Valve Corporation has initiated mandatory age verification for its UK user base, requiring a valid credit card on file to access mature-rated content on its Steam platform. The new policy, which went into effect on Friday, is a direct response to the UK’s Online Safety Act, a new law designed to make online platforms more accountable for user safety, particularly concerning minors. The law’s first key enforcement date for child safety duties came into effect on July 25, 2025.
Under the new regulations, platforms must take steps to prevent children from accessing inappropriate material. To meet this requirement, Valve has chosen a credit card verification system, which differs from other potential methods such as facial scans or photo ID verification. The company stated in its support documentation that this particular method “preserves the maximum degree of user privacy.” It also serves as a deterrent against account sharing, which could be used to circumvent the system.
This approach is rooted in UK banking regulations, which stipulate that credit cards can only be issued to individuals aged 18 and older. By leveraging this existing system, Valve can verify a user’s age without handling their sensitive personal data directly, as the responsibility for age verification is transferred to the financial institution.
The implementation comes amid a broader industry shift toward stricter age-gating measures in the UK. Other platforms, including Discord and Reddit, have faced challenges with their own age verification systems, which have, in some instances, been bypassed. Similarly, Microsoft has also begun rolling out optional age verification protocols for its Xbox services, with plans for them to become mandatory by early 2026 as more provisions of the Online Safety Act come into force.
The policy on Steam establishes a significant precedent. Industry experts suggest this credit-card-based model may be adopted by other gaming companies as similar regulatory frameworks emerge in other countries. The overall move reflects a new era of global regulation for digital platforms, forcing companies to re-evaluate their approaches to content access and user safety.
