How to Get Trading Cards Steam
The trading cards Steam system provides a fun method for players to collect rewards while playing their favorite games. These cards are part of Steam’s larger community features, which let players collect, trade, and craft objects to enhance their gaming experience. But how can you get trading cards on Steam?
In this article, we’ll look at what are steam trading cards used for, how to get trading cards Steam, how to maximize your card collection in the Steam environment.
What are Steam trading cards used for
1. Buying Games on Steam
This is the most common application of a Steam card. Redeem it to purchase thousands of PC games in categories such as
Action, Strategy, RPG, Adventure
Indie, Simulation, and Multiplayer
Your Steam Wallet balance is applied directly at checkout.
2. Purchasing In-Game Items
Many top games on Steam, such as CS:GO, Dota 2, and PUBG, include exclusive in-game content:
Skins
Weapons
Characters
Loot boxes
Steam cards allow you to pay for them without associating your credit card.
3. Buying Software or Subscriptions
Steam isn’t only for games. You may use your Steam balance to purchase:
Animation and design software
Video editing tools
Game development engines like RPG Maker
4. Gifting to Friends and Family
Not sure what game to give? Let them pick! Steam cards are ideal gifts for:
Birthdays
Holidays
Special occasions
Digital gift cards can be sent instantaneously to a friend’s Steam account.
5. Purchasing Steam Hardware
Steam also sells actual devices, including
Steam Controller
You can purchase items straight from Steam’s shop using your Steam Wallet balance, which has been paid with a card.
6. Participating in Steam Sales & Events
Steam runs massive sales during:
Summer Sale
Winter Holiday Sale
Halloween Sale
Black Friday & Flash Sales
Having a Steam Wallet balance allows you to purchase discounted games immediately.
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How to Get Trading Cards Steam for Free
Getting trade cards on Steam is quite simple, but it takes some time and work. Here’s how to collect them:
Play the game.
The primary way to acquire trading cards is to play games that support them. Not all Steam games have trade cards, so make sure the game you’re playing is eligible. Games like this will reward you with cards as you play.
Earn Cards During Gameplay.
As you play, you will gradually obtain trading cards based on your progress. Typically, simply playing through a game allows you to obtain half of its trade cards. The more you play, the more cards you’ll get.
Purchase cards from the Steam marketplace.
After you’ve accumulated some trade cards, you can use the Steam Marketplace to buy or sell them. This is an excellent way to complete sets if you are missing a certain card or to sell additional cards that you no longer need.
Get Cards Through Booster Packs.
Once you have acquired half of a game’s trading card set, you are entitled to obtain booster packs. These packs provide more cards to help you finish the set. Booster packs are randomly distributed, so you may not receive one right away.
How to get Steam trading cards without playing
Before you begin using either program, you must have an eligible Steam account. Starting a new Steam account from scratch and simply purchasing the cheapest games available will not work. Idling free-to-play games that you haven’t paid for will not work either.
There are two hurdles to Steam trading cards: your account’s status and the games’ eligibility. First, new accounts are “limited.” Your account will only be fully functional if you’ve paid $5 on games or microtransactions. Purchasing a couple $0.35 games and expecting to farm trading cards will not work.
You may always add $5 to your Steam Wallet to eliminate the limitation on your account. However, because you must spend the $5 on that individual account, you cannot use free games as a workaround.
The second consideration is which games are eligible. Most games will not drop trading cards till the refund period has ended or you have played for more than two hours. Free-to-play games only drop cards after you’ve paid $9 in microtransactions on the game.
You’re ready to get started with a full Steam account and eligible games. Remember to only utilize programs that other users can attest to. You should avoid any Steam scams or dangerous malware.
Option 1: Idle Master
Out of the two solutions, Idle Master is more user-friendly for beginners. Its setup is minimal, and its user interface is simple to learn.
Setup
The program’s setup is as simple as downloading it from the Idle Master website, extracting the folder to your computer, and executing two applications. You do not need to install anything.
The applications in question are IdleMaster.exe and steam-idle.exe, which should be executed as an administrator. The Idle Master application displays the program’s interface, whereas steam-idle.exe is a background process.
In Idle Master’s window, enter your Steam login information. When using Idle Master, leave Steam open so that the program can correctly connect to your account.
The minimal UI displays a few facts, like if Steam is open, whether Idle Master is connected to your account, and whether idling is active. If everything is in order, the UI will display information about the game that is now running. It displays how many card drops remain, how many games are now idle, and how many are left to idle.
Every 15 minutes, the program checks to see how far it has progressed. If these details do not update (and the playtime duration remains unchanged), you have most likely neglected to launch steam-idle.exe.
In the program options, you may select whether to idle games concurrently, separately, or a combination of the two based on play duration. If you’re idling numerous games, the preview changes slightly. Instead of game images, you’ll see a list of titles and recorded hours.
You can idle up to 30 games at once. This is useful for getting to the two-hour mark, after which trading card drops begin. Following that, you may want to use individual idling to boost the likelihood of drops.
If everything works successfully, your Steam client will ultimately display new inventory items. The Idle Master progress bar fills with green, and the quantity of cards remaining changes.
Option 2: ArchiSteamFarm
ArchiSteamFarm (ASF) is a more advanced and flexible Steam idler. It takes more time and effort to set up, and the UI is not user-friendly.
However, what it lacks in appearance, it more than compensates for in functionality. ASF is an effective and efficient technique for quickly earning trade cards. It is also open source, meaning it is free to download and modify.
Setup
Like IM, this program does not require any installation. Rather, there are just extra steps to do to get the application to function. First, get the appropriate version of ASF for your PC. The download is available from the ArchiSteamFarm GitHub website.
After downloading, extract the files into a folder on your computer. While there are other files and folders, you only need to look at ArchiSteamFarm.exe and the config folder. You can also add a desktop shortcut to the ASF application for easier access.
Simply go to the URL, click the Bot option, and fill out the required information. These details include the name of your file (e.g., “FarmTool”), your Steam username, and password. In addition, you must select Enabled. Experienced users can see advanced settings beneath the toggles.
Once finished, click Download to get your JSON configuration file. Then, paste this file into your ASF configuration folder.
Now you may start the ASF application by double-clicking the ArchiSteamFarm.exe file in the extracted folder. The application takes the shape of a basic console window, much like the Windows Command Prompt.
You must then enter the Steam Guard key you received by email (or the Steam Authenticator code if two-factor authentication is enabled). Once you confirm, a new set of text will appear. This provides information about whether ASF successfully connected to Steam.
You’ll know everything is fine when the text loads with information about the games ASF is idle. These details include the total number of idle games and accessible trading cards.
From here on out, simply let the application do its job. Trading cards will soon start appearing in your inventory.
How to sell Steam Trading cards
To sell a Steam Trading Card, navigate to the Market section of the Community Menu. Once there, click on Sell An Item, which will take you to a new menu.
You must select an item from your inventory, and after selecting a certain card, you will be able to determine the sale price. Accept the conditions of the Steam Subscriber Agreement, and you’ll be allowed to sell it! Good luck!
Conclusion
Steam trading cards are a fun way to interact with the Steam community, receive rewards, and improve your profile. By playing supported games, purchasing cards, or trading with other players, you may gradually build up an outstanding collection. Steam trading cards can be used for a variety of purposes, including constructing badges, collecting profile items, and creating Steam Wallet funds. Happy collecting!
