The year is 2026, and the way we play has fundamentally shifted. We’re no longer just tethered to our desks; we’re taking our libraries to the train, the plane, and the local café. With the Steam Deck OLED now a veteran staple of the handheld scene and rumors of the Steam Deck 2‘s impending launch reaching a fever pitch, Valve’s ecosystem has never felt more vital.

But as our hardware evolves, so does the way we pay for our digital lives. If you’re still exclusively tethered to a traditional bank card for your Steam Summer Sale hauls, you might be playing the game on “Hard Mode” without even realizing it. Smart gamers have moved into a more flexible, private, and efficient lane: Cryptocurrency.

No longer the “Wild West”…