Valve has started rolling out age verification checks for Steam users in the UK. Brits will need a credit card on their Steam account to access mature games. This decision reflects a preference for bank-based age verification over selfie or ID scans used by platforms like Reddit, Bluesky, and Discord. This move follows instances where selfie systems were bypassed, such as the Death Stranding photo-mode trick, and coincides with Xbox's impending UK age verification rollout by early 2026, which will gate key social features.