Valve is bringing Bitcoin to Steam, the world's largest PC game platform. The company sent an announcement to developers and publishers outlining how the payment method will work alongside existing op
Valve is bringing Bitcoin to Steam, the world's largest PC game platform. The company sent an announcement to developers and publishers outlining how the payment method will work alongside existing options.
The system operates through a third-party payment processor. When a customer chooses to pay with Bitcoin, they see the local currency price for their region on the screen, such as £29.99. The processor converts that amount to Bitcoin at the daily exchange rate. Customers send Bitcoin to the processor; the processor sends traditional currency to Valve. At no point does Valve touch Bitcoin or track its value. Developers don't need to set Bitcoin prices or manage cryptocurrency exposure, and the system insulates them from cryptocurrency volatility.
Rumors of Bitcoin support surfaced in February. A leak from the Steam translation project named BitPay as a likely partner. BitPay told MiningPool: "We don't provide comment on Internet rumors." Valve offered no comment on earlier inquiries about the matter.
The actual announcement appeared on the Steamworks developer forum this week. PCGamesN reported it first. We confirmed the post's authenticity through independent sources.
The move addresses friction points in Valve's global marketplace. Australia provides a stark example: Valve doesn't accept the Australian Dollar, forcing customers there to pay up to 25 percent above prices available to customers in other regions. With Bitcoin, an Australian customer could convert their local currency and purchase games at international rates, avoiding the regional markup.
The benefit also extends to Steam's lower-value purchases. In-game items and digital trading cards often sell for less than a dollar, and transaction costs eat into the economics of these small sales. Bitcoin fees are lower, especially for small amounts, which could preserve more revenue for developers in the microtransaction market.
It remains unclear whether Valve will restrict Bitcoin payments to digital goods, as Microsoft did when it added Bitcoin to its store, or whether customers can buy hardware like the Steam Machine and HTC Vive with Bitcoin. The company has provided no guidance on this distinction.
The update arrives with no action required from developers. Steam's pricing stays the same. Customers who want Bitcoin can use it; everyone else continues with their existing payment methods.
![Confirmed By Valve: Bitcoin Coming To Steam [UPDATED]](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fcmnew533%2Fproduction%2Fdb8feb44789dfde31f5548eefcfa6513b986271d-1200x675.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
