What are points (or, as they’re often called, points) in Steam? They’re the platform’s internal bonus currency. What are these points good for? They can only be spent on cosmetic profile customization—backgrounds, avatars, frames, animations—and on seasonal badges to level up your account. They’re not money: they can’t be spent on games or in-game items.
In this guide, I’ll tell you how to get Steam Points, where to get them, what they provide, whether you can sell them or transfer them to friends, and whether you’ll be banned for purchasing them on third-party sites.
Where can I see my Steam Points?
To check your balance, log into Steam and hover over “Shop” in the top bar. Then, select “Points for Items”—this is the main points store. In the upper right corner, you’ll see how many points you have. Below, I’ll explain how points are earned and spent.
Why do you need Steam Points?
These bonuses are primarily intended for customization. Available options include:
- Change avatar;
- Setting a unique profile background;
- Choice of style and frames;
- Animated effects.
Additionally, points can be exchanged for experience: by purchasing a seasonal badge, you will receive 100 experience points for every thousand Steam points.
How to buy a background for points
Inside the Points Store, open the “Backgrounds” tab, located in the “Profile” section. Here you can find images from games you’ve played, as well as other popular games. There are both static and animated images, as well as separate “wallpapers” for the mini-profile that appears when you hover over your avatar in your friends list.
- It is important to remember that points cannot be spent on purchasing games or in-game items.
You can buy new avatars in a similar way.
How to use points for rewards
Points can be used to reward other users: like a guide, screenshot, mod, or even just someone’s profile. To do this, click “Reward” on the content page and select a reward.
Important change from January 14, 2026:
Previously, community rewards you received earned you a portion of your points, allowing you to farm points for free. However, Valve removed this mechanic. Now you can’t earn points for other people’s rewards. Rewards are purely a moral incentive, and they are all worth exactly 500 points (previously, the price varied).
An example of how to present an award:
- Go to the “Community” section;
- Find some review of the game;
- Click on it;
- Below, click on “Reward”.
For presenting awards you will receive a “Community Patron” badge, and for receiving them you will receive a “Community Contribution” badge.
How to get Steam Points
After the January update, free methods (through rewards) no longer work. Two working options remain.
Earn for shopping
Points are awarded for every purchase in the Steam store: games, DLC, in-game items, and music. The exchange rate is 117 points per 100 rubles. Important: Wallet top-ups and Community Market purchases do not earn points.
Farm by reselling items
This method still works today. The idea is: you buy an item in-game (for example, Dota 2 or CS2), receive bonuses in the form of points, then sell the same item on the Marketplace, getting a portion of the money back. You repeat the cycle—this way you can earn points with minimal losses (just the Marketplace commission). This is how many people farm points easily and without major investments.
Is it possible to buy Steam points?
Can I buy them directly on Steam? No, the store doesn’t sell them. Previously, there was a workaround—gifting rewards. As of January 14, 2026, this no longer works. It’s no longer possible to transfer or withdraw points as real money—they remain only within the platform.
Some people try to get points from third-party sites, but buying them there is risky, as it violates Steam’s rules.
Can Steam Points be transferred?
It’s not possible to gift or transfer points directly to another user. There used to be a way to do this through rewards, but it’s been disabled. Valve explained this by saying the system rewarded clickbait content over quality. Now, earned points remain solely with the person who earned them.
How to sell Steam Points
Sales take place outside of Steam, on external platforms or by private arrangement. Points can be sold, but posting ads on Steam itself is prohibited. Furthermore, after the removal of rewards transfers, demand for such services has fallen, as it’s impossible to withdraw them from the balance and transfer them to the buyer.
Do you get banned for buying glasses?
Bans for purchasing points from third-party sites are rare, but there is a risk. Valve warns that such transactions violate the user agreement. If you decide to buy points from third-party sites, do so at your own risk.
Quick summary: What Steam Points will give you in 2026
|
What can you do with glasses? |
Works? |
|---|---|
|
Buy backgrounds, avatars, profile designs |
✅ Yes |
|
Level up through badges |
✅ Yes |
|
Give rewards to others (spend your points) |
✅ Yes |
|
Earn points for rewards from others |
❌ No (since January 14, 2026) |
|
Transfer points to friends |
❌ No |
|
Earn money for Steam purchases |
✅ Yes |
|
Farm by reselling items |
✅ Yes |
The key: in 2026, there are only two ways to earn Steam points: by purchasing content or by farming them through resale. They’re no longer easy or free to obtain. It’s up to you to decide how to spend them, and you can always see where your bonuses are in the Points Store.
If you want to check your balance, open the “Points for Items” section. You can’t claim them as cash or withdraw them, but they’re quite useful for cosmetics.