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Credit to Reddit user You must login or register to view this content.You must login or register to view this content. (steam support image), and Reddit user You must login or register to view this content. (steam store image), for providing images.

So looks as if CSGO will not longer be able to be gifted. No official announcement from Valve or a statement, which is no surprise as they like to work in the shadows on things like this.

Speculation suggests that this is an effort to combat smurfing/cheating accounts, as cheaters/smurfs are semi-less likely to buy the game at full price for such actions.

Another speculation is that Valve has plans on linking accounts via payment methods when doing VAC bans. Which would mean, I buy CSGO on my main, then buy it on my Smurf with the same payment method. My main gets a VAC, the smurf also gets it as well and vice versa. This is the exact way that linked phone numbers to steam accounts work at the current moment.

Thoughts on Valves move? Good? Bad?

They can always go to Kinguin, G2A, or another key reseller to buy the game, but if keys are not being given out I'd assume they'd eventually dry up on that site.

A better way to combat smurfing is to raise the MM profile level requirement from 2 (they just recently lowered it IIRC, if not it's still 3), to 5. Valve needs to take a firmer stance on smurfing as well imo. Rather people think it is or it isn't, smurfing is a legal way to cheat in CSGO, as you're playing at a rank that is well below your skill level, giving yourself an unfair advantage, and that's what cheating does...give you an unfair advantage.