Valve has announced that the reservation queue for its Steam Machine hardware is expected to be fully processed by the end of 2026. The company is currently fulfilling orders on a daily basis, and anticipates that all customers currently in the reservation queue will have an opportunity to purchase their reserved machine within that timeframe.
The reservation system, introduced in June, utilized a randomized lottery to determine order. Sign-ups closed on June 25, after which all entries were randomized to establish a reservation order. Those at the front of the line were placed in the reservation queue, with others moved to a waitlist until more stock became available. Valve noted that the pace of fulfilling reservations varies by product and region due to demand. In some instances, the reservation queue has been depleted, and the company has begun inviting customers from the waitlist.
Customers on the waitlist will not be able to bypass those with existing reservations. Valve will only invite waitlist customers if the reservation queue for a specific product and region is exhausted. The process involves receiving an email notification about an elevated reservation status, followed by a three-day window to complete the purchase. Failure to purchase within this period will result in the reservation being offered to another customer. If a customer is moved from a waitlist into the reservation queue, they will receive an email about their new status first, with a purchase email to follow once their turn in the queue arrives.
While this indicates that all currently reserved Steam Machines will eventually be available for purchase, the timeline means that some customers may face a considerable wait to receive their hardware. The company stressed that the end-of-year timeframe refers to when purchase opportunities will be emailed, not necessarily when all units will be delivered.