Valve previously amended the Steam Subscriber Agreement for Japanese users, adding a clause stating that wallet funds would expire if unused within six months of being added. This regulation is due to the strict requirements of Japan's Payment Services Act. Under local law, issuers of prepaid payment instruments must deposit at least half of the unused balance into a national deposit as collateral, provided the total balance exceeds 10 million yen. Foreign and domestic companies can only avoid having large sums frozen by setting a balance validity period of no more than six months.However, Steam Customer Support stated that Japanese users' wallet balances currently have no actual expiration date, and this restriction has not yet been enforced.
The agreement was amended on April 20, 2026, but the relevant clauses did not receive widespread attention from the player community until October. Some players worried that their balances would expire on October 20, but this was a speculation based on mistaking the agreement revision date for the start of the deadline. The clauses also mention that the wallet interface should display the validity period, yet players have currently not found any corresponding timer or notification in their accounts.
Japanese media outlet Automaton inquired with Steam Customer Support regarding the enforcement. Customer Support responded that, at present, there is no actual expiration date set for Japanese users' wallet balances, and it has not yet been determined when the restriction will be implemented. If the balance expiration mechanism is enabled in the future, the platform will notify account holders of the exact date via email in advance.