Steam

On Steam you buy a license, not the game, and your library can be lost if your account is banned. Purchases are largely non-refundable beyond the limited window and accounts can be terminated at Valve's discretion.

🚨 Key things to watch out for

The clauses that could affect you the most. Read these even if you skip everything else.

Valve can terminate your account without notice and give you no refund, wiping out your entire game library and wallet balance.

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📋 Every clause, explained

Browse what the terms actually say — filter by severity or by topic.

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Showing 17 clauses

1Registration & Your Account2 clauses

⚠️

You do not own your games

📄Claims your content

1-A

💬 Your account and everything in it (including purchased games) cannot be sold, transferred, or inherited. When you die or want to give someone your library, you generally can't.

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“Your Account, including any information pertaining to it (e.g.: contact information, billing information, Account history and Subscriptions, etc.), is strictly personal. You may therefore not sell or charge others for the right to use your Account, or otherwise transfer your Account”

ℹ️

Order confirmation is not acceptance

📝Can change terms anytime

1-B

💬 Getting an order confirmation email doesn't mean Valve has agreed to sell you anything yet; the deal is only final once they deliver the content or ship the hardware.

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“The Order Confirmation is acknowledgement that we have received your order and does not confirm acceptance of your offer to enter into an agreement.”

2Licenses2 clauses

⚠️

Games are licensed, not sold

📄Claims your content

2-A

💬 You never actually own the games you buy — you only rent a license that can end if your account is terminated, meaning you could lose access to everything you paid for.

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“The Content and Services are licensed, not sold. Your license confers no title or ownership in the Content and Services. This license ends upon termination of (a) this Agreement or (b) a Subscription that includes the license.”

ℹ️

Forced automatic updates

📝Can change terms anytime

2-B

💬 Valve can automatically change or update software on your computer, and you're not guaranteed to receive updates you might want.

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“You consent to such automatic updating. You understand that this Agreement (including applicable Subscription Terms) does not entitle you to future updates”

3Billing & Payment4 clauses

⚠️

Recurring charges authorized by continued use

🔄Auto-renews

3-A

💬 Subscriptions renew automatically and keep charging your card as long as you keep using them; you must actively cancel and keep your payment info updated.

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“by continuing to use the Recurring Payment Subscription you agree and reaffirm that Valve is authorized to charge your credit card (or your Steam Wallet, if funded), or to process your payment with any other applicable third-party payment processor, for