To change your Steam region, you switch your store country while completing a purchase with a payment method from the country you actually live in; the option shows up in your cart or at checkout, and it is offered only once every 3 months. Steam's official wording is “store country” rather than region, and this guide reflects Steam Support's Steam Store Country article as checked on October 6, 2026 in all six language versions. What happens to a purchase afterward is a separate topic covered in how Steam refunds work, so this page stays on the country setting only.
Verdict: who can actually switch
By the official article, the people who can switch are those who have moved or live abroad for a long period and can use a payment method from that country. If you are only traveling, the store keeps showing prices for your set country and you can buy as if at home, so there is little reason to change anything. If your country already matches, or you have no local payment method, you will be stopped at the conditions in the table below. Once the country setting is sorted and you plan to install a game such as PUBG, follow the order below.
The sequence, from checking to completing the purchase
- 1Check the store country in Account Details — Sign in to Steam and open the Account Details page, which is where the official article says to look for your current country. It requires a login, so this guide does not describe the screen layout. If the country shown already matches where you live, there is nothing to change.
- 2Place yourself in the right situation — If you moved or are living abroad for a long period, you are the case the article covers. If you are just traveling, you can keep buying at your set country's prices as usual. A new account that has not made a first purchase cannot switch while traveling and has to wait until you are back in your country of residence.
- 3Line up a local payment method — You need a payment method that works in the country where you now live. The article says that during checkout, every payment method available in the current store country is listed. If all you hold are codes, they cannot be used to change the country, so decide at this stage whether you are already blocked.
- 4Pick your current country in the cart — Add the game to your cart and open the cart page. If your actual location differs from the store country, the change option appears. The official example is a user moving from Germany to the United States: choosing the current country refreshes the cart, prices, and payment options. The article does not give exact button names, so follow the wording on your screen.
- 5Complete the purchase, then verify — Finish the purchase with a payment method from the new country and the account country is updated. Go back to Account Details to confirm it changed, and note today's date, because the next change is limited to once every 3 months.
The official rules at a glance
| Item | What the official article says (checked October 6, 2026) | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Official term | Steam Store Country | You may search for “change region,” but the setting is named after the country |
| How your current country was set | Based on where you made your first Steam purchase; shown in Account Details | It follows an earlier purchase location, so it may differ from where you live now |
| When the change option appears | If your real location differs from the store country, while viewing your cart or during checkout | The route the article describes is an option inside the purchase flow |
| Conditions | Store country set to where you currently live, plus a local payment method for it | Both your residence and your payment method have to line up |
| Frequency limit | The store country can be changed once every 3 months | Do not plan on switching back and forth in quick succession |
| What cannot change it | CD keys and Steam Wallet codes cannot be used to change the store country | A code is a way to pay, not a way to switch country |
| New users before a first purchase | Cannot change temporarily while traveling; can set it after returning to the country of residence | The point is to set up the account and store country before you travel |
Six things to check when it will not change
- Check whether 3 months have passed since your last change. The article does not say how the period is counted, so do not work out dates on your own.
- Check whether your real location differs from the account's store country. If they match, there is no reason for the option to appear.
- Check that you are completing the purchase with a local payment method from that country.
- Check that you are not relying only on a CD key or Steam Wallet code; the article states they cannot be used to change the country.
- Check whether a brand-new account that has not made a first purchase is being used while you travel.
- If none of these apply and it still fails, contact Steam Support through the account help wizard linked below, and follow the steps shown after you sign in.
After you install a game you bought on Steam
Once the game is bought and installed, you can start with a supported title like Counter-Strike, where the DOR app records the full match automatically and turns highlights such as kills into clips on its own. If you are still weighing which tool to use for CS clips, the CS2 clipping software comparison is the next read.
Official sources
Steam Support: Steam Store Country was checked on October 6, 2026. For contacting support, use the Steam Support account help wizard, and to see your current country, sign in and open Steam Account Details.
