What Are Steam Trading Cards?
Steam Trading Cards are collectible digital cards that drop while you play eligible games. Each game with card support has a set of unique cards — typically 5 to 15 in a full set. Collect a complete set and you can craft it into a badge, which awards XP toward your Steam Level, profile backgrounds, emoticons, and discount coupons.
How Do You Earn Trading Cards?
Cards drop automatically as you play supported games, but there are important limits:
- You can only earn a limited number of card drops per game (roughly half the set size).
- Card drops are based on time played, not specific in-game actions.
- Once you've received your allotted drops for a game, no more will fall — you must trade or buy the rest.
- Free-to-play games require spending money on in-game items before cards drop.
You can check your remaining card drops by hovering over the game in your library — it will display "X card drops remaining."
Getting the Rest of the Set: Trading and the Market
Since you can only earn half a set through drops, you have several options for completing it:
Trading with Friends or the Community
Steam's trade system lets you exchange cards directly with other players. To initiate a trade:
- Go to a friend's profile and click "Offer a Trade", or send a trade offer via your Steam Inventory.
- Add cards from your inventory and request theirs in exchange.
- Both parties confirm and the trade completes instantly.
The Steam Community Market
The Steam Community Market lets you buy and sell cards for real money (held as Steam Wallet balance). Most common cards sell for a few cents each. To use the Market:
- Navigate to Community > Market in the top menu.
- Search for the game's name + "Trading Card" to find listings.
- Buy cards individually to complete your set without trading.
Selling your duplicate cards is a great way to accumulate small amounts of Steam Wallet funds for future purchases.
Crafting Badges
Once you have a complete card set, you can craft a badge:
- Go to your Steam Profile > Badges.
- Find the game and click "Craft Badge".
- The cards are consumed and you receive the badge, XP, a background, emoticons, and a coupon.
You can craft the same badge up to 5 times (or more for Foil Badges), each at a higher tier with a different badge design.
Foil Cards and Foil Badges
Some card drops are Foil Cards — rarer versions with a shimmering appearance. A complete set of foil cards can be crafted into a Foil Badge, which is unique from the standard badge. Foil cards are worth more on the Market due to their rarity.
Steam Level and Why It Matters
Crafting badges gives you XP that raises your Steam Level. Higher levels provide:
| Steam Level Milestone | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Level 5 | Showcase slots unlock on your profile |
| Every 10 levels | +1 Friend list capacity (above the base 250) |
| Every 10 levels | +20% XP booster pack drop chance from games |
Is It Worth Chasing Cards?
For most players, trading cards are a casual side activity. Selling your drops passively earns small amounts of Steam credit over time. If you enjoy collecting and customizing your profile, crafting badges is a satisfying hobby. If you're purely focused on gaming, you can safely ignore them entirely — they have no effect on gameplay.
Getting Started Today
Simply play any card-enabled game and check your Steam Inventory after a session. You'll likely already have a few cards waiting. From there, explore the Market, find trading communities, and start building your badge collection at your own pace.