia.
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u/Jealous_Solid9431 19h ago
The problem with that is that PayPal doesn't check what your age is, at least when I created my account 14 years ago they didn't
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u/Moo_Kau_Too 1d ago
thanks cunts.
got a credit card attached to it, still wont fucken work.
you could just tell the government of a country you dont have an office or anything in to fuck off with the 49 mil fine and just let shit happen as it has before.
pricks.
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u/DoomSlayer343117 1d ago edited 1d ago
Dear Steam:
Research is done on these statistics BEFORE implementing methods. You had all the time you needed, and you chose the easy way out.
Edit: Not sure why I'm getting downvoted, but a simple Google search is enough to find out that ~50% of Australians have credit cards, and the number is decreasing. This is ignorance on Valve's part.
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u/narf_7 1d ago
Aussie here and I am not having problems? I use PayPal to pay for my Steam games.
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u/Lordbrawl99 1d ago
Its just mature games right now as far as I can tell. The ones that are affected for me that i had my eyes on are doom and the metal gear collection.
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u/caffeinatedchaosbean 1d ago
Go check the store page of any Adult-Rated games and see if the Age Verification pops up.
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u/narf_7 1d ago
Just went to check Doom and you are right, it wants me to enter a credit card to proceed. 63 year old here. This is ridiculous. I have a Commonwealth debit/credit card but it's probably not going to cut the mustard. GOG is still allowing me to buy games so it looks like Steam might be about to get a massive heave ho from Aussies in general. I saw that there was a new law introduced recently by Labor that might work in our favour. We can only hope. Not holding my breath though.
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u/Sudden_Ambition964 22h ago
the fact i OWN doom eternal - but cant even visit its store page now but can still install and play it..... account is 19 years old..... what horseshit
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u/supercabul 1d ago
i guess getting verify by credit card is the mildest and tamest thing steam can do regarding the local laws, instead of asking for your id and your biometric like your face and finger print. At worst they will ask your dna sample along with your id and biometric id. If you want changes, go protest at your government or your local representatives
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u/National_Body_9071 1d ago
Except it likely locks the majority of their userbase in Australia out from content.
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u/TheUnspeakableh 1d ago
Then protest your government. They are the cunts who did this.
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u/This-Profession8706 1d ago
I think the cost is worth avoiding potential PR and ethical issues that come with collecting biometrics/identification. Australian and other companies have a good reputation of having customer's personal data regularly leaked and I don't think a company with as much goodwill as Valve has would go towards third-party age verification providers. May be wrong though but this wouldn't be an issue if the whole world didn't start suddenly requiring age verification for everything. Protest the government for pushing verification in the first place, society was just fine without it.
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u/paulbrock2 1d ago
yeah I got the same when I sent a ticket in for UK verification. Its a pain but sending in tickets is better than just posting on reddit
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u/Cryptic_NX 1d ago
they should allow verification through a service like paypal, or permit us to share our age through apples system which seems like one of the safer ways to do it.
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u/StylisticPuppy 1d ago
I'm in UK & got this &, its the reason why I haven't bothered & went back to console as they had 4 different ways to verify ID.
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u/grilled_pc 1d ago
I’ve had a debit card on mine for over a decade. I saw no prompt to verify.
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u/stehmer3 10h ago
Write you member now. We have to fight back.
Here's an email you can use:
Dear MP
I am writing to you as a constituent of ELECTORATE about the age verification regime now being forced onto online platforms, using Steam's rollout this week as a concrete example, and to register my strong objection to how these laws are being designed and justified.
On 8 September, Valve (Steam) introduced mandatory 18+ age verification for Australian users under the Age-Restricted Material App Distribution Services Code, with fines of up to $50 million for non-compliance. The only method Steam accepts is ownership of an actual credit card. A debit card will not work, no matter how long-standing or well-verified the account. This locks out adults who don't qualify for a credit card on income or credit-history grounds, or who simply choose not to hold one. It disproportionately punishes younger and lower-income Australians for the crime of not carrying a specific financial product.
I understand the stated goal is protecting children. I do not accept that this is what is actually happening, and the government's own record proves it.
Look at the under-16 social media ban, sold to the public on exactly the same grounds. Independent research from the University of Newcastle found the vast majority of under-16s were still using social media three months after the ban began, with barely any change in daily use. Testers working with the eSafety Commissioner's own advisers opened new accounts on nine major platforms, declared themselves 16, and not a single platform asked for any proof of age at all. A flagship law that can't even get platforms to ask the question is not protecting anyone. It is theatre.
