How to buy Steam Machine: reservations, the waitlist and delivery

You can only buy Steam Machine directly through Steam. As of 12 November 2026, all four models are waitlist-only, and anyone who signs up now goes to the back of the list. On 28 July 2026 Valve promised that everyone in the reservation queue will get the option to buy by the end of 2026. It gave no date for the waitlist, so to be straight with you: there is no way to know in advance whether you will have one by Christmas. Here is how the queue, the purchase email, refunds and warranty work. Status as of 12 November 2026.

Where to buy Steam Machine

Valve sells Steam Machine directly through Steam. It does not list any authorised retailer in the EU on its own pages. The only distributor it names is KOMODO, which sells in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Valve sells its hardware in the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia, and Steam Machine does not ship to South Korea. In the EU the store page shows euro prices and a waitlist button; the UK and the EU share one sales region.

Prices as of 12 November 2026 including VAT: €1,039 (512GB), €1,108 (512GB with Steam Controller), €1,359 (2TB) and €1,428 (2TB with Steam Controller). Pound, dollar and zloty prices and what each box contains are in our price guide.

How the reservation queue and the waitlist work

To keep the launch fair and free of bots, sign-ups opened on 22 June 2026 and closed on 25 June 2026 at 10:00 Pacific time. After that came a one-time random draw that set everyone’s position.

You could sign up for several models. Anyone who got a spot for more than one was given a reservation for the most expensive one and removed from the others. Anyone who did not get a spot went onto the waitlist for the model where they were closest to the front. The lists are separate by region (North America, UK/EU, Australia) and by model, which is why each queue moves at a different speed.

• Reservation queue: a unit is set aside for you. When it is ready, you get an email with the option to buy.
• Waitlist: your position was beyond the number of units in the first production run. If someone cancels a reservation, you can move up into the reservation queue. Units from later production runs go to people in waitlist order.

Anyone who signed up after 25 June 2026 goes straight to the back of the waitlist, and that still applies today. After the draw you cannot switch models. Cancelling a reservation or leaving the waitlist frees your spot for the next person.

Who can sign up (requirements)

• A Steam account “in good standing”.
• At least one purchase on Steam made before 27 April 2026.
• One sign-up per household. Valve checks this by payment method, address and other details.

Steam accounts are free; Steam is for ages 13 and up.

When the purchase email arrives and what to do (72 hours)

Valve started sending the first purchase emails on Monday 29 June 2026, and in its 28 July post it said Steam Machine had started shipping at the end of June. Orders are processed every day in the order set by the draw.

Once the email arrives, you have 72 hours to buy. If you miss that window, the reservation expires and the unit goes to the next person in line.

If you move up from the waitlist, you first get an email saying you have been moved into the reservation queue. The purchase email comes after that.

The store page does not say how long delivery takes after payment, or which EU queues have already been cleared.

Will it arrive before Christmas? What Valve promised

On 28 July 2026 Valve wrote that everyone in the reservation queue will get the option to buy by the end of 2026. According to Valve, for some models in some regions the reservation queue has already been worked through, and it has started inviting people from the waitlist. Nobody from the waitlist jumps ahead of reservation holders.

What that means for you:

• You have a reservation: Valve promises a purchase option by the end of 2026. It does not say when the parcel will then arrive.
• You are on the waitlist: Valve has given no date. It depends on how fast the queue for your model moves in your region.
• You are signing up now: you go to the back of the waitlist. Do not count on having it by Christmas.

The new Steam Controller has its own reservations, one per account, and you see the current estimate after logging in to Steam. More in our Steam Controller guide.

Refunds within 14 days and warranty

The Steam Machine store page links to Valve’s Hardware Refund Policy. Under it you can cancel hardware bought directly on Steam within 14 days of receiving it. You request this through help.steampowered.com with the “I’d like to request a refund” button and then send the item back within 14 days of telling Valve. Valve refunds the payment and the cheapest standard delivery within 14 days of receiving the item back. You pay for the return shipping. This does not apply to modified or damaged hardware.

The store page also links to the Valve hardware warranty. Valve gives a one-year limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. Consumers in the EU and UK get their statutory rights under the law of the country of purchase instead. You start a claim through help.steampowered.com before sending the device anywhere.

The support form asks for the serial number. It has 13 characters, starts with T and sits under the QR code on the bottom of the device.

When your Steam Machine arrives, start with the first-time setup. What you are actually buying is summed up in our Steam Machine overview.

Join our Discord to ask who has already had the purchase email and how long they waited: Discord GamersTogether.

FAQ

Information verified on 12 November 2026. We keep prices and the waitlist status up to date. More guides are in our Steam Machine section.