PayPal on Steam: Six Currencies Only—What It Means for Players and Devs

Steam’s PayPal support shrinks to six currencies; a dev says £80k is frozen as petitions and policy fights escalate

Valve has confirmed that PayPal on Steam now only works when paying in USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, AUD, or CAD. The change followed an acquiring bank’s cutoff in July, and there’s no restoration timeline yet. The shift arrived amid ongoing arguments about adult-content policy enforcement and payment-processor risk rules.

Separately, a UK programmer claims roughly £80,000 in earnings tied to work on an 18+ Steam game were frozen by PayPal. That case is an allegation at this stage, but it’s become a rallying point for petitions challenging the influence of payment companies on lawful content.

What changed on Steam

• PayPal remains available only for the six major currencies listed above.
• Valve attributes the limitation to a banking/acquirer issue rather than a content-policy decision.
• Players in affected regions need to use alternate methods (cards, wallet codes, local options) until coverage returns.

Why this is controversial

Critics argue that financial partners’ “brand-risk” thresholds end up shaping storefront policy in practice, even when platforms say changes are purely operational. Advocates counter that processors must comply with law and their own risk frameworks, and that platforms are free to offer other payment methods.

The £80k freeze claim

A UK developer says PayPal froze approximately £80,000 for ToS reasons related to sexually oriented content. It’s one reported incident, not proven to be widespread, but it’s fueling petitions and media coverage. Treat as allegation pending independent confirmation.

Petitions & policy pressure

A formal UK Parliament petition seeks to limit payment-processor refusals over objections to otherwise lawful content. Similar community campaigns are circulating elsewhere. If thresholds are met, expect an official response and debate.

Elsewhere: itch.io’s staged approach

Itch.io de-indexed adult pages earlier this summer, then began re-indexing free NSFW titles while it works through paid-content payment constraints. It underscores that payment plumbing, not only platform rules, can dictate visibility.

What to watch next

• Whether Valve secures a new acquirer so PayPal returns beyond the six currencies.
• Milestones on the UK petition and any formal government response.
• Further, verifiable reports of freezes or policy updates from processors and any regulator attention those prompt.

Related on Fix Gaming Channel:
Steam payment-processor crackdown timeline

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