As of August 29, Steam users in the UK are required to verify their age on the popular storefront to access pages for games featuring mature content, including themes of a sexual nature and graphic violence. Unlike previous measures from other companies, Steam users who are subject to the UK Online Safety Act only need to add a valid credit card that includes their name and address to be verified by the system.
Steam's age-verifying measure came following some rule changes that determined which games could be sold on its storefront. On July 16, Steam updated its publishing rules that prohibit game content that violates the standards implemented by Steam's payment processors and global network providers. The new rule resulted in some adult-oriented games being removed from Steam. Another PC storefront, itch.io, followed suit with its own rules similar to Steam's changes. The rule has proven controversial, as gamers have launched campaigns against Steam and its payment processors to protest the changes.
With other companies such as Xbox adding age verification measures to comply with the UK Online Safety Act, Steam has now mandated a method for its UK-based users. According to Steam's support page, UK users cannot...
