There is a phone-number wall in front of Steam, and this is the way through it. No code, no charge: a number that brings none is never billed. Rent one for the moment you need it: choose where it should come from, type it into Steam, and read the Steam code straight out of your SMS For U account. Behind that sit 1,400 services and numbers bought in markets on four continents.
How you get your code
- Start in SMS For U by looking up Steam.
- The app lists the countries open for Steam at this moment; choose one of those.
- Say yes, and a working number is on your screen immediately.
- Hand that number to Steam at Steam Guard → Phone number, then trigger the code.
- Watch it land in SMS For U by itself, and paste it back where Steam asked.
Why a phone number is asked for
Steam uses the phone number as a second factor: it is what stands between your library and somebody who has your password. Steam does not ask during sign-up: the number is added later, in the account settings. The number goes in at: Steam Guard → Phone number. Steam normally asks for the number once and does not come back to it afterwards.
What the code looks like
Steam sends a short numeric code by SMS. You do not have to go looking for it: the Steam code drops into your SMS For U account by itself, seconds after Steam lets it go. The window Steam allows is short, so do not leave the code sitting in your account. One number can usually serve more than one Steam account, although Steam may limit that.
What can go wrong
Steam accepts numbers from many countries but not from all of them. Which countries work for Steam changes over time, because Steam adjusts its checks and because the available ranges of numbers change. That is the honest state of it — we can hand you a number, we cannot make Steam take it. Read none of this as Steam committing to anything. We keep success numbers off the page on purpose: they age faster than the page does.
Countries we serve
We work in the 50 markets set out below, and a Steam number can come from any of them at one time or another. That is a map of our reach, not a stock report: what is free for Steam moves hour by hour as ranges are spent and replenished. Before you count on a particular market for Steam, look at the country screen in the app, which is the one place this question has a current answer.
- Germany
- Austria
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Poland
- Portugal
- Sweden
- Norway
- Denmark
- Finland
- Ireland
- Czechia
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Slovenia
- Greece
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Cyprus
- Malta
- Iceland
- USA
- Canada
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Argentina
- Colombia
- India
- Indonesia
- Philippines
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Singapore
- Hong Kong
- Japan
- Australia
- South Africa
- Nigeria
- Turkey
- Ukraine
Common questions
How do I get a Steam verification code without my own SIM card?
Open SMS For U, search for Steam and pick a country. You get a real phone number, you enter it at Steam (Steam Guard → Phone number), and the code Steam sends appears in your SMS For U account by itself. No SIM card is involved, and the Steam number is not yours to keep.
How fast does the Steam code arrive?
The Steam code appears in your account within seconds of Steam sending it. How long Steam itself takes is up to Steam and to the country the number comes from, which is why nothing here is worded as a promise.
What happens if no Steam code arrives?
You do not pay for a Steam number that brought no code. Cancel the order in the app and the payment is refunded as soon as the cancellation is confirmed. That is the whole rule, and it is why a failed Steam attempt costs nothing: no code, no charge.
Which countries can I use for Steam?
Steam numbers come from the 50 markets listed on this page. Which of them can be picked for Steam at this moment is on the country screen in the app: that list moves through the day, and a page in a search index cannot keep up with it.
Can I use the same number for Steam again later?
A used Steam number is not reserved for you indefinitely. Steam normally does not come back to it after sign-up, but if you need lasting access to the Steam account, use a number of your own.