You need a credit card to verify your age on Steam in the UK, other payment cards won’t work

In the UK now, you have to verify your age on every app or gaming platform that has even a hint of adult content – Roblox, Spotify, Reddit, you name it. The whole ID plus taking a selfie verification thing was already hated enough, but Steam just made it worse. To access certain games, you actually need a credit card, because debit cards won’t work.

Steam’s flawed age verification in the UK

A lot of people in the UK assumed Steam’s age verification just meant using any kind of payment card, even though Steam’s description does actually say credit card. The mix-up got even worse because some users said they managed to get verified with a debit card. But I tested it myself, and nope, it didn’t work. It only went through when I used a credit card, and that’s what unlocked access to adult games on Steam.

The logic behind it is simple: debit cards can be given to under-18s, but credit cards are strictly 18 and up. That’s why Steam went with credit card verification. The issue is, not everyone in the UK actually owns a credit card, it’s pretty common here to just stick with debit. So telling people they need a credit card to unlock all the content on Steam feels like a really poorly thought-out decision. Maybe Valve figured it’d be the easiest way to handle age checks, but it really isn’t.

The real mystery is how some people say they managed to pass the age check with a debit card. One theory I saw on Reddit is that they might’ve used a credit card on Steam in the past, then again, that’s just speculation. Valve might eventually add another verification system since this one’s far from perfect, but that could take a while.

• Steam
• Valve