How to Get Steam Trading Cards: Drops, Boosters, & More

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Learn how trading cards are earned on Steam

Co-authored by Rain Kengly Reviewed by Grant Cunningham

Last Updated: January 29, 2026 Fact Checked

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Getting Steam Trading Cards

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FAQ

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Steam Trading Cards are virtual cards that are earned by playing Steam games. You'll typically get half of the set through playing and the other half through trading or random booster packs. Completing Trading Card sets earns you badges that can be placed on your profile. Here's how to get Steam Trading Cards.

Earning Trading Cards on Steam

To get Steam Trading Cards, you'll need to purchase and play a participating game. Most games have Trading Cards (game drops) enabled, so you should get a few easily. To get missing Cards for your set, browse the Community Market to trade or purchase Cards.

Section 1 of 2:

How to Get Steam Trading Cards

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Play one of the participating games. You can earn Steam Trading Cards simply by playing games.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Grant Cunningham
Gamer and Content Creator

Expert Interview} Most games in the Steam store offer Trading Cards; you can see your progress by visiting the game's page and looking for the Trading Cards section.^{[2]
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Research source}
- These Trading Cards are called game drops since they drop as you play.
- When it comes to free-to-play games, game drops are based on how much money you spend on in-game items. For about every $9 spent since the game's launch, you'll receive one card drop.
- For a complete list of participating games, check out the Steam website.
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Purchase from the Community Market. Since playing games will only get you about half of the Trading Cards in a set, you need to rely on trading or buying from the Community Market to complete your set. Some cards sell for as low as 1 cent, especially if it's a common card. However, it can get pricey depending on the game's popularity and card rarity.
- If you don't want to spend any money, consider trading one of your duplicate cards. Someone else may need the exact card you have, and vice versa.
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During some Steam events, you can earn a mystery card from crafting game badges. Once you have all the cards in a set, you can click Craft a Badge next to the set. If you're lucky, you'll get a mystery card.
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Earn booster packs. Booster packs are randomly given to users based on how often the community crafts badges. As long as you've received all card drops for a single game, you have a chance at obtaining a booster pack with three random trading cards. Just be sure to log into Steam every week to keep your eligibility.
- If your Steam level is higher than 10, you get an extra drop rate for booster packs.
  - At level 10, you get a +20% increase
  - At level 20, you get a +40% increase
  - At level 30, you get a +60% increase
  - At level 40, you get a +80% increase
  - At level 50, you get a +100% increase

Section 2 of 2:

Frequently Asked Questions

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What are Steam Trading Cards? Steam Trading Cards are virtual collectibles you can earn just from playing your Steam games.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Grant Cunningham
Gamer and Content Creator

Expert Interview} These cards are part of sets that, once completed, can earn you collectible badges that can be placed on your Steam profile.^{[4]
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Research source}
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What is a Foil Trading Card? Foil Trading Cards are like regular Steam Trading Cards, except they have a unique foil border. If you collect a set of foil trading cards, you'll receive a foil badge. There's no other extra perk to these foil cards aside from their special appearance.^{[5]
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Is there a limit on how many trading cards you can get? When it comes to game drops, you can only receive about half of the set from playing the game. The other half will need to be traded from other Steam members in the community through the market.
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How do I craft a badge? To craft a Steam badge, go to your profile and click the Badges link near the top-right. You'll see the Badges in Progress section with badges that are available and ready to be crafted. Just select a badge that is ready, and then select Craft a Badge.
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What is a booster pack? A booster pack is a set of trading cards that can contain basic or foil cards. These are given at random to users who are logged into Steam every week.