Adding a phone number to Steam, and whether you need one

How Steam uses a phone number

From Steam Support’s FAQ pages, read on November 13, 2026. Each Steam account can have one phone number at a time.

What sharing a number means on Steam

Steam lets you put the same phone number on more than one account. Valve’s FAQ adds that accounts with the same number may be treated as the same identity under the Steam Subscriber Agreement, its policies and its restrictions.

Bans are the plainest case. Valve’s rule is that if an account with a phone number receives a VAC or game ban, every other account using that number receives the ban too. Valve says this isn’t switched on for every game, and each game’s developer decides whether to use it.

Which numbers Steam accepts

Valve doesn’t allow VoIP numbers or numbers that can’t receive texts. It says new VoIP numbers don’t meet its security requirements, that some carriers use VoIP technology in their mobile plans and are refused for that reason, and that Steam tells you when you enter a number it considers VoIP. Its suggested fix is a mobile or prepaid number.

Ours is a non-VoIP US number. Steam’s own check decides whether it is accepted; if the code never arrives, cancel within 24 hours. Why apps refuse VoIP numbers covers what that check looks at.

Adding a number from us to Steam

1. Rent a number for a year

   Recovery is the point of a phone on Steam, so the number has to be there when you need it.

2. Add it in Steam’s phone settings

   Enter it in international format, +1 and then the ten digits. Steam guesses your location for the country menu under the number, so set it to the United States if it guessed otherwise. Steam then sends the confirmation text, which may come from a 6-digit sender number.

3. Confirm with the code

   Copy the code from the number’s page into Steam to finish adding the number.

How long to keep the number, or whether to add one at all

Steam uses the number later, not at sign-in: to reset your password, to move the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator to another phone, and to generate backup codes, each by SMS. A number that has ended can’t receive those texts, and once it has ended it can be given to someone else. Keep it for as long as it’s on the account; 1 year costs $34.99 and can be extended at any time. If you decide to let it go, remove it from Steam first: Account Details, then Contact Info, then Manage your phone number, then Remove number.

You may not need a number at all. Steam Guard is on by default once your email is verified, the mobile authenticator can be set up without a phone number through a link for people who don’t have one, and trading and the Community Market depend on Steam Guard having been on for 15 days, not on a phone number.

If you lose access to your phone and don’t have the authenticator’s recovery code, Valve says you’ll need Steam Support to get back in.

If Steam’s text doesn’t arrive

Steam’s help pages suggest, in order:

• Check the number is in international format, with + and the country code first.
• Use the link to send the text again.
• Wait. Steam stops sending texts if too many have gone to you, and a few minutes to an hour can let them through again. Carrier delays can also hold a text back.
• If nothing comes after a few hours, contact Steam Support.

If Steam says the number isn’t allowed, it has classed it as VoIP or as unable to take texts, and waiting won’t change that. Either way, a number that has received no texts can be cancelled from 5 minutes to 24 hours after purchase; our supplier usually accepts and the money comes back. The missing-code checklist covers the general causes.

Questions people ask

Can I use Steam without a phone number?

Yes. A phone number is optional on Steam. Sign-in codes come by email or the Steam Mobile app, and the mobile authenticator can be set up without a number.

Why won’t Steam send an SMS to add my phone?

Steam pauses texts after too many have been sent, so wait a few minutes to an hour and try again. Also check the number is in international format and that your provider can receive texts from a 6-digit number.

Can I use the same phone number on multiple Steam accounts?

Yes, but Valve may treat every account on that number as one identity, and a VAC or game ban on one can apply to all of them where the game’s developer has turned that on.

Why does Steam say my phone number is not allowed?

Valve refuses VoIP numbers and numbers that can’t receive texts, including mobile plans from carriers that use VoIP technology. Its advice is to use a mobile or prepaid number instead.

Does a US phone number change my Steam store country?

No. Steam sets your store country from the location of your first purchase, and changing it needs residence in the new country and a local payment method.