Steam's Update Simplifies Gifting & Brings Custom Wishlist Categories

Steam introduces updates to gifting and wishlists, making it easier to send gifts and organize the games you'd like to play. Check out the overview of the new options below.

With Guest checkout, you can send a wishlist share link to a friend or family member, and they can purchase gifts directly from that list even if they don't have their own Steam account. If someone wants to send a gift without spoiling the surprise, they can use the recipient's email address instead.

If you don't know your friend's Steam account name, you can send a digital card or a game directly to their email. What is more, it shouldn't necessarily be the email address they used for their Steam account: the email will include a link to sign in to their account. As for game prices, which may vary by region, Steam will calculate the cost based on your friend's region at checkout.

Another notable change is that Steam no longer requires you to be friends with someone to send them a gift. You can also generate a shared wishlist link narrowed down to specific titles. If the recipient opens it and decides to buy you a game, your details will be automatically filled in as the gift recipient at checkout.

As for the Wishlists, you can now create custom categories and assign them to games in your list, making it easier to navigate and find specific titles. For example, you could group games featured in a particular event, titles best played with a controller, or games you have in mind as gifts for someone else. Another new option is that you can now share a link not only to the entire wishlist but to a separate category.

Other improvements include a faster wishlist search with autocomplete, demo availability highlights and notifications, and smoother navigation across browser, mobile, Steam Client, and Steam OS.

By the way, if you would like to have a fresh look at your Steam library, check out these two entertaining games: Game Quest: The Backlog Battler by Nic Taylor, where games you never played turn against you, and a Tinder-like browser app, Dustpile, from indie developer tolgatr0n.