Here's How Steam Frame Preorders Work

If you missed the news and you’re not a big VR gamer, the Steam Frame is Valve’s first VR headset since the Index launched in 2019. It promises to revolutionize the VR landscape, and it’s last part of Valve’s three-piece hardware release schedule for 2026.

Registration is live now on the Steam Frame store page, and it requires a Steam account in good standing.

You can register for a 256 GB headset ($1,059), the 2 TB kit ($1,299), or both, though if you’re selected you’ll only be able to buy one. After the September 17 cutoff, Valve randomizes the full list and starts working through it in order. If your place on the waitlist exceeds the number of units Valve has on hand for launch, you will need to wait weeks or even months for more stock to become available.

The randomized waitlist is something we saw Valve adopt after the Steam Controller’s messy launch. Bots overran the drop and a significant number of controllers ended up in the hands of resellers and listed on eBay for up to $300.

The Steam Machine’s launch was the randomized waitlist’s first test, and it went well enough that Valve is bringing it back for the Steam Frame. While no official production numbers were published, we’re guessing the number of registrations will significantly outnumber Valve’s available stockpile of Steam Frames ready for launch.

Registering costs nothing and locks in nothing. Even if your name gets picked, you’re not obligated to buy. If you do place a preorder and change your mind, Valve covers 14-day returns on delivered hardware, even after you’ve opened the box and tried it out. That refund window matters here since VR is a small but obsessive market.

Total headset sales are modest compared to something like a game console, but the people buying them want the hardware badly and have the budget to pay up for it. Low production numbers plus high demand is exactly the kind of setup that pushes resale prices well past retail, and the already high entry point at retail means buyers are less likely to balk at a reseller’s markup.

The comparison point is the Index. When that launched in 2019, it sold out for months and resold for 2 to 3 times MSRP on eBay while Valve worked through the backlog. If the Frame follows the same pattern, and it’s Valve’s flagship VR release wrapping up a year of hardware drops, the resale window could look similar.

Since the waitlist randomizes on September 17, there’s no rush to register (as long as you get it in relatively soon). This is a low risk opportunity with plenty of potential upside, and you’ll have time to evaluate the market before the headsets shift. If you can afford to jump in on this, it looks like a smart play.