The 10 most expensive Steam trading cards, and how to get them

If you’ve played a game on Steam, there’s a good chance you’ve come across Steam Trading Cards. You earn them by playing a game for a certain amount of time, and you only get a limited amount – certainly not enough to craft a badge with. That means you’ll have to get the rest by collecting booster packs, trading with friends, or purchasing them from the Steam Market. And where there is a market, there are price increases.

Most Steam Trading Cards are available at a low or, at worst, moderate price point, so collecting badges isn’t too difficult. However, there will always be outliers that defy logic. In this case, they’re usually specific “foil” cards from obscure games. The concept of the foil card itself in the digital space is fun at first, but the simple fact that it’s rare drives collectors insane.

What are the most expensive Steam trading cards?

Most of the extremely expensive cards are available at that price either for fun or to test the waters. Some may be a humble boast or a way to get an offer they otherwise wouldn’t get. Finally, these prices change hourly, so what’s most expensive now can be outdated in just a few hours. However, if you are looking for the most expensive Steam trading cards, read on as we list the top 10 most expensive cards out there.

Li Chengsong (slide) – $1,856.23

Game: chaos galaxy
Card description: Faction leader of the Northern Sky Fleet.

Funnily enough, while this card is currently the most expensive on the market, it previously sold for a range of $2-4. There is a median of around $0.45 in requests to buy, but since there is only one specimen on the market, the price is that ludicrous sum. The game itself is a pixelated anime-style strategy game from 2020, so it’s not bad to play if you want to try your luck.

Italy (Foil) — $1,855.50

Game: PURE
Card description: Race in the shadow of the Alps.

This card does have some value, although certainly not to that extent. PURE is a hard-to-find game and a search of the Steam Store yields no results. That’s because it’s one of those games that is no longer available and can be played by those who already had it in their library. As a result, this card typically sells for $6-8, and even the purchase requests are in the $2.50-$3 range.

Athena (Foil) — $1,839.54

Game: Running gods
Card description: Goddess of wisdom, reason, defense and strategic warfare.

Interestingly, this card was only recently sold for just $1, and two copies have since been listed for a massively high price. The game itself is an indie side-scrolling adventure game from 2016, and there aren’t many maps for it on the market, so anyone who wants to try their hand at manipulation has a chance.

Bulldozer (Slide) — $1,807.93

Game: wrong front
Card description: Sunshine and muscles, let’s show what a bulldozer can do!

One of OG’s most expensive foil cards, Bulldozer still holds its position as one of the most expensive and desirable foils out there. Even the buy requests start at around $6 and the last sale was over $10. However, that’s nowhere near the current asking $1,839.54. You might be happy to hear that the game is a free to play shooter of 2019 so you can easily try your luck.

Magical Purple (slide) – $1,787.61

Game: Please fix the road
Card description: N / A

This card also doesn’t seem to have been sold in the past, even if the purchase requests are moving around a mere $0.25 on average. For once, that might be a testament to its rarity, although it’s not hard to conclude that it’s hardly worth the asking price. Please Fix the Road is a 2022 indie puzzle game, which might explain why the cards (and especially foils) from this game are so rare in the first place.

Wizard (Foil) — $1,787.61

Game: Cardinal Quest 2
Card description: A wise sage, knower of mysteries, worker of miracles, virtuoso of the arcane arts… and a most chic chest of drawers.

This card is from an older game and has few copies and many buy orders averaging around $0.85. This card hasn’t been sold for a long time, which could explain the price increase, as there has only been this one copy on the market for a while. Cardinal Quest 2 was released in 2015 and is a pixelated roguelike RPG game.

Garden Gnomes (slide) — $1,783.50

Game: garden simulator
Card description: Colorful clay garden gnomes.

New releases tend to create a hectic market in their first few days. This applies to Garden Simulator as it is a simulation game that is not even a full month old at the time of writing this article. So it’s no wonder players are trying to bait with high prices for fresh new cards that come with playing the game. The card listed is the only one of its kind to be dropped, but like most markets, we expect it to even out as more players put in the hours and get their cards.

The Goats (slide) – $1,740.96

Game: Goodbye
Card description: A few goats providing both company and a hearty supply of milk.

This card has been successful in the market before as it was sold for $6-7 while there are still many requests to buy it for only $0.25 on average. Oddly enough, however, there are currently 3 of them on the market, all priced at over $1,700. Not bad for a 2021 walking simulator game. It seems that what it lacks in gameplay excitement it makes up for with a killer market presence.

Fast Destroyer (Slide) — $1,605.15

Game: Infinite tanks
Card description: Balance speed and mobility with great firepower.

Related: How much did I spend on Steam? How to Check Steam Purchase History

This is another common suspect when it comes to overpriced foil trading cards from Steam. It seems to keep popping up despite being from a 2017 $4 indie tank game. Despite the high cost, this card was last sold for just $1 and certainly not $1,605. Buy requests also reflect this as they average around this $1 mark with a single outlier offering $5. It seems someone really wants to make this badge.

Sumo Bot (Slide) – $1,524.06

Game: Pierhead Arcade 2
Card description: It cannot be negotiated. You can’t argue with that. It feels no pity, remorse or fear. And it absolutely won’t stop, ever.

With the dubious honor of being the only VR title on our list, this game is a casual arcade sim that can only be played with a VR headset. It was released in 2021, so obviously there aren’t too many foil cards floating around. Perhaps that is why there is only one foil sumo bot on the market with the enormous asking price. In contrast, dozens of players are queuing up with purchase requests, despite offering a much more modest $0.30 on average. It’s a chicken game to see who breaks first – the buyer or the seller.