Steam, the leading global platform for digital PC game distribution, has introduced support for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions in India. The update, long requested by Indian gamers, appears to have gone live recently without any formal announcement from Valve, the company behind the service.
Several users began noticing the UPI payment option while making purchases on Steam, marking a significant shift in the platform’s approach to the Indian market. Previously, the absence of direct UPI support had been a persistent inconvenience for users in the country.
Valve’s earlier attempt to provide UPI functionality through Novaplay faced a range of technical issues. Users frequently encountered failed transactions, delays in crediting payments, and an unreliable user interface, leading many to abandon the feature altogether.
As a result, Indian players resorted to alternate methods. Some opted to purchase Steam Wallet codes via third-party services such as Amazon Pay, while others migrated to competing gaming platforms like JioGames that offered smoother local payment options. Though these workarounds allowed access to content, they often made routine transactions unnecessarily complicated.
With the new update, Steam now offers a more seamless checkout experience. Indian users can complete transactions using any UPI-linked application, including Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, or UPI services offered by their banks. The integration appears to be handled by Komoju, a payment gateway provider that replaces the earlier Novaplay system.
Steam’s adoption of UPI brings it in line with other major digital platforms. Services such as the Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, Netflix, Amazon, and Google Play had already incorporated UPI as a standard payment option for Indian users.
The addition is expected to simplify access to games for a growing user base in India and could help Valve strengthen its foothold in the country’s expanding PC gaming market.