Why a randomized reservation order?
We underestimated customer interest when we recently released the new Steam Controller, and we wanted to create a system that would be less frustrating and more fair for everyone. A launch that starts at a specific day and time tends to reward bots, people with fast internet connections, talented gaming fingers for quick F5/refresh reactions, and those who can schedule their life around that moment. By accepting reservation signups over the course of a few days, without any incentive to be first, we're hoping to take away some of that friction. The longer timeframe also allows us to do some extra validation on the signups to make sure they're real accounts, with only one per household.
Are there any criteria for signing up?
Customers must meet the following criteria to be able to sign up:
- You must have a Steam account in good standing.
- You must have made a purchase on Steam prior to April 27th 2026.
- Limit one signup per household. We will use payment method, shipping address, and other information to eliminate multiple entries.
What if I don't sign up before June 25th at 10 a.m. Pacific?
After the one-time randomization at that time, anyone who signs up will be automatically added to the back of the waitlist.
Do I have to pick a specific model at signup?
If you care about getting any available Steam Machine model, more than any specific one, you're welcome to sign up for multiple models. Each model has its own list of sign-ups that will be randomized on June 25th at 10am. After that, if you are assigned a reservation queue spot for one or more models, you'll automatically be allocated a reservation for the highest end one you're in, and removed from all the others. If you didn't get a reservation spot for any of the models you signed up for, you'll be placed on the waitlist for the model that you were closest to the front of.
Are these sign up lists separated by region?
Yes, there are separate lists for each shipping region – North America, United Kingdom/European Union, and Australia. You'll be automatically placed in the lists for the region you're in.
I received an email that I’m in the reservation queue, what does that mean?
It means you have a Steam Machine reserved for you. All you need to do is wait, and once we have it ready, we'll send you an email with the option to purchase. You'll then have 72 hours to complete the purchase before we cancel your reservation and move on to the next person in the queue.
When can I expect to get my order email?
We will begin emailing folks in the reservation queue the week of June 29th, in the order they were randomized into. We expect to continue sending these emails throughout the remainder of the year.
I received an email that I'm on the waitlist, what does that mean?
It means that when we did the one-time randomization of the reservation queue, your place in line ended up beyond the number of Steam Machines we'll have in this production run. As we work our way through the queue, some customers may cancel their reservations. If that happens, you may be moved up in the reservation queue, and you'll be notified via email that you have a reservation after all. But if not, nothing about your position in the waitlist changes, and any future production runs of Steam Machines will be offered to customers in order they're on the waitlist.
Can I change which model I reserved?
Once the randomization has occurred on June 25th, and you’ve received your reservation or waitlist email, you cannot change the Steam Machine model you have signed up for. Canceling a reservation or leaving the waitlist will release your spot.
What if I’m in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong?
Visit Komodo, our official distributor in those regions, to learn how to order in Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Steam Machine will not be shipping in South Korea.
Is this the Valve console?
We think of Steam Machine as an extension of PC gaming, not as a console.
The traditional console model is to sell hardware at a loss and make up the revenue with subscription services or by selling games that are locked-in to the hardware. We think this can make sense for a single business in the short term but that open ecosystems are better for customers over the long term. PC gaming's history proves this: The openness of the PC gaming space has enabled it to be the primary driver of hardware and software innovation for decades.
The strength of PC gaming is the ability to play the games you want on the hardware you want. Steam Machine is *a* solution to these problems (and we think it's a great one), but it's not the only solution, and we don't want it to be.
If I don't get a Steam Machine right away, is there anything else I can do?
Thanks to the openness of the PC platform, there are lots of options for devices that will allow you to run games natively or streamed to your TV. There are many PC sites and communities out there that can help you with that. For our part, we are continuing to work toward enabling SteamOS to be used on more hardware than just ours. In fact, with the newly-released SteamOS 3.8, you can run the same code and operating system as Steam Machine on your own living-room PC using whatever PC parts you want:
https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/65B4-2AA3-5F37-4227 . Right now, only AMD GPUs are supported, but we're working on expanding support for the future.
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