Valve Addresses PayPal's Restrictions on Steam - Key Points Explained
In July 2025, a significant change was implemented on Steam, the world's largest PC gaming platform, as PayPal stopped supporting certain currencies due to their acquiring bank terminating processing of transactions related to Steam. This change affected purchases made with PayPal in numerous currencies, excluding Euros, Canadian Dollars, British Pounds, Japanese Yen, Australian Dollars, and U.S. Dollars.
The decision by PayPal's acquiring bank was reportedly due to concerns related to content on Steam, which is linked to ongoing disputes involving payment processors like Mastercard regarding "sexual and 'offensive'" content on the platform. Valve, the company that owns Steam, confirmed this, describing the banking decision as related to content on Steam, similar to previous payment controversies surrounding censorship of adult or sensitive games.
The affected currencies include many from countries worldwide, such as Poland’s złoty and Brazilian Real, causing millions of users to lose PayPal as a payment method on Steam. In response, Valve is evaluating additional payment methods on Steam for the customers affected by this change and advises users to use one of the other current payment methods during checkout.
For those who can't use any of the available options, Steam Wallet codes can be used to add funds to the account. If you attempt to buy a game with PayPal using a currency other than EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, AUD, or USD, PayPal will no longer be available.
Valve has not offered any other words regarding the PayPal situation, but an explanation from SteamDB's social media account confirmed the change as the cause of the recent censorship. A new clause in the Steamworks Documentation onboarding documents added a provision for what shouldn't be published on Steam: "Content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam's payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers."
It's important to note that the PayPal limitations do not appear to be related to the recent NSFW game censorship controversy on Steam. Australia and the UK haven't been removed from PayPal's services, suggesting that this is also unlikely to be due to new age verification laws arriving in certain countries.
Some users are experiencing similar issues in countries where PayPal has not been available for a long time, like Malaysia. In the meantime, users are advised to explore alternative payment methods during checkout. For those who can't use any of the available options, Steam Wallet codes can be used to add funds to the account.
Valve hopes to restore PayPal support for the affected currencies in the future, but the timeline for this is uncertain. This issue appears to be part of a broader trend of payment providers shutting down or restricting services related to content concerns on Steam and similar platforms.
- Microsoft's Edge browser, being a popular web browser on PCs, has been suggested as an alternative payment method on Steam for users who have lost PayPal support.
- As a response to PayPal's restrictions, Microsoft's Xbox gaming platform, known for its extensive library of games, might see increased use as a method of purchasing games on Steam for those affected by the change.
- In the realm of technology and gadgets, the emergence of new payment solutions for gaming platforms like Steam could potentially disrupt the status quo, with solutions such as mobile wallets and cryptocurrencies becoming more prevalent.
- The ongoing controversy surrounding content on Steam has sparked debates among technophiles and gamers alike, with many questioning the role of payment providers and the impact of their decisions on freedom of expression in the gaming industry, similar to discussions about content moderation on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
