Now gifts on Steam can be sent between regions and without an account

Valve has also expanded the capabilities of the wishlist.

Valve has updated the Steam gifting system, making it significantly easier to purchase games, hardware, and gift cards for friends and family. The new features are designed to simplify the process for both the sender and the recipient.

The main change is the ability to make purchases through guest mode without the need to create a Steam account. Previously, this feature was only available for purchasing hardware and gift cards, but now users can buy games directly, for example, by selecting projects from another person's wishlist.

If the gift is to remain a surprise, simply provide the recipient's email address. The email will contain instructions for logging into the account and activating the gift. However, the recipient's account must be in the same country where the purchase was made, and the gift must be accepted within 30 days — otherwise, the funds will be automatically returned to the buyer.

Another important innovation is the ability to send games to friends from other regions. Steam now automatically calculates the final purchase price at the checkout stage, eliminating the need for users to buy multiple gift cards to cover price differences. However, for such gifts, the recipient must be on the sender's friends list.

Valve has also expanded the capabilities of the wishlist. Now, to send a game as a gift, you no longer need to add the person as a friend — it is enough to have access to their public wishlist. In addition, users can now create separate filtered wishlists and share them with loved ones, for example, for holidays or special occasions.

When purchasing a gift, Steam automatically populates the recipient's data into the cart if it is already available to the system.