Affectees of Valve's Steam Controller mixup are getting free games and Forza Horizon 6 is a popular pick

Valve has proven itself as the good guy in the gaming community once again after a reported botched shipping mix-up involving its newly released Steam Controller. Many gamers are calling it an expected “Valve W,” as the company is offering buyers affected by the shipping error any standard-edition Steam game of their liking for free while they wait for their delayed packages to arrive.

According to reports, the mix-up stems from a carrier gaffe involving GLS, a major European logistics provider, which accidentally routed a large batch of the new $99 Steam Controller, which recently sold out instantly upon launch, to the UK instead of the intended destinations, such as Hungary and Romania.

Valve, committed to its reputation in the gaming industry, decided to make things right. The company not only issued an apology but also offered any standard-edition game of the affected Steam Controller customers’ choosing.

Steam Support reached out to affected users in an email, stating:

“We’re very sorry for the issue with your shipment. The carrier has informed us that a small number of packages were mistakenly routed to the UK. They are actively working to redirect your shipment to the shipping address you provided. Thank you for your patience.”

Valve sweetened the apology by stating:

“To thank you for your patience, we would like to offer to add a game to your library. Please pick any standard edition available for purchase in your region and reply here with your selection.”

The screenshot was posted on the r/SteamController subreddit, where many users confirmed that the email was real and that they had been offered the same deal. The majority of affected customers chose Playground Games' upcoming title, Forza Horizon 6, set in Japan. For context, the standard edition of Forza Horizon 6 launches on May 19, 2026.

One Redditor commented, “Honestly, I told them the same thing. Forza Horizon 6, especially at that price, is not something I would buy on my own, and it looks really cool.” Another Redditor stated, “Same lol. I guess everyone is getting that game.”

It makes sense to go with an upcoming game that would normally set gamers back by €70 a pop for Forza Horizon 6’s Standard Edition.

Another Redditor summed up Valve’s “the customer is always right” attitude perfectly by stating:

“Valve seems to be one of the only companies that understands that if you treat your customers with the most basic level of human decency and understanding, losing money on the game they’re giving you builds such loyalty that you’ll end up spending more money with them in the long run.”