# Steam’s age verification in Australia now takes your account’s age into consideration

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/steams-age-verification-in-australia-now-takes-your-accounts-age-into-consideration/
- Published: 2026-11-11T01:34:31+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T02:21:49+00:00
- Original publisher: PC Gamer
- Original article: https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/steams-age-verification-in-australia-now-takes-your-accounts-age-into-consideration/
- Topics: Gaming

## Key points

- Steam has added an account age option for Australian users.
- Eligible accounts must be at least nine years old.
- Valve says it is considering further verification methods.

## Summary

Steam has changed its Australian age verification rules, so some users can now access R18+ games without linking a credit card. The change follows criticism of the original system, which prevented people without a linked card from viewing those games.

Steam will now treat an account as age verified if it is at least nine years old and has had a consistent email address or billing information; adding a credit card remains an option. Valve says it is exploring other ways to meet Australian rules while limiting the data it collects and stores. Other platforms use options including identity or face scans, or email account details.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.