“Steam started blocking Australian users from viewing or buying 18+ rated games on September 9, 2026, unless they attach a valid credit card to their account. Valve’s rollout affects hundreds of mature-rated titles, including Cyberpunk 2077 and Doom Eternal, and it doesn’t matter whether the account is brand new or fifteen years old with a library full of paid-for adult games. Without a credit card on file, those store pages, search results, and even home-page recommendations simply disappear.”
Old man here. Never had a credit card. Don’t believe in them. Kids have had Spriggy debit visa cards for years and use them to buy Steam games (under some supervision) so it would be working as intended on that side. Doom Eternal, bought with a non-bank adult debit visa is still showing in the family library.
Edit: Ok, confirmed this shit show does appear to be real. We can run purchased games from the family library but can’t view them in the store and a minor bank adult debit visa doesn’t unlock age verification. Another angry parent letter to the office of Anika Wells I guess. Can’t entirely blame Valve when the legislation is half arsed and broken.
Edit 2: As inconvenient as it is choosing only CC verification it might be reasonable choice for Valve. I don’t want to use some dodgy third party verification service and its probably a good thing that isn’t being presented as an option. Most of the blame has to be with the eSafety commissioner, Communications minister and everyone who voted for the legislation.
One of the issues with cc verification is that it blocks people due to the need to meet certain criteria to get a credit card. Another issue is that this will ‘force’ people into getting credit cards, when they may not have ever considered doing so, and credit cards can be very dangerous (not just their sharp edges).
Last I looked there was also a lack of fee free credit credits available these days, at least from anyone ‘decent’ (not the big 4)
I agree re: the 3rd party bollocks, that is a guaranteed no for me.
I won’t be getting a credit card. Hard no. Not ever. My bank knows exactly how old I am. I am ok with an over 18 boolean passing over the merchant transaction. I already have a three way relationship with valve and my bank.
I don’t even have a meta account and can’t see local food menus, community events, kids sports or school info. It has taken over everything even the used market. If I can live with that then no way I am going to cave to some orwellian age verification bullshit just to play a game. I can live without.
Gabe knows piracy is a service problem, not a pricing problem. Valve would be very aware that broken age verification damages their service and what the consequences will be. I am sure if they had a good legal alternative they would have gone with it.
There is always emulation
Social media definitely isn’t something I would ever provide id for
The commbank neo has no fee if you don’t hold a balance month to month
commbank is evil though
Pick your battles, boobies on steam or big bank bad
This isn’t about boobies on steam (even if they say it is)
This effects games that are violent etc
I’m definitely not signing up to one of the big 4 banks so that I can game.
Were I to go down that route I would get a paid credit card, and just see that $59 (or whatever) per year as part of the cost of gaming.
The zombies who use the big 4 banks are the same people who keep voting for the duopoly, or the other right wing trash parties, the same people who got us into this fascist shitopia