{
  "id": 9263032,
  "title": "Where can Australians buy R18+ PC games without a credit card? Pretty much everywhere but Steam",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/where-can-australians-buy-r18-pc-games-without-a-credit-card-pretty",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-23T03:38:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PC Gamer",
    "slug": "pc-gamer",
    "url": "https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/how-to-buy-r18-games-without-a-credit-card/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Australians looking to purchase R18+ PC games without a credit card have limited options, primarily due to Valve's requirement of a credit card for age verification on Steam. However, there are alternative ways to bypass this restriction.\n\nThe Epic Games Store is one such option, utilizing KWS (Kids Web Services) for age verification. Users can choose between a face scan with Yoti, a credit card via Stripe, or an ID scan using a driver's license, passport, or government-issued ID.\n\nAnother option is GOG, which currently does not have an age verification system for Australian users, although this may change in the future.\n\nXbox and Microsoft Store also provide R18+ game purchases without a credit card, employing face scans, email verification, or official documents like a license or passport for age verification.\n\nThird-party key sellers like Fanatical and Green Man Gaming don't require Australian users to prove their age when purchasing R18+ games. However, the availability of certain titles, such as Grand Theft Auto 5, may be limited. Fanatical offers Steam keys for games like Rimworld and the latest Metal Gear Solid Volume 2 collection, while Green Man Gaming provides a variety of R18+ titles with Steam keys for redemption on Steam.",
  "summary": "Valve has dropped the ball on implementing reasonable age verification measures, so it's time to look further afield.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}