Steam allows users to purchase games and other content from the store and gift it to friends, but actually accepting a gift might prove to be difficult for Steam Deck users. Players have to dig deep into the UI menus to accept a gift on the Steam Deck, but thankfully, there’s little hassle beyond that.
The Steam Deck will mostly look familiar to longtime users of Steam, as SteamOS is an overhauled version of Steam’s Big Picture in many ways. The most notable change is that users can more easily find the best games to play on Steam Deck. Browsing the game library, purchasing games, and downloading updates are all quite intuitive on the handheld PC. Sifting through some of the intricacies of the Steam Deck can be a bit more challenging.
Though longtime Steam users who have a desktop can accept the gift in the ways they’re used to, newcomers who are just getting into Steam through the Steam Deck may not have that option. The Steam Deck was ranked among the best pieces of new tech in 2022, and there will be a dedicated Deck-only user base in the future who won’t have the PC version of Steam. Thankfully, Valve does allow users to accept gifts directly through the Steam Deck if they know where to look.
How to Accept Gifts on Steam Deck
Steam Deck users can accept a gift through a prompt on the home menu. The prompt appears on the screen after the user receives a gift but does not appear after. This offers quick access to the gifts section of their inventory, allowing users to easily accept the gift and start downloading their new game or content.
If users miss out on this prompt, there is another way to accept the gift. This is done through their profile’s inventory page. Here is the step-by-step process for accepting the gift:
- Go to the Steam Deck home menu.
- Tap on or select the profile’s avatar in the top right corner of the menu.
- Hit the “View Profile” button.
- Select “Inventory.”
- Open the “Pending Gifts” section.
- Accept Gift.
Once the user accepts the gift, it will be added to their game library. This allows them to start downloading their new game. This isn’t a particularly intuitive setup, but with Valve releasing regular Steam Deck improvements, a quicker option may come soon.
How to Buy Gifts on Steam Deck
Users can also purchase gifts for friends on Steam Deck. Add a game to the Steam Deck shopping cart and users will have the option to purchase the game as a gift.
After selecting “Purchase as Gift,” users will be sent to the gift menu, where they get to select which person on their friend list will receive the gift. Alongside this is the ability to “Schedule Send,” which can be used to have the gift sent at a specific date and time. This is ideal for buying a gift in advance for someone’s birthday or another special occasion.
With more than 7,000 games rated as “Playable” or “Great on Deck,” users can comfortably buy a load of games for their friends, whether on PC or Steam Deck.