Home News No, Steam User Data Was Not Compromised In a Hack, Confirms Valve

No, Steam User Data Was Not Compromised In a Hack, Confirms Valve

Author : Gabriella Update : May 22,2025

Valve has firmly dismissed recent reports suggesting its Steam platform experienced a "major" data hack, confirming emphatically that there was "NOT a breach" of Steam's systems.

The initial concern among users stemmed from reports that over 89 million user records might have been compromised. However, Steam's thorough investigation revealed that the issue was limited to a leak of "older text messages." Importantly, these messages contained one-time code SMSs but did not include any personal data.

In a statement released on Steam, Valve detailed their findings: "The leak consisted of older text messages that included one-time codes that were only valid for 15-minute time frames and the phone numbers they were sent to. The leaked data did not associate the phone numbers with a Steam account, password information, payment information, or other personal data."

Valve reassured users that "old text messages cannot be used to breach the security of your Steam account." They further explained that any use of a code to change a Steam email or password via SMS triggers a confirmation sent via email and/or Steam secure messages, adding an extra layer of security.

Valve also took this opportunity to encourage players to set up the Steam Mobile Authenticator for 2-factor security, highlighting it as "the best way to send secure messages about your account and your account's safety."

Given the increasing frequency of data breaches and the vast number of Steam accounts—over 89 million—users had valid reasons to be concerned about a potential security compromise. The most notorious video game-related data breach occurred in 2011 when the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable networks were hacked, resulting in a severe outage lasting nearly a month and compromising 77 million accounts.

Moreover, it's not just customer data that's at risk. In October of the previous year, Pokémon developer Game Freak suffered a significant hack, leaking data about its current and former staff as well as its development pipeline. In 2023, Sony confirmed that data of nearly 7,000 of its current and former employees had been compromised in two breaches. Additionally, in December 2023, hackers breached confidential data at Marvel's Spider-Man developer, Insomniac.