Steam Offers Free Games As Apology For Hardware Delay, You Could Be Eligible
Topics: Steam, Steam Machine, Valve, PC
Featured Image Credit: Valve
Topics: Steam, Steam Machine, Valve, PC
Steam users are being offered free games by way of apology, as many users have yet to receive Valve’s latest hardware launch.
Earlier this month, Valve officially launched its new Steam Controller. With fancy trackpads, a built-in Wilhelm scream and compatibility with the upcoming Steam Machine console, it’s a great bit of kit, if you can get your hands on one.
Supply and demand has been a real issue. However, if you ordered one of the new controllers that are yet to receive one, get in touch because Steam is offering a free game as a goodwill gesture.
The large majority of Steam users will probably have their new controllers by now but those that haven’t probably aren’t to blame.
Sometimes packages get lost in transit, sent to the wrong location, or never dispatched from the supplier in the first place. All of which can entitle customers to compensation.
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Shared by internet hall of fame on X, one U.S. customer’s Steam Controller never turned up and when they got in touch with Steam Support, they were told the controller had been incorrectly shipped to the U.K.
That’s not ideal, especially when the Steam Controller costs $99, but the story has a happy ending.
Steam Support apologised for the mistake and as a show of good faith, the customer was asked to select one standard edition Steam game available in their region to be gifted. That’s quite a generous offer, especially given the price of AAA games nowadays!
Steam Support let this customer pick any standard game off Steam for free after there was a mix up with the shipping of his Steam Controller pic.twitter.com/SY2YZbcAiV
— internet hall of fame (@InternetH0F) May 14, 2026
That said, it's not a surprise given Steam’s reputation. The company is celebrated not just for its digital storefront but also for its support network, with this event being a perfect example of the company going above and beyond what’s expected. All that was needed was a new Steam Controller; the free game was just a nice bonus.
Judging from the response message though it looks like quite a few U.S customers will have missed the arrival of their new controller.
So, if you’ve ordered the Steam Controller and it hasn’t turned up yet, we’d encourage you to get in touch with Steam Support. There’s no guarantee you’ll get a free game like the above user of course, but there’s a good chance you’ll get something as compensation. Plus, you’ll at least get your Steam Controller eventually.
Like we said before, the main difficulty has been supply and demand, as thousands of PC owners have been after this new hardware.
We’re standing on the tip of the iceberg though as next up is the Steam Machine, which is bound to sell out fast, so hopefully a good preorder system is being put in place.
Those yet to snag a new Steam Controller but plan on purchasing the Steam Machine when it’s out might be better hanging on, as the new console will include a controller with certain bundles.
READ MORE: Steam Machine Pre-Orders Are Imminent, Valve Reservation Code Reveals