Valve has launched updates to Steam’s gifting and wishlist features aimed at simplifying the game purchasing process for users. One significant change allows users to purchase games using a guest account, expanding options beyond gift cards and Steam hardware.
The update enables games to be gifted directly via email, eliminating the previous requirement to know the recipient’s Steam account. Senders can now provide a link for recipients to claim the game. However, recipients must reside in the same country as the sender to accept a game via email. For international gifts, senders and recipients must be friends on Steam. If the gifted game is not claimed within 30 days, it will be automatically refunded to the sender.
Additionally, Valve will calculate the cost of games in the recipient’s region at checkout for friends in different countries, enhancing the gifting process. These changes aim to assist less tech-savvy users in buying PC games for others.
Steam’s wishlist has also seen improvements, allowing users to categorize saved games in a way that resembles folders or tags. Users can name categories and easily add games to these categories directly from the store page or their existing wishlist. A filtering option now allows users to view only games within a specific category from the wishlist page.
Notifications for wishlist items on sale can be customized for individual categories instead of the entire wishlist. Additional minor updates include the ability to generate a shareable link to the wishlist or a specific category. Users can also check if saved games have demos and view trailers by hovering over wishlist items.
