Password Ideas for Gaming
One simple approach to passwords for Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and Battle.net.
Most players have accounts on several platforms at once, such as Steam, PlayStation Network, Xbox, Nintendo, Battle.net and EA. Many of them store a payment card and a library worth hundreds of dollars, and all of them are targets for credential stuffing: attackers take email and password pairs from one breached service and try them automatically on every other platform. If you use the same password twice, one leak can empty several accounts.
The fix is one unique password per platform, generated randomly and kept in a password manager. If you type passwords on a console with a controller, pick a passphrase of four or five random words for that platform instead; it is quicker to enter and still strong. Keep the email account linked to your gaming profiles especially well protected, because whoever controls it can reset all of them.
Every major platform offers extra protection: Steam Guard on Steam, 2-step verification on PlayStation, Nintendo and Battle.net, and a Microsoft account for Xbox. Turn them on, and be suspicious of trade offers, "vote for my team" links and messages from friends asking you to log in somewhere, since those are the usual ways accounts are phished.
Example password patterns
Two random words joined with a hyphen, plus a 2-digit number and a symbol — e.g. Word-Word##!
A short phrase you'll remember (4 words), separators between each word, no spaces — e.g. Word_Word_Word_Word
Acronym from a movie quote or song line + the year you first heard it + a symbol — e.g. FirstLettersYYYY!
Three uncommon words concatenated, with a digit and a symbol — e.g. WordWordWord#9
Mix of casing and one substitution per word (don't overdo it — substitutions don't add much entropy) — e.g. wOrd-wOrd-99!
Let our generator pick the whole string — the most secure option. Click Generate above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do gaming accounts get hacked even with a strong password?
Should I share my gaming account password with a friend?
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