How to Gift a Game on Steam: Friends List and Wallet Codes

As of December 2022, you can gift a game on Steam only to Steam members on your friends list: find the game in the store, click Add to Cart, choose Purchase as a gift and pick the friend. If you are looking for the perfect gift for a gaming friend, you cannot go wrong gifting a game on Steam. Gifting a game used to be relatively easy as long as you had an email address, but today you can only give games to Steam members on your friends list. How do you give a gift on Steam? Let's take a look!

How Do You Give a Gift on Steam? 2023

Previously, it was possible to send a game to anyone with an email address, and the message included instructions on how to set up a Steam account and download the newly purchased game. Now you can only gift new games to people who have a Steam account and are on your friends list.

• Make sure your friend has a Steam account.
• If you want to buy a game for someone without a Steam account, they will need to create a new account and download the Steam client.
• Once set up, go to the Friends drop-down menu. Select Add a Friend and search for their username.
• Invite them to be your friend. Once they accept your request, you can send them a game.
• Find the game you want to give in the Steam store, directly in the client or through the web portal, and select Add to Cart. If you already own the game in question on your own account, there will be a note right above the purchase option that says “Buy this game as a gift for a friend”.
• Select Purchase as a gift.

If you already own the game, the Purchase for myself option will be faded and unresponsive, since you can no longer own multiple copies of the same game.

• Select the recipient from your friends list. If you want it to arrive late and be set up as a surprise for a specific occasion, you can choose to schedule delivery for a later time and date.
• Personalize your gift by entering your friend's name and writing a message. This can be anything from a simple happy birthday or happy holidays to a heartfelt letter or a funny message.
• After personalizing your gift with a note, press Continue and proceed to the normal purchase screen as if you were buying the game for yourself. Then it is up to your friend to accept the gift. You get a notification after they add it to their library.

How Do You Give a Steam Wallet Code?

You can give a Steam Wallet Code to anyone who has been on your friends list for at least three days.

• You can buy Steam Gift Cards at these prices: $5, $10, $25, $50 and $100. Just select the specific amount you want to offer.
• Select the specific friend you want to send the gift card to from your list.
• Complete the purchase.

Right after your friend receives and opens the gift, they will see the money appear in their Steam Wallet and will be able to use it right away.