To create a Steam account, open Steam’s registration page, enter your email address and country, verify your email, then choose an account name and password. You can complete registration in a desktop or mobile browser without installing Steam.
The short version
- Start in a browser: Steam’s registration page works on computers, phones and tablets.
- Verify your email: Follow Steam’s email verification link, then return to the original registration tab.
- Finish setup: Enter your account name and password, then select Done.
- Use your device: The desktop client starts registration, while Steam Deck directs you to register through a browser.
| Place or option | What you do | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop or mobile browser | Open Steam registration | Direct account creation |
| Registration completion form | Choose an account name and password | After email verification |
| Store, Community or checkout | Select Create an account | Starting from a sign-in page |
| Desktop Steam client | Select Create a Free Account | Starting in the installed client |
| Steam Deck or Big Picture | Scan the signup QR code | Registering from the gamepad interface |
| VR signup interface | Open the displayed address in a browser | Registering from the VR interface |
| Email already in use | Select Continue for a separate account | Reusing an email address |
| Parental consent | Enter a guardian’s email address | When Steam requires consent |
| Desktop download page | Select Install Steam | Getting the desktop client |
| Steam Mobile download page | Choose the iOS or Android download | Getting the mobile app |
| Steam China registration | Complete the regional signup form | Joining the regional service |
| Steam China existing account option | Select 使用已有帐户 | Moving an eligible existing account |
| Steam China real-name registration | Complete identity and phone verification | When the regional service directs you there |
| Steam Families | Add parental controls after signup | Managing an eligible child’s account |
| Registration eligibility | Meet age and country requirements | Every new account |
Start your account in a browser
Open Steam’s registration page. Enter your email in Email Address, enter it again in Confirm your Email Address, then select your Country of Residence. Use an email address you can access, because you must open Steam’s verification email before finishing registration.
Complete the displayed CAPTCHA. For a text challenge, enter the displayed characters in Enter the characters above. Select the checkbox confirming your age and agreement to the Steam Subscriber Agreement and Valve Privacy Policy, then select Continue.
You can also start from a Steam Store, Steam Community or checkout sign-in page. Under New to Steam?, select Create an account to reach the same registration form. If you are following older instructions that call this website option Join Steam, use Create an account.
Verify your email and finish registration
Open the verification email from Steam and follow its verification link. After verifying your email, return to the original registration tab or window. You still need to complete the account-name and password form to finish creating your account.
Fill in Steam Account Name, Choose Password and Confirm Password, then select Done. Complete this final stage whether you started in a browser or the desktop Steam client.
Create an account from the desktop app
To get the desktop client, open the official Steam download page and select Install Steam for your desktop platform. Install and open Steam on your supported Windows, macOS or Linux system.
On the signed-out login screen, select Create a Free Account. Complete the registration form with your email, country, CAPTCHA and agreement, then verify your email. Return to registration, fill in Steam Account Name, Choose Password and Confirm Password, then select Done.
If the client is already signed in, open Steam > Sign Out... and confirm to return to the sign-in screen. Select Create a Free Account there to begin. If older instructions tell you to select Create a New Account..., use the current Create a Free Account option.
Make your account on a phone or tablet
On Android, iPhone or iPad, open Steam’s registration page in your browser. Enter and confirm your email address, select your country, complete the CAPTCHA and agreement, then select Continue. You do not need to install Steam Mobile to create your account this way.
Keep the registration tab open while you follow the verification link from your email. Return to that tab, fill in Steam Account Name, Choose Password and Confirm Password, then select Done.
If you also want the mobile app, open Valve’s Steam Mobile product page. Under Steam Mobile, choose the iOS or Android store link for your phone.
Register for Steam Deck or Big Picture
At the signed-out Steam Deck or Big Picture gamepad login screen, select Create account. The signup screen displays a QR code with instructions to scan it on your mobile device to create a free account. Scan that code with your phone’s camera to open registration in your browser.
Alternatively, enter https://s.team/join, the address displayed on the signup screen, in a browser. Complete browser registration, including email verification and the account-name/password stage, then return to your Steam Deck or Big Picture screen and select Sign in. Use the signup QR code for registration; the login QR code is for signing into an existing account.
If your VR interface offers Create account, select it to display the browser signup instructions. Open the displayed https://s.team/join address on a computer or phone and complete browser registration. Return to the VR interface and select Sign in afterward.
Handle an existing email or parental consent
You can use an email address already associated with Steam to create another, separate account. When registration displays Email In Use, select Continue beneath the explanation about making a new account. Then complete the remaining registration stages.
To access the account you already have, choose Use existing account instead. Select Recover my account if you need to recover access to that account.
You must be at least 13 to create a Steam account, and additional country restrictions can apply. When Steam asks a country-dependent age question, answer it accurately. Parental consent does not override the minimum age requirement.
When consent is required, enter the requested address in Parent or guardian e-mail address: and select Continue. Wait for your guardian’s response and Steam’s email allowing registration to resume. Finish the standard signup flow once Steam allows you to continue.
Create an account for Steam China
To join Steam China, also called 蒸汽平台, open the Steam China registration page. You are registering for a regional service distinct from the global Steam website. Enter your email in 电子邮件地址 and 确认您的电子邮件地址, select 居住国家/地区, and complete the CAPTCHA.
Select the displayed service/privacy agreement and overseas-data-transfer consent checkboxes, then select 继续. Verify your email and return to the completion form. Enter 蒸汽平台帐户名称, 选择密码 and 确认密码, then select 完成.
When the regional service directs you to real-name registration, enter 真实姓名, 身份证号码 and 手机号码. Select 发送验证码, then enter 手机验证码. Review the displayed information-sharing consent, complete the slider challenge labeled 向右拖动滑块完成拼图, and select 下一步.
If Steam China identifies an eligible existing account, select 使用已有帐户, sign in with its existing credentials, and follow the regional prompts. The page offers migration using Perfect World Dota 2 or Perfect World CS:GO credentials, as well as an existing-account authorization route. Use this option to move an eligible account to the regional service; it does not create a fresh global Steam account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you add parental controls while creating a child’s Steam account?
Create the eligible child’s account through normal registration first. To establish a Steam Family, open Account Details > Family Management > Create a Family, then use Invite a Member and choose the child role. To configure restrictions, open Account Settings > Family Management > Manage, expand the child’s entry, and enable Enable Parental controls. Steam Families’ parental controls have replaced Family View.
What operating system do you need for the Steam apps?
Valve stopped supporting 32-bit versions of Windows as of January 1, 2026, and says future versions of Steam will run on 64-bit versions of Windows only. Valve specifies Windows 10 or newer, macOS 12 or newer, and up-to-date Ubuntu for Big Picture. For Steam Mobile, you need at least iOS 15.1 or Android 7.0.
Can you create Steam accounts automatically with a script?
No, Valve prohibits automated account creation using scripts, bots, macros or other non-human-controlled systems. Complete registration manually.
Can you use a proxy to select a different country during signup?
Valve’s Steam Subscriber Agreement prohibits disguising your residence through IP proxying. Select your actual country of residence during registration.
How can you get Steam Mobile without Google Play?
Open Valve’s Steam Mobile product page and choose its Android download option for users without Google Play. You can use that option instead of the Google Play store link.
Why does the VR signup screen have no QR code?
Steam’s VR signup interface omits the signup QR code and displays a browser address instead. Open that address on your computer or phone to create your account.