Microsoft is directly completing age verification for some Australian users, while local Steam users must still submit valid credit card information to purchase R18+ games. This requirement is not automatically waived, even if a Steam account has been active for over twenty years and already owns R18+ games.
An email from Microsoft to users indicates that the system can estimate whether an account holder is an adult based on long-term account activity. Once an account is classified as an adult account, its age verification status will be updated to "Verified," allowing continued access to relevant features for products such as Microsoft and Xbox Store services without the need for additional verification.
In comparison, Valve currently only offers credit card verification for Australian Steam users. To prove they are over 18 and purchase R18+ games such as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, DOOM Eternal, or RimWorld, users need to provide details for a valid, active credit card.
The issue with this method is that credit cards are not a widely used payment tool among Australian users. Account registration dates and existing purchase records cannot serve as substitutes for verification: even if a user registered on Steam as early as 2003 and already owns multiple R18+ games, they must still submit credit card information when making purchases.
Age verification also raises security and privacy concerns. Credit cards, facial scans, and government-issued IDs all require users to provide different types of personal data, yet Steam currently does not offer Australian users any choice in verification methods.
Valve's approach formally meets local age verification requirements, but relying solely on credit cards may prevent adult users without valid credit cards from directly purchasing R18+ games. In contrast, Microsoft has begun updating verification statuses based on long-term activity for certain accounts, highlighting a clear difference between the two current approaches.