PayPal Abruptly Ditches a Ton of Countries on Steam, Leaves Gamers Asking 'Why?'
Imagine this: you’ve finally decided to pull the trigger on that game you’ve been wishlisting for months. You go to check out, select PayPal like you’ve always done, and are met with a cold, sterile message: "PayPal is currently unavailable in your country." For a massive number of Steam users around the globe, this isn't a hypothetical. It's the frustrating new reality, and nobody seems to have a straight answer as to why.
The Corporate Divorce We Didn't See Coming
According to a Steam Support notice that’s been popping up for confused gamers, the problem started back in early July 2025. Apparently, PayPal rang up Valve and announced it was "immediately terminating" payment processing for a whole slew of currencies.
If you're paying in Euros, US Dollars, or Canadian Dollars, Australian Dollars, Japanese Yen, or British Pounds, you’re safe. For a huge portion of the rest of the world using currencies like the Singapore dollar, you’re shit out of luck. The service was just switched off, like a light, with virtually no warning to the people who actually, you know, use it.
"Why, Though?"
The most infuriating part of this whole mess is the stunning lack of a reason. Like a user on Reddit aptly put it, "I don't understand, why though?" That's the question everyone is asking, and the answer from the corporate giants has been a resounding, deafening silence. Was this about rising processing fees? A behind-the-scenes dispute over regional regulations? Did someone at PayPal just throw a dart at a map? Who knows. All we know is that a convenient payment option for millions is gone.
So, Now What?
So what's the solution if your digital wallet is suddenly persona non grata? To be fair, Valve is in a bind here; they can't exactly spin up their own version of PayPal overnight. You're left with some predictable advice: try another card or, in a move that feels like a trip back to 2008, go hunt down a physical Steam Wallet code at a store. The suggestions are logical, but they do fuck-all to solve the real problem: a simple, universal payment method vanished into thin air, leaving a massive inconvenience for everyone caught in the crossfire.
For now, gamers in dozens of countries are left in the lurch. Valve says they "hope to offer PayPal as an option for these currencies in the future but the timeline is uncertain", which is the corporate equivalent of "don't hold your breath."