Steam Frame Price: $1,059 and $1,299, and Every Signal That Led There
Last updated: September 14, 2026
Part of our Steam Frame hub. See also the release date tracker and the Great on Frame verified games list, the full spec sheet, and a guide to what games run on it.
The Steam Frame costs $1,059 for the 256GB Kit and $1,299 for the 1TB Kit. Valve announced both prices on September 14, 2026, in the same post that opened reservation signups. Either kit includes the headset, the Steam Frame Controllers, the Wi-Fi 6E wireless adapter, and a copy of Half-Life: Alyx. A power supply is not in the box: Valve sells a 45W unit for $29, and says a Steam Deck charger or any 45W or higher USB-C charger works instead. Prices include VAT where applicable.
The number landed inside the $899 to $1,199 analyst range this page tracked all summer, but above the roughly $950 that June's retailer database leak attached to a 512GB model, a tier that never existed. It missed the goal Valve set itself in November 2025, a Frame cheaper than the $999 Index. How the regional figures compare once VAT is taken out is in our regional pricing analysis. You can only buy at this price through Valve's randomized reservation list, which closes Thursday, September 17 at 10:00 AM Pacific. Our step-by-step reservation guide covers eligibility and what happens after the shuffle, and our launch report breaks down what the money buys.
Official Steam Frame prices by region
| Region | 256GB Kit | 1TB Kit |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $1,059 USD | $1,299 USD |
| Canada | $1,529 CAD | $1,859 CAD |
| European Union | 1,049 EUR | 1,279 EUR |
| United Kingdom | 889 GBP | 1,089 GBP |
| Australia | $1,609 AUD | $1,969 AUD |
| Poland | 4,539 PLN | 5,549 PLN |
Valve's official Steam Frame pricing, announced September 14, 2026. VAT included where applicable. Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong pricing is published by KOMODO, Valve's authorized distributor there.
Accessories sold separately
| Accessory | US price | Other regions |
|---|---|---|
| Power Supply Unit (45W, 2.5m cable) | $29 | 49 CAD / 39 EUR / 29 GBP / 49 AUD / 139 PLN |
| Ergonomic Accessories Kit | $59 | 89 CAD / 69 EUR / 59 GBP / 99 AUD / 279 PLN |
| Accessory Replacement Kit | $49 | 69 CAD / 59 EUR / 49 GBP / 89 AUD / 229 PLN |
First-party Steam Frame accessories. Valve only offers them as add-to-cart options at checkout, to customers who have received a purchase email.
Every price signal, from goal to announcement
| Date | Signal | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | Valve says it wants the Frame cheaper than the $999 Index | Under $999 |
| Early 2026 | Pre-crisis analyst estimates | $500 to $800 |
| Apr 2026 | Valve publicly revisits pricing over the RAM crisis | Range moves up |
| Jun 2026 | Retailer database listings leak, 512GB and larger tier (no 512GB model shipped) | ~$950 and ~$1,070 |
| Jun 23, 2026 | Leaked price reveal date passes with no announcement | No official price |
| Jun 25, 2026 | Steam Machine prices at $1,049, about $250 above expectations | High-end anchor |
| Jul 2026 | Analyst consensus going into launch | $899 to $1,199 |
| Jul 24, 2026 | Qualcomm notifies customers of double-digit Snapdragon increases for orders shipping after September 1 | Upward cost pressure |
| Jul 29, 2026 | FCC grants equipment authorization, clearing US sale, with no price attached | Still no official price |
| Aug 10, 2026 | Great on Frame reaches 65 titles, still no price or reservation window | $899 to $1,199 stands |
| Aug 19, 2026 | Valve's unboxing and setup videos leak from the Steam client, packaging finished | Still no price |
| Aug 24, 2026 | Great on Frame at 89 titles, four weeks of summer left, no price | $899 to $1,199 stands |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Brad Lynch, on the Gamertag VR podcast, expects the Frame to land north of $1,000 | Over $1,000 |
| Sep 3, 2026 | Two Steam packages revised and a reservation backend appears; neither carries a price | Still none |
| Sep 14, 2026 | Valve announces official pricing and opens reservation signups | $1,059 (256GB), $1,299 (1TB) |
Every Steam Frame price signal in order, from Valve's original goal to the official September 14, 2026 announcement.
Why the price climbed past the Index
The story of the Steam Frame's price is really the story of the AI-driven DRAM shortage. When Valve announced the headset in November 2025, it said out loud that it wanted to come in under the $999 Index, and early estimates ranged from $500 to $800. By April, Valve was publicly saying the memory crisis had forced it to revisit both the shipping schedule and pricing. The Frame carries 16GB of LPDDR5X, double the Quest 3, into a market where Valve itself blamed DDR5 contract prices, up more than 170% year over year, for the Steam Machine's $1,049 sticker. On launch day Valve engineer Joy Lyons told PC Gamer the Frame's price target "shifted due to the ongoing RAM crisis around the world."
