Valve has finally pulled the plug on the physical Steam gift cards it first introduced back in 2012. The reason? A rather grim battle against gift card-based fraud.

Valve officially announced via their website that they are ceasing the replenishment of physical Steam gift cards at retail outlets. If you head over to the Steam gift card page now, you’ll notice the purchase options have vanished, leaving only the redemption portal. According to their support page, production has ceased entirely, and they expect remaining stock to be cleared from shelves by the end of this year.

The decision stems from the persistent use of these cards in fraudulent schemes. Because Steam gift cards don't require identity verification and can be laundered through the Steam Marketplace, they’ve become a favourite tool for criminals targeting vulnerable individuals. Valve has tried everything to curb this, from working with law enforcement to plastering warning labels on cards, restricting funds to Steam Wallet only, and even halting sales when suspicious activity is detected.

Unfortunately, it was never enough to stop the rot. "We kept adding restrictions, but the criminals just adapted," Valve admitted. "They continue to harm Steam customers and others, which led us to the difficult decision to terminate the physical gift card programme at retail outlets."

If you still spot physical cards on a shelf, they remain valid for purchase until stocks run dry. Furthermore, any cards you’ve already bought will continue to work perfectly fine on Steam, subject to local laws. Rest assured, digital gift cards linked directly to your Steam account will remain available for purchase as usual.