How to get Steam trading cards: drops, packs, trades and the Market
Short answer
You get Steam trading cards by playing games that have them: a game drops a number of cards equal to about half of its set. For the rest you can open booster packs, buy cards on the Steam Community Market, or trade with other players.
Which games have trading cards?
Not every game does: the developer has to turn trading cards on. Look for “Steam Trading Cards” among the features on the game’s store page.
How card drops work
As you play, cards drop into your Steam inventory. According to Steam, most games drop a number of cards equal to about half of the cards in the game’s set, and the developer can ask for some playtime before the first drop. You get the other half by trading or buying.
Any drop has a small chance of being a foil card. Foil cards are rare, and they drop the same way as regular ones.
Free-to-play games follow a different rule, explained in Steam’s trading cards FAQ.
Every way to get cards, side by side
| Way | You get | It costs | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play the game | About half of the game’s set, and the odd foil | Nothing beyond the game | Only games with cards, and the drops stop once you have received them all |
| Booster packs | 3 cards of one game, foils possible | Gems for a pack you craft; nothing for the ones Steam grants | The cards are random, so you can get duplicates |
| Steam Community Market | The exact card you miss | Steam Wallet funds, at the price the seller asks | Prices move, and a whole set adds up |
| Trade with players | The cards you miss, for cards you don’t need | Cards you don’t need | Slow, and Steam trades are final: check every card in an offer |
| The CardsForGems Shop | Single cards and complete sets | Gems | Open now. Steam gems: what they are explains where gems come from |
Booster packs in detail
A booster pack holds 3 cards of one game and may include foil cards. Steam grants them at random once you have received all your card drops for a game, and you need to log in to Steam each week to stay eligible. According to Steam, a higher Steam Level raises your chances: from +20 % at Level 10 to +100 % at Level 50.
You can also craft a pack with gems. A pack costs 6,000 gems divided by the number of cards in the game’s set: ◆ 400 for a set of 15 cards, ◆ 1,000 for a set of 6.
What about card farming tools?
Some third-party programs run your games in the background so that drops come in without you playing. ArchiSteamFarm is an open-source one. Idle Master Extended is another: its author has archived it and no longer develops it (last release March 2023).
Valve doesn’t make them, they sign in with your Steam account, and they can’t create more cards: a game still drops only about half of its set. We don’t recommend them. If you use one, read its own page and Steam’s rules first.
During the Steam sales
Steam’s big sales are a natural time to look at your inventory. The Winter Sale 2026 runs from 17 December 2026 to 4 January 2027, starting at 10 am Pacific time (dates from Steamworks). Some sales come with their own cards, badges or tasks: the rules change from sale to sale, so read the sale page on Steam.
Which way suits you?
- You own the game. Play it first: the drops come with the game, and they are the cheapest cards you will get.
- You miss one or two cards. Buy them on the Market, or trade a card you don’t need for one you do.
- You want a badge quickly. Open booster packs for the game, and fill the gaps from the Market.
- You hold gems. Craft a pack with them, or buy single cards in the Shop.
Whatever you pick, check the set size first. A game with a small set is quick to finish, and a game with a large one needs many more cards.
Once you have the cards
- Craft the badge when you hold the full set: it gives 100 XP towards your Steam Level, an emoticon and a profile background.
- Sell what you don’t need. How to sell Steam trading cards compares the Market, gems and trading.
- Check what your cards are worth in Card value, without signing in.
What to do with extra Steam trading cards compares all the options, badge included.
See what your cards are worth
Paste your Steam profile: what we would pay for your cards, and what Turn into Gems gives for most of them, without signing in.
Questions
How many trading cards can I get from one game?
By playing, about half of the game’s set. A booster pack adds 3 more cards, and you can buy or trade for the rest.
Why am I not getting trading card drops?
The game may not have trading cards, you may already have received all of its drops, or the developer may ask for some playtime before the first one. Free-to-play games follow a different rule, explained in Steam’s trading cards FAQ.
Do Steam trading cards cost money?
You earn the first half of a set by playing a game you own, so those cards cost nothing beyond the game. The rest costs Steam Wallet funds, gems or cards you trade.
How do I get foil cards?
Any drop has a small chance of being foil, and booster packs can contain them. You can also buy foil cards on the Community Market or trade for them.
What can I do with the cards once I have them?
Craft badges, trade them, sell them, or turn them into gems. What to do with extra Steam trading cards compares the options.