Steam Points pile up quietly, then Steam makes you dig a little to spend them. You can use them for profile cosmetics, chat items, Steam Deck extras, startup movies, and Community Awards, but not for games, wallet credit, cash, gift cards, Market items, or trades. Here is the direct path to the right menus and the items worth checking first.
1. Open the Steam Points Shop
Open Steam in the desktop client or in a desktop browser, then sign in to the Steam account that has the points. Go to Store > Points Shop and choose a category or item. Select the item you want, then redeem it with Steam Points.
2. Learn what Steam Points buy
Use Store > Points Shop for Steam cosmetic and community items, not regular purchases. Steam Points cannot buy games, Steam Wallet credit, cash, gift cards, Community Market items, or tradeable goods. Points Shop items are not marketable or tradeable after you redeem them.
3. Customize your Steam profile
This fixes a plain Steam profile by adding cosmetics you redeem from the Points Shop. Go to Store > Points Shop, then open Avatars, Avatar Frames, Profile Backgrounds, Mini-Profile Backgrounds, Game Profiles, Profile Showcases, or Seasonal Badge.
Select the profile item you want and redeem it with Steam Points. Open your Steam profile and select Edit Profile. Choose the matching profile customization section and apply the item.
4. Add Steam Chat items
Open Store > Points Shop and select Stickers, Chat Effects, or Emoticons. Choose the item you want, then redeem it with Steam Points. Use the redeemed sticker, emoticon, or chat effect from Steam Chat.
5. Spend Steam Points from a phone
On a mobile browser, open https://store.steampowered.com/points/shop/ and sign in. In the Steam Mobile app, use the app's Store browsing surface, then open the direct Points Shop URL in the app or webview. Steam Mobile supports Store and Community access on iOS 15.1 or later and Android 7.0 or later, and Steam does not publish a separate mobile Points Shop menu path.
6. Redeem Steam Deck and Big Picture extras
Go to Store > Points Shop. Open Keyboards to redeem a Steam Deck virtual keyboard theme, then open Startup Movies to redeem a Steam Deck or Big Picture startup movie. Select the item you want and redeem it with Steam Points.
For a startup movie, select Equip Now after redemption. To change a startup movie later on PC, go to View > Big Picture Mode > Settings > Customization and choose the startup movie. These rewards make the most sense when you use Steam Deck, SteamOS, or Big Picture Mode regularly.
7. Give a Community Award
This fixes the question of using points outside the shop by spending them on eligible Steam Community content.
- 1.Open an eligible Steam Community item, such as a profile, review, discussion post, guide, screenshot, video, artwork, or Workshop item.
- 2.Select Award.
- 3.Choose the award you want to give.
- 4.Select Next.
- 5.Select Give Award.
8. Check your Steam Points history
Open Steam Support, then go to Trading, Gifting, Market and Steam Points > Steam Points. Select View Your Steam Points History and review your earned points, spent points, and unlocked rewards. Use that same Steam Support page when you want a quick route back to the Points Shop or Steam's Points FAQ.
9. Restore blocked Points Shop access
This fixes cases where Store or Community access is blocked by Steam Families parental controls. Have an adult member of the Steam Family sign in. Children in a family are subject to parental controls and cannot lift the restriction themselves.
Go to Account Settings > Family Management > Manage, then expand the child's entry. Toggle Enable Parental controls. In the panel that appears, configure Steam feature access so Store and Community access is allowed.
If access controls are not the issue, go to Steam Support > Trading, Gifting, Market and Steam Points > Steam Points > Contact Steam Support. Enter the issue details, then select Send.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use Steam Points to buy games?
No. Steam Points cannot be used for games, Steam Wallet credit, cash, gift cards, Community Market purchases, or trading.
Are Points Shop items tradeable or marketable?
No. Steam says Points Shop items are not marketable or tradeable.
Do Community Awards give Steam Points to the recipient?
No. Older guides that say award recipients receive Steam Points are outdated. After Steam Community Awards Second Edition in January 2026, awards no longer transfer points to recipients.
Where can you contact Steam about a Points Shop problem?
Go to Steam Support, then Trading, Gifting, Market and Steam Points, then Steam Points, then Contact Steam Support.