Steam has been banned in Vietnam

Steam is no longer accessible in Vietnam

Valve’s Steam platform is no longer accessible in Vietnam. Players on Steam are reporting that all internet service providers (ISPs) in the nation have blocked access to the Steam launcher and the company’s website.

As of now, neither Valve or the Vietnamese government have have released a statement on the matter. Even so, it has been reported by local media that Vietnamese game developers have been complaining about the size and scope of Steam’s gaming library in the region. Local developers have claimed that they cannot compete with Steam’s vast library of PC games, and that game releases on Steam are not subject to the same government approval process as locally made games.

Understandably, gamers in Vietnam are not happy with their government’s apparent Steam “ban”. It has denied gamers access to their Steam libraries, preventing them from accessing games that they have purchased. While VPNs or DNS trickery can reportedly bypass this ban, it is a shame that gamers in Vietnam need to resort to such measures to access the games they own.

Currently, it is unknown if, or when, Steam will become available again in Vietnam. If Steam returns, it could face harsh restrictions within the country. New game releases could require government approval. Alternatively, local developers could see their restrictions lessened to level the playing field.

You can join the discussion on Steam being unavailable in Vietnam on the OC3D Forums.