PayPal Vanishes From Steam in Multiple Countries After Bank Stops Processing — Valve Scrambles to Restore Service
Some Steam users can no longer pay with PayPal, and Valve says this is not a temporary bug but a result of issues with payment partners — similar to the earlier problems around Mastercard. In a quote provided to Rock Paper Shotgun, Valve explained the situation and said it’s looking for workarounds.
- What happened to PayPal on Steam and why.
- Which currencies still have PayPal available.
- Valve’s official quotes and suggested alternatives.
- The broader context: payment processors, adult content, and age verification moves.
What changed
PayPal has stopped working for Steam purchases in a number of currencies because, according to Valve, one of PayPal’s acquiring banks stopped processing Steam transactions. It’s not uniform worldwide; many users can still select PayPal during checkout, while others see it missing entirely.
Which currencies still have PayPal
As of early July, the currencies that can still use PayPal on Steam include EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, AUD and USD. So, although big markets keep the option, a lot of people elsewhere will be affected.
Why this happened
Valve tied the change to the kinds of content it offers and to pressure from intermediaries. Specifically, Valve said: “In this case, one of PayPal’s acquiring banks decided to stop processing any Steam transactions, which cut off PayPal on Steam for a number of currencies.” That mirrors past issues where payment companies influenced how platforms handle certain games.
Valve on fixing it
Valve said it hopes to restore PayPal more broadly but gave no timeline. The company added: “We are also evaluating adding additional payment methods on Steam for the customers affected by this.” And, in the meantime, Valve suggested: “In the meantime, please use one of our other current payment methods during checkout. If you can’t use any of the available options, you can consider using a Steam Wallet code to add funds to your account.”
What you can do right now
If PayPal is missing for you, try other payment methods offered at checkout. Alternatively, buy a Steam Wallet code and redeem it to fund purchases. Valve is reportedly looking at more options for affected customers, so the payment lineup may change.
Broader context
Meanwhile, this situation sits alongside Valve’s earlier removal of many adult-oriented games after pressure from payment processors and advocacy groups like Collective Shout. PayPal has also pulled out of parts of Steam despite Valve’s delistings. The result is that platform rules now reference payment-processor policies more directly, and that has ripple effects for storefronts and developers.
Additionally, the increased scrutiny of adult content comes at the same time as pushes for online age verification. For example, there’s reporting on new measures for sites like YouTube:
age verification measures on websites like YouTube
Bottom line
PayPal isn’t gone from Steam for everyone, but it is unavailable in several currencies because an acquiring bank stopped processing Steam transactions. Valve is evaluating alternatives and wants to bring PayPal back more widely, but for now users should try other payment methods or Steam Wallet codes.