That Steam Machine number turned out to be the best predictor on this page. It landed about $250 above what most people expected, from the same company, in the same summer, built from components in the same squeezed supply chain. Valve could not hold the Machine under a grand, and it did not hold the Frame there either: the 256GB Kit came in $10 above the Machine.
What you get for the money
The $1,059 buys more than a headset. The kit includes the Steam Frame Controllers, with full 6-DOF tracking and gamepad controls, and the Wi-Fi 6E wireless adapter that gives PC streaming its own dedicated 6GHz link. On the headset, one of two Wi-Fi 7 radios carries that stream while the other stays on your home network. Inside is a 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 16GB of LPDDR5X, 2160x2160 LCD panels per eye behind pancake lenses, 72 to 144Hz refresh (144Hz is labeled experimental), and eye tracking that drives Valve's Foveated Streaming. It runs games standalone too, with Valve counting over 100 titles Steam Frame Standalone Verified at launch. The full breakdown lives on our Steam Frame spec sheet. For how it stacks against what you can buy today, see the best PC VR headsets.
The 1TB Kit is a $240 step for storage alone, and both models take a microSD card. Budget a little past the sticker too. The $29 power supply is the obvious add if you do not already own a 45W USB-C charger. Color passthrough is not built in either: the headset tracks with four monochrome cameras, and Valve lists the separately sold Arcturus Vision camera as a Steam Frame Compatible accessory for color passthrough, a $149 add-on according to UploadVR. Prescription lens inserts come from Zenni. The FCC-confirmed Enthusiast Kit with a hot-swappable battery that surfaced this summer was not on Valve's launch accessory list.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Steam Frame cost?
Valve announced official pricing on September 14, 2026. The Steam Frame 256GB Kit costs $1,059 and the 1TB Kit costs $1,299 in the US. Both kits include the headset, the Steam Frame Controllers, the Wi-Fi 6E wireless adapter, and a copy of Half-Life: Alyx. A power supply is not included; Valve sells a 45W PSU for $29, or a Steam Deck charger or any 45W or higher USB-C charger works.
How much does the Steam Frame cost in Canada, the UK, Europe, and Australia?
Valve's official regional prices, VAT included where applicable: the 256GB model is 1,529 CAD, 1,049 EUR, 889 GBP, 1,609 AUD and 4,539 PLN; the 1TB model is 1,859 CAD, 1,279 EUR, 1,089 GBP, 1,969 AUD and 5,549 PLN. Valve ships directly to the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia. In Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong the headset is sold through Valve's authorized distributor KOMODO, which publishes its own pricing. South Korea is coming at a later date.
What accessories cost extra?
Three first-party accessories are sold separately: the Steam Hardware Power Supply Unit (45W, 2.5m cable) for $29, the Ergonomic Accessories Kit (two controller hand straps with battery doors, a headset top strap, and an extended light blocker) for $59, and the Accessory Replacement Kit (face gasket, head cushion, standard light blocker) for $49. Valve only offers them as add-to-cart options at checkout to customers who receive a purchase email. Color passthrough requires the separately sold Arcturus Vision camera, which UploadVR reports at $149, and prescription lens inserts come from Zenni.
How does the $1,059 price compare to the pre-launch estimates?
It landed inside the $899 to $1,199 analyst range. The June retailer database leak put roughly $950 on a 512GB model and roughly $1,070 on a larger tier; no 512GB model exists, and Valve's entry kit is 256GB priced near the higher figure. It also matched Brad Lynch's late-August expectation of a price north of $1,000. It missed Valve's November 2025 goal of undercutting the $999 Index: the 256GB Kit costs $60 more than the Index did, and $10 more than the $1,049 Steam Machine.
Does the Steam Frame cost more than a Quest 3?
Yes. The Quest 3 sits at $599 after Meta's April 2026 price hike, so the $1,059 Steam Frame costs $460 more. The Frame carries double the Quest 3's memory at 16GB of LPDDR5X, eye tracking that drives Foveated Streaming, and a dedicated Wi-Fi 6E wireless adapter in the box for PC streaming.
Why is the Steam Frame so expensive?
Two reasons: Valve packed in premium hardware (16GB of LPDDR5X, 2160x2160 LCD panels per eye, eye tracking, dual Wi-Fi 7 radios, a dedicated 6GHz streaming adapter in the box), and the AI-driven DRAM shortage rewrote pricing across the industry. Valve engineer Joy Lyons told PC Gamer the Frame's price target "shifted due to the ongoing RAM crisis around the world." Valve had already blamed DDR5 contract prices, up more than 170% year over year, for the Steam Machine costing $1,049, and Qualcomm told customers on July 24 that Snapdragon prices rise by double digits for orders shipping after September 1.
How do I buy one at this price?
Through a randomized reservation list. Sign up for one model on the Steam Frame product page before Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 10:00 AM Pacific. You need a Steam account in good standing with a purchase made before April 27, 2026, and Valve allows one signup per household. Signups are shuffled once, results arrive by email on September 17, and purchase emails start going out September 18. Each purchase email gives you 72 hours to check out.