Steam drops free trading cards for winter sale 2024, fans disappointed

Steam users are voicing their disappointment over the removal of free trading cards for completing the Discovery Queue during this year’s Winter Sale. Traditionally, exploring the Discovery Queue — a curated list of game recommendations — earned users a free trading card daily. This feature, popular among users who enjoyed collecting cards to craft event badges or sell on the community market, was notably absent from the 2024 sale.

The change has sparked widespread discussion on Reddit and the Steam forums. Posts lamenting the loss of the free cards have quickly gained traction, with one Reddit thread gathering over 1,800 upvotes in just hours. Many users expressed nostalgia for the feature, which they say added extra excitement to Steam sales beyond simply purchasing games.

“I hate getting these perma-inventory items. I wish they’d made it abundantly clear they’d replaced cards on the Discovery Queue this year before I added this junk to my inventory.” one user wrote. Another added “I really dislike this change, and no way in hell am I going to go through discovery que now for those stupid stickers perma stuck in my inventory. Does anyone even use them?”

A few even took to X sharing screenshots with confusion about why the trading cards are missing.

Some speculate the removal may have been intended to curb abuse by bots and multi-account setups that farmed cards to sell for profit. While a few users acknowledged this issue, most argued that the harm caused by such abuse was minimal compared to the goodwill the feature brought. Others suggested that Valve could have implemented stricter safeguards rather than scrapping the feature entirely.

Adding to the disappointment, this year’s Winter Sale also did away with the free cards users previously received for voting in the Steam Awards. For many, these cards were an easy way to earn a level-one event badge — a collectible that commemorated participation in Steam’s seasonal events. Now, users can only obtain cards by spending money during the sale, with one card earned for every $10 spent.

As the 2024 Winter Sale unfolds, the removal of free trading cards has struck a chord, highlighting how much Steam’s approach to community engagement has shifted. Whether Valve plans to address these concerns or continue this pared-down approach is unclear, but for now, many fans are reminiscing about the days when Steam sales felt truly special.

Feel free to share your thoughts on Steam’s decision to get rid of free trading cards for completing the Discovery Queue this year in the comments section below.