Valve is changing how the new Steam Controller goes back on sale after a launch rush left many would-be buyers watching stock disappear. The company will open a reservation queue on May 8 at 10 AM Pacific, giving Steam users a place in line before the next batch of controllers becomes available.
The new system follows a messy first wave for the hardware. Valve said in a Steam News post that the controller launched on May 4 and that the buying experience was "incredibly frustrating" for many customers, even as the company was pleased to see high interest. The post frames the reservation queue as a way to improve the purchase process and limit reseller activity.
Anyone who joins the queue will not be buying a controller immediately. Valve says order emails will be sent in the same order reservations were made once stock returns, then customers will have three days, or 72 hours, to complete the purchase on Steam.
Steam Controller reservations add anti-scalper rules
Valve is also adding several limits around the second wave. Reservations are capped at one Steam Controller per user, and people who already bought a Steam Controller are not eligible to reserve another one yet. Accounts must also be in good standing on Steam and must have made a purchase before April 27, 2026.
Those rules arrive after the controller's fast sellout quickly turned into a reseller problem. Recent Steam Controller eBay listings climbed far above the hardware's normal price, making the next sales window a test of whether Valve can steer more units toward regular Steam customers.
Valve says fulfillment will vary by region. Reservations are due to start being fulfilled next week in the U.S. and Canada, with the U.K., EU and Australia following in the weeks after. That timing is more specific than Valve's earlier message that more Steam Controllers were coming after the sellout, though it still leaves exact delivery dates dependent on queue position and region.
The first batch has already started moving through the shipping process, according to earlier Steam Controller order updates. If the queue works as intended, the next wave should be less frantic than the first launch window, especially for players who wanted the controller for Steam gaming but missed the initial drop.