Just two weeks after a user highlighted the error, Valve has made a long-awaited change to the Steam store page, finally updating the gift card graphics after 13 years. While the physical design of Steam gift cards changed many years ago, Valve has kept the original design seen on the cards on its store page for well over a decade. Some began to question if the company would ever realise that its website was outdated, but a viral post earlier this year seems to have caught Valve's attention.
If you've ever played or purchased a PC game, there's a strong chance it was via Steam. Valve's massively successful and popular storefront has been the go-to for gamers for more than 20 years now. Fellow publishers and studios, such as Epic Games, have attempted to compete with Valve by launching their own storefronts, with mixed success. With thousands upon thousands of indie hits and huge AAA releases, Valve is still breaking records on Steam after all these years, as the platform recently surpassed 42 million concurrent users last month.
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Valve Finally Updates Steam Gift Card Graphics
Although the platform has been updated with tons of new features and overall improvements over the years, Steam's interface and general design have remained largely the same since its initial release in 2003. That's not to say Valve hasn't given Steam a fresh lick of paint, as a big update in 2023 introduced an overhauled in-game overlay, new notes functionality, updated notifications, and much more. However, one thing the company seems to have completely forgotten about was its Steam gift card design. Although the physical look of the cards changed some years ago, the digital store page for redeeming them has featured the same design since 2013 - until now, that is.
Last month, Reddit user Complete_Iron_2656 posted on the Steam subreddit, noting that Valve had not changed the gift card design graphic on its website for 13 years. However, they actually called on the studio to never change them, saying, "It's an interesting look compared to the designs we have today on gift cards; updated Steam logo, updated games in the backdrop, and Linux's exemption from the supported platforms in more recent designs." They believed it made for an "interesting look" back, but as the post accumulated nearly 5,000 upvotes, it looks like it may have popped up on Valve's radar, as the design has now been changed. A new post from the same user, which can be seen below, shows off the new gift card graphics, which have been available physically for many years now.
Valve might be a little easy-going in the UI department, but the company is gearing up for a huge year as three new pieces of Steam hardware will be coming out in the next few months. Although there is currently no firm release date at the time of writing, Valve announced last year that 2026 will see the release of a new Steam Controller, a new VR headset known as Steam Frame, and the crème de la crème: the Steam Machine. This will be the company's second go at a home gaming platform, which Valve says will feature over six times the horsepower of the Steam Deck and has the power to play your entire Steam library.
For those who are interested in purchasing the Steam Machine when it releases this year, you may be eager to build up your library of games in the meantime. Thankfully, there are tons of free-to-play games on Steam, meaning users don't have to spend a penny. Some of the most recent additions came just a few days ago, including Highguard, SEGA Football Club Championships, and many more. Steam also regularly gives away free games, but players have to keep their eyes open as these deals come and go quickly. The most recent promotion featured Untrusted, a social deduction game, being given away for free until February 1.