Steam users who have spent less than $5 on the site will be unable to access certain features due to a recent update from Valve.
In an effort to combat spamming and phishing, Valve now requires users to spend $5+ to send friend invites, vote on Steam Greenlight, and use various other features. The full list includes:
- Sending friend invites
- Opening group chat
- Voting on Greenlight, Steam Reviews and Workshop items
- Participating in the Steam Market
- Posting frequently in the Steam Discussions
- Gaining Steam Profile Levels (Locked to level 0) and Trading Cards
- Submitting content on the Steam Workshop
- Posting in an item's Steam Workshop Discussions
- Accessing the Steam Web API
- Using browser and mobile chat
Activating games on Steam or launching free-to-play games won't remove the restrictions. User must purchase a game, add funds to the Steam wallet, or purchase a gift for another person.
Steam users who only play games like Dota 2 or Team Fortress 2 might be frustrated, but hopefully the update helps rid the community of troublesome spambots.
