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Steam Age Check Locks Out 65% of Adult Australians [2026] (tech-insider.org)
submitted 1 week ago by to c/australia@aussie.zone
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"Steam started blocking Australian users from viewing or buying 18+ rated games on September 9, 2026, unless they attach a valid credit card to their account. Valve’s rollout affects hundreds of mature-rated titles, including Cyberpunk 2077 and Doom Eternal, and it doesn’t matter whether the account is brand new or fifteen years old with a library full of paid-for adult games. Without a credit card on file, those store pages, search results, and even home-page recommendations simply disappear."

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[–] 21 points 1 week ago (7 children)

Locked out of games I paid for.

You can still install and play games you've bought (I have personally verified this), you just can't view the store page, which is more than a little silly.

But yes, GOG deserves our money more: DRM-free and preserving old games. I always buy from them if I can.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 week ago (6 children)

    I don't have cyberpunk installed. I can't install it.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 week ago (5 children)

    What happens when you try?

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  • [–] -2 points 1 week ago (4 children)

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  • [–] 13 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    Yeah, you need to go through 'Library', not 'Store'.

    Library > Search 'Cyberpunk' > Click it > Click 'Install'

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  • [+] -16 points 1 week ago* (2 children)

    you need

    No, I don't.

    I need to be able to access games I paid for, without arbitrary lockdowns.

    I can't, so my time with steam is done...

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  • [–] 14 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    Sure, do what you want, of course, but you said "I can’t install it.", and that's not true.

    If you want to go support GOG by buying another copy of your games there, I think that's great! But other people might not be able to or want to do that, and I wouldn't want them to think they can't play their games on Steam anymore when they can.

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  • [+] -6 points 1 week ago

    Sure, do what you want, of course, but you said "I can’t install it.", and that's not true.

    I wish you'd have opened with that...

    Not that it makes any difference. I'm unlikely to play cyberpunk again any time soon, and either way, it's a massive red flag from valve that has destroyed any confidence I had in the future accessibility of my steam library, and destroyed any willingness I had to give valve money in the future.

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