Steam has begun requiring Australian users to add an Australian credit card before they can access mature content on the PC storefront, including R18+ game listings. GamingOnLinux reported the rollout on 9 September after seeing Valve's new message, which cites the Age-Restricted Material App Distribution Services Code and directs affected users to add a card before updating their Mature Content Preferences. The change concerns storefront access, not a new game release.
Australian accounts without a qualifying card can be stopped before reaching a mature game's store page. PC Gamer found that a standard bank debit card did not complete the check, while GamingOnLinux found no alternative verification route in Steam's prompt. This does not establish that every debit card will fail, but Valve's wording specifically asks for a valid Australian credit card for this check.
GamingOnLinux also reports that the card must remain linked to the account: removing it returns the account to under-18 status for mature-content settings. Valve has not published a post setting out the rollout's full scope, a timetable for further verification methods, or whether the policy changes access to mature games already owned by an affected user. That matters because the current prompt addresses access to mature content rather than a single purchase.
The change lands as other PC storefronts implement Australian checks. Epic Games Store said its R18+ verification requirement began on 9 September, but lists selfie estimation, a credit card, ID and a forthcoming ConnectID option; it also says the requirement does not change access to games players already own. Steam's currently reported card-based route is a narrower process, and Australian PC players should treat it as a storefront-access requirement rather than a general age-rating notice.
