Steam has introduced a new way to stop people with VPNs from purchasing their games at a discount.
Due to low income countries and other various economical factors, the same games can be different prices on the Steam store depending on which country you’re accessing the platform from. Because of this, some Steam users have been fraudulently using VPNs to trick the system into thinking they’re in another country, therefore allowing them to snag the games they want at a reduced price.
Although Valve has previously put measures in place to stop this from occurring, there’s still been ways around it, leading the company to now add in new restrictions.
Purchasing a game through Steam will now require you to complete a purchase using a payment method from the country you’re claiming to be from. If you’re unable to do this, you won’t be able to make the purchase. It’s a simple measure that won’t have an effect on the millions of Steam users who make use of the platform legitimately.
The news comes via SteamDB on Twitter, who noted the store update and shared it to the social media platform. They explained: “Valve has recently made changing your store country more strict, which requires completing a purchase using a payment method from that country. This should hinder the ability of using VPNs to buy games cheaper.”
The new policy explains: “If you have moved to a new country, or are living abroad for an extended period of time, you can update your Steam country setting when you complete your first purchase using a payment method from that country.”
The news has been met with some debate online, mostly from people who weren’t aware using a VPN could allow gamers to get titles for a lower price.
Featured Image Credit: Valve