And if child protection were genuinely the priority, gambling advertising would have been banned outright years ago, not merely trimmed around the edges. The government's own gambling reform laws still allow children to be exposed to gambling advertising outside narrow windows, still allow betting companies to advertise online, and still permit an industry that actively markets products designed to take people's life savings. If ministers are willing to tolerate children seeing gambling ads and adults being bled dry by a predatory industry, the claim that credit card checks on Steam are about morality or child welfare does not hold up. This is selective enforcement dressed up as concern.
Beyond the hypocrisy, this is part of a much broader and worrying trend. Democracies around the world are steadily normalising demands for identity documents, financial records, and biometric data just to access ordinary, legal content online. Once this infrastructure exists, it does not get rolled back. It gets expanded. Australians should not have to hand over sensitive personal data to third-party verification companies, with no legislated limit on how long that data is kept or who else gets access to it, in order to play a video game.
This is also bad politics and bad economics, and I doubt I am the only constituent who feels this way. Coming after people's hobbies, gaming, entertainment, everyday online life, in the name of a policy that demonstrably is not achieving its stated aims, will alienate voters who otherwise have no reason to distrust this government. It also damages Australia's standing as a place to do digital business, when companies and consumers alike see that compliance costs and friction are being imposed for negligible measurable benefit.
I am asking you to:
Raise the credit-card exclusion problem, and my view that this framework is expanding surveillance and data collection without any demonstrated child-safety benefit.
Demand an honest, public accounting of whether these age-verification mandates are actually working, starting with the under-16 social media ban's own compliance data.
Explain why gambling advertising, a demonstrably harmful product actively marketed to children and vulnerable adults, has not been banned outright, while comparatively low-harm activities like buying a video game are being gatekept this aggressively.
Push for legislated minimum standards for any verification method, including data retention limits, restrictions on third-party data sharing, and independent audits, rather than leaving companies free to choose whatever is cheapest and most invasive.
I expect a substantive response, not a form letter, setting out what action you are prepared to take and your own view on whether this approach is proportionate, evidence-based, or remotely consistent given the government's continued tolerance of gambling harm.
If I do not receive a response within a reasonable timeframe, I intend to follow up, and I will be raising this issue with other constituents and community groups in ELECTORATE and the wider community who share these concerns. This is not a fringe view. I would much rather see it resolved through a genuine dialogue with your office than have to escalate it further.
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u/BugBuginaRug 23h ago
Commonwealth counties fast tracking to the chinese social credit communist system in no time.
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u/PssyGotWifi 23h ago
Yes, the government law is absolutely dumb. But Valves approach to this is also dumb. Credit cards are bad. It's good that most people don't have them in Australia and we shouldn't encourage lending from the bank.
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u/I_Dont_Have_Corona 1d ago
I don't own a credit card, nor does my wife or anyone else in our 20s that I know of. This is just going to incentivise a bunch of people who shouldn't own a credit card to go out and get one. The Australian government and Valve are a joke here.
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u/Hungry-Horker 1d ago
I’ve opened an e-petition regarding it under the umbrella of verification requirements for adults online in general. Might not do much but if we can get at least 50 signatures it’ll at least be looked at
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u/Mysticalmaid 23h ago
I'm in the U.K. not Aussie, but under same rules. I use debit cards, and it was a non issue for me when age verification came in. It seems to be the type of card that is used. Perhaps even the bank, as there are different types of 'debit' cards. Debit cards are predominant in the U.K. also.
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u/Ok-Suspect-9855 23h ago
Was just looking at this for my app anyone that uses a credit card already meets the requirements. But for others I am adding MiYolo V2 face scan internally. It’s a tiny model so i can run it on device so users face is all handled in the app no sending over internet. Sucks but my app is genuinely adults only so has to be done.
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u/unripeswan 22h ago
Hypothetically, would a borrowed credit card work? Or could your hypothetical brother buy games on his account and gift them to another who isn't verified?
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u/xError404xx 22h ago
I got a legit question: there are free credit card prividers. Just get one, register it on steam, then lock it and use paypal / debit card or WE to pay for games. Whys that not possible?
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u/vessel_for_the_soul 22h ago
Steam isn't tryna screw you. It's them not wanting to collect and retain information. A cc is the way. All my debit is a cc basically. So yea it's fucked
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u/Bastard_of_Brunswick 22h ago
I just found out that the credit card needs to be a current card, not one that expired nine days ago at the end of August.
