A limited Steam account is one that hasn't spent at least US$5 in the Steam store. Valve uses the rule to make throwaway accounts less useful to spammers and phishers, and until you meet it, several features that traders rely on stay switched off. Here is what the limits are, what does and doesn't count toward lifting them, and how they interact with trading and the Community Market.
Why Steam limits new accounts
Valve's explanation is short. Malicious users often run dummy accounts that have never bought a game, an item or wallet credit, so Steam restricts certain community features until an account "has spent at least $5.00 USD in Steam." The idea is to put a small cost on every account used for spam, scams and phishing.
The rule dates from April 2015. Engadget noted at the time that it arrived the same week as the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator, and Game Developer reported that the first list of blocked features already included the Community Market and the Steam Web API.
You don't need to apply for anything. Once your spending reaches the threshold, the limits lift. Steam Support has a page showing your current limited-user spend, linked from Valve's FAQ.
What a limited account can't do
Valve's list, last updated in February 2026, is long and says it isn't complete. The items that matter most for CS2 players:
| Blocked feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Participating in the Steam Market | No buying or selling on the Community Market at all |
| Trading Steam Community items | Trading cards, booster packs, gems and similar items |
| Adding friends | You can accept invites and use Quick Invite links, but not send requests |
| Making your profile visible to non-friends | Your profile stays hidden from people who aren't your friends |
| Adding messages to trade offers | Offers go out without a note |
| Accessing the Steam Web API | No access to Valve's developer API |
| Gaining profile levels and trading cards | Your Steam level stays at 0 |
| Voting on Workshop items and submitting content | No votes on community skins, no uploads |
| Using browser and mobile chat | No chat in a web browser or the mobile app |
Discussions are restricted rather than closed. A limited account can post once it has 60 minutes of playtime (free games count), but only in hubs for games it owns, and only a small number of posts per day.
What counts toward the $5
Valve counts money spent in the Steam store. Its examples:
- adding the equivalent of US$5 or more to your Steam Wallet;
- buying games worth US$5 or more from the store;
- redeeming a Steam Wallet card worth US$5 or more;
- buying a Steam gift worth US$5 or more for someone else.
These don't count:
- receiving a game or a digital gift card as a gift, or getting a game through trading;
- activating a retail game or a promotional key from a hardware maker;
- free-to-play games, free demos and free weekends;
- spending money you earned by selling items on the Market;
- gifts you bought that the recipient hasn't redeemed yet.
That free-to-play rule covers CS2 itself. Installing and playing the game, however long, doesn't lift the limit, and neither does selling your drops on the Market and spending the proceeds.
Spending is tracked in US dollars. If your store uses another currency, Valve converts each purchase using the exchange rate on the day you made it, not today's rate. A purchase only counts once it has processed, so a pending payment won't lift the limit yet.
How you can become limited again
The status isn't permanent once lifted. If a purchase is refunded to your bank, or you dispute it with your bank, Valve subtracts that amount from your total, and if the total falls below US$5 the account is limited again. Refunds credited to your Steam Wallet, such as a refunded pre-order, don't change your status.
Valve also mentions a calculation mistake. If an account that used to have full access suddenly becomes limited, its FAQ says the total was most recently calculated as under US$5, and that a counting error commonly affected accounts with between US$1 and US$5 of spend.
How it affects trading
The clear rule is the Market: limited accounts can't use it, full stop. Valve's Trading and Market Restrictions page lists limited status as one of the reasons an account may be unable to trade or use the Market, and points to the same FAQ.
For trading CS2 items, Valve's list is less explicit. It names Steam Community items such as trading cards and gems, not game items, and third-party guides disagree about what happens with skins. In practice, the other limits make trading awkward anyway. You can't send friend requests, offers can't carry a message, and your profile stays hidden from strangers, which can make it harder for a trade partner or site to find your items. Our guide to privacy settings for trading covers what needs to be visible. If you're unsure, Steam Support's "Why can't I trade?" page, which you can open while signed in, shows the restrictions on your account.
Lifting the limit and the Market's own rules
Clearing limited status is only the first step toward the Market. Valve sets separate requirements on top:
- A qualifying purchase older than seven days. The account needs a successful purchase older than seven days but not older than a year. Wallet funds, games, DLC and software count; retail key activations and gift purchases don't.
- Steam Guard for 15 days. Steam Guard has to have been enabled for 15 days before you can trade or use the Market.
- No recent chargeback. A chargeback resets the purchase clock, and only purchases after it count.
Going by Valve's wording, adding US$5 or more to your wallet on Steam does two jobs at once: it lifts limited status and starts the seven-day Market clock. Set up the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator at the same time, since our guide to Steam Guard and trade holds shows how much waiting that saves. Then read Market fees and limits before you list anything, and note that money from Market sales stays in your Steam Wallet.
