Valve details plan for Steam Controller “Reservations”
Steam users will soon be able to reserve a Valve Steam Controller
Valve has confirmed that it plans to open Steam Controller reservations tomorrow at 10 am pacific time (6 PM BST). When Valve launched its new controller on May 4th, it sold out quickly, and resellers tried to resell them at huge profits. To combat scalping, Valve has placed limits on its Steam Controller reservation queue.
Once in Valve’s queue, their place in line will be saved. Users will be able to reserve one Steam Controller. Once the stock is available and a user reaches the top of Valve’s reservation list, they will receive an order email. Once this happens, they will have three days to purchase their controller. If they do not order a controller, they will lose their space in the queue.
To prevent scalping, users who have already ordered a Steam Controller will be unable to reserve another. Additionally, users must have a Steam account in good standing and have made a purchase on Steam before April 27th 2026. Below is Valve’s statement on Steam Controller reservations.
Steam Controller launched on May 4th, and while we were happy to see such a high level of interest, the experience for a lot of you trying to buy it was incredibly frustrating. We plan to continue replenishing stock as we get more in, but in the meantime wanted to share changes we’re making to improve the purchase experience and to limit reseller activity:
Beginning May 8th at 10 am Pacific, we’re opening a reservation queue for Steam Controller. Once you reserve, your place in line will be saved. When we go back in stock, order emails will be sent in the same order that reservations were made.
Here are the details on how we’re hoping to improve the experience overall while also taking steps to limit reseller activity:
Reservation details:
Reservations will be limited to one Steam Controller per user.
Once you receive an order email, you have three days (72 hours) to make your purchase on Steam.
For now, customers who have already purchased a Steam Controller are not yet eligible to reserve another Steam Controller.
Additionally:
Your account must be in good standing on Steam
You must have made a purchase on Steam prior to April 27, 2026
Replenishment of inventory will vary from region to region. We will start fulfilling reservations next week in the US / Canada, and UK / EU / AU in the following weeks.
– Valve on Steam
Valve’s Steam Controller is in high demand, and its reservation system will help gauge demand and ensure gamers get their hands on controllers first. It is clear that it will take a while for Valve to build enough Steam Controllers to meet demand, so it may take a while for users to get their reserved gamepad.
You can join the discussion on Valve’s plan to open “reservations” for its Steam Controller on the OC3D Forums.