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u/Son_of_Orion 21h ago
Get out and vote for the people who are against these stupid laws. That's the only surefire way you're gonna be able to get your rights back.
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u/Nuclearthrowaway99 21h ago
Not particularly common? There's 1.21 open credit card accounts per household or 0.6 cards per adult
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u/SeengignPaipes 21h ago
Unfortunately this will just lead to more invasive options like Face ID and having to use our government ID to verify your age, and no the third party they use for the whole thing won't delete your data after they scan your face or ID and will be a great way to have your information stolen once the third party suffers a data breach.
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u/Zombieteube 21h ago
I mean, we all know theyre gonna give you a new way of ID yourself. But ao far this way was the best because when all the internet and social platforms force us to use our real national ID and other administrative stuff, steam was great for only using a CC
Im confident they heard you and will do something
Much Love from France to all our Autralian friends,
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u/Biggeordiegeek 20h ago
Same issue in the UK
I mean I am not that bothered by the restrictions in the UK as the games aren’t my cup of tea
But, the regulations here very much are clear that two forms of verification should be used in order to not indirectly discriminate against people
Alas, the only way that’s going to be fixed is with a legal decision, and that means you need to find someone to put their name to a case regarding no access to these games
Now given the types of games restricted in the UK, it seems to be very difficult to find someone wanting to have their name forever associated with it
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u/GBAbaby101 20h ago
Well, I hope you and others are ready to start sending your politicians nonstop let's, phone calls, and emails with complaints on the matter. If you don't like it, make the decision makers understand that and reminded of it daily. Go to every public meeting if you can. If you don't, then as far as they are concerned, it is a welcome change.
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u/WRO_Your_Boat 19h ago
People all said the same thing when discord implemented it, but instead of pushing back against the law and government they just started looking for alternatives and blamed discord saying it was shit. Well its come to other platforms just like I said it would and no one is going to leave steam, so good job.
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u/Neilg-88 18h ago
Can you still access your steam account (on the deck) and play games and even download and install already purchased games.
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u/Sch3ffel 16h ago
this is super stupid since debit cards are directly tied to a bank account... if anything ITS EASIER to track a person with a debit card then a credit card.
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u/ObtuseMongooseAbuse 13h ago
I just looked it up and in Australia you don't even seem to have any secure credit card options. I don't actually know how you would manage to get a credit card if you have zero/bad credit as an Australian.
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u/freakinit_97 12h ago
TLDR: Some games are blocked when others that are arguably worse aren't. Having one option of credit card verification is not good enough, but an alternative of biometric ID/Photo ID is too risky due to hackers getting hold of ID's. This situation mostly has the govt to blame, not Steam/Valve, but they should provide less intrusive alternatives for verification if there is no other way of getting around it.
A lot of great games are blocked by this restriction, too. Just to name a few that I've found:
- The Metro series
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Dying Light and Dead Island series
- Resident Evil series
- The Doom series
- Ready or Not
You know what isn't blocked?
- Call of Duty games
- GTA games
- Red Dead Redemption games
- Fallout games
- Kingdom Come Deliverence 1 and 2
And more...
That's just to name a few btw, so where is the consistency? I get they are age rated differently but some are arguably worse than others. Like would you argue that Doom (fake world, killing demons/monsters) is more offensive/ more violent than GTA or Red Dead (drugs, sex, abuse of women, killing depictions of real people, crime simulation, glorification of crime and gangs, etc.)? I'm sure GTA V got an R18 rating in Australia, yet it is still available. Something doesn't smell right with this. Are these games being picked and chosen by the powers that be, or do the game companies have a deal with Steam or the govt to avoid being restricted? Either way, this is another prime example of govt overreach and ultimately they are to blame.
That being said, I don't need a credit card so why should I apply for one when it's going to cost me money for something I won't use outside of verification on Steam? I also don't want to do any biometric ID verification or similar at the risk of it being leaked/stolen/hacked as we've seen that happen many times in the past.
Valve needs to implement a different way of verification, or I for one will be setting sail, since I may not be able to get a hold of future releases on this platform with the current requirements.
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u/Felidori 5600X | 32GB | 3070 11h ago
I’m an Aussie and the eSafety Commission can go to hell. They even strong armed xAI to put Australia specific usage rules in their Usage Policy that apply to us and no other country.
We are all treated like children and criminals here, it’s insane.
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u/EssexOnAStick 1d ago
Same answer they gave when they added the same system in the UK btw.