Valve is revamping the Steam Wishlist: You can now organize your saved games into custom categories, filter them, and share them individually. At the same time, gifting games has become much easier—in the future, you’ll be able to do so via email address, as a guest without an account, and across national borders. According to Valve, both features have already been rolled out.
Key Points at a Glance
- For the first time, the Steam Wishlist supports custom categories, complete with filters, autocomplete, and micro-trailers that appear when you hover over a game.
- Notifications can be customized by category—such as for sales, full versions, Early Access, or new demos.
- Games can now be gifted via email address without knowing the recipient’s Steam username.
- Guest purchases are now also available for games—no Steam account required.
- Gifts work across regions; Steam automatically calculates the appropriate regional price.
Categories for the Steam Wishlist
Until now, the Steam Wishlist was little more than a long list of items: add, remove, reorder—that was it. With this update, you can finally organize the list. Under each title, you’ll now see which categories the game is already assigned to. You can add or remove categories using a new “±” button. You can also assign a category right away in the “Add to Wishlist” menu directly on a game’s store page.
This is especially handy for anyone whose wishlist has grown to triple digits over the years. Instead of scrolling endlessly, you can filter by “Co-op with Friends,” “Waiting for Sale,” or whatever else makes sense to you. Other improvements to the wishlist:
- Category notifications: You decide what Steam notifies you about—for example, when a title goes on sale, is released as a full version, or launches in Early Access.
- Demo notification: If a demo becomes available for a game on your wishlist, you’ll receive a notification.
- Autocomplete in the Wishlist search.
- Micro-trailers: When you hover your mouse over a game image, a short trailer will play—just like on the homepage.
- Improved contrast and readability, as well as more reliable navigation in the browser and the Steam app.
- Share by Category: Share links now also work for individual categories or filtered views.
Gifting Steam Games: What’s Changing
The second major update concerns gifting. Previously, you had to know the recipient’s Steam name and, as a rule, be friends with them. That requirement has now been removed. The most important changes:
- Gifting via Email: Games and gift cards can be sent using an email address. This does not have to be the address the recipient uses for their Steam account.
- Purchasing as a guest: All Steam games can now be purchased as a guest and gifted to users with a Steam account. Previously, this was only possible for hardware and digital gift cards—a feature Valve introduced in 2024.
- Cross-regional: Gifts can now be sent across national borders. Steam automatically calculates the correct price for the respective region at the time of purchase.
- Gifting from the Wishlist: You can gift games or gift cards directly from someone else’s wishlist—and you no longer need to be friends with that person to do so.
One detail Valve mentions in its announcement that’s worth keeping in mind: If the recipient doesn’t accept a game sent via email within 30 days, the purchase will be automatically refunded. Additionally, you can set a future delivery date at the time of purchase—which is handy for birthdays or Christmas.
All the new features at a glance
| Section | New Feature |
|---|---|
| Wish List | Custom categories, filters, and sorting |
| Wish List | Category-based notifications (Sale, Release, Early Access, Demo) |
| Wish List | Auto-complete, micro-trailers, better contrast |
| Wishlist | Share individual categories and filtered views |
| Give as a gift | Send via email address |
| Send as a gift | Guest purchases of games without an account |
| Gift | Cross-region gifts with automatic price adjustment |
| Gift | Giving gifts via the wish list without being friends |
| Gifting | Scheduled delivery date, automatic refund after 30 days |
Frequently Asked Questions About the New Steam Wishlist
How do I create categories on the Steam Wishlist?
Open your Wishlist and use the new “±” button below a game to create a category or move a game into one. Alternatively, you can assign a category directly on the store page using the “Add to Wishlist” menu.
Can I gift a Steam game without having my own account?
Yes. With this update, you can purchase any Steam game as a guest and gift it to a user with a Steam account. Previously, guest purchases were only available for hardware and gift cards.
Does gifting via email work across national borders?
Sending gifts via email is initially intended for accounts in the same country. However, cross-region gifting is generally possible for games—Steam automatically adjusts the price to match the recipient’s region.
What happens if the gift isn’t accepted?
If a game sent via email isn’t redeemed within 30 days, Steam will automatically refund the purchase, according to Valve.
Conclusion: Long-Overdue, But Really Great Changes
At first glance, both updates seem unspectacular, but they solve real everyday problems. Anyone who’s maintained a Steam wishlist that’s grown over the years has probably been wanting categories for a long time—it’s almost surprising that they’re only coming now. And the more flexible gifting feature noticeably lowers the barrier to entry, especially for people who hardly play themselves but want to give someone a gift. In short: the kind of quality-of-life features you’d hope for. It remains to be seen whether Valve will later expand the categories with smart automatic suggestions.
