If your friends and family know that you love games, they might buy you a Steam gift card. These can be physical or virtual, but either way you can redeem them to spend on anything within the Steam catalog.

So, let's not delay; you want to buy some games, and we're going to show you how to redeem a Steam gift card or wallet code.

How to Redeem Your Steam Gift Code

Whether someone has sent you a digital Steam gift code or a physical gift card, the process to redeem is the same.

redeem a steam gift code
  1. Open the Steam client.
  2. From the top menu, click Games.
  3. Click Redeem a Steam Wallet Code.
  4. Enter the code in the Steam Wallet Code field.
  5. Click Continue. You may need to enter your address to confirm your location and currency, if you've never applied Steam credit before.

The funds will automatically add to your account's wallet, which you will see in the top-right corner next to your profile name. If they don't appear within two hours, contact Steam support.

These funds are tied to your account and cannot be gifted, withdrawn, or transferred to another Steam account.

You may get an error if you try to redeem a Steam code that is issued in a currency other than your own.

Related: What Are Steam Points? How to Get and Use Them

How to Spend Your Steam Gift Code

Once you add the Steam gift card or wallet code to your account, you can spend the funds immediately.

During the Review and Purchase step at checkout, select My Steam Wallet as the payment method.

If you don't have enough wallet funds to cover the full transaction, you can select a secondary payment method.

Alternatively, if you have funds left over, you can use these on other purchases—you don't need to spend a gift card all at once.

Enjoy the Gift of Steam

Are you struggling to know what to ask Santa for Christmas? If you love PC games, there's nothing better than a Steam gift card. Besides, nearly every modern game you could need is available to safely buy on Steam.