As of August 29, Steam users in the UK are required to verify their age on the popular storefront to access pages for games featuring mature content, including themes of a sexual nature and graphic violence. Unlike previous measures from other companies, Steam users who are subject to the UK Online Safety Act only need to add a valid credit card that includes their name and address to be verified by the system.
Mature Game Warning
Steam’s new age-verification policy follows recent changes regarding which games can be sold on its storefront. On July 16, Steam updated its publishing rules to prohibit game content that violates standards set by Steam’s payment processors and global network providers. This adjustment led to the removal of several adult-oriented games from the platform. Another PC storefront, itch.io, implemented similar rules.
UK Steam Users Must Add A Credit Card To Verify Their Age
With other companies like Xbox now introducing age verification measures to comply with the UK Online Safety Act, Steam has also introduced this requirement for its UK-based users. According to Steam’s support page, UK users cannot access store pages that feature mature content or their associated community pages without completing the age verification.
Users can verify their age by adding a credit card on the Account Details page after logging in. Those who already have a credit card on file are not subject to this verification. After entering a credit card, users may also need to provide a one-time password to complete the verification process.
While some countries may only require users to input their birthdate, the age verification for UK users comes ahead of the full enactment of the Online Safety Act in 2026. In contrast, Discord has adopted a stricter policy requiring users to confirm their identity via a photo, which has been bypassed by some users using Death Stranding 2’s photo mode.
Despite protests against Steam and its payment processors growing on social media, the choice to not require a photo ID for age verification has been noted. The long-term effectiveness of Steam’s age-verifying systems remains to be seen.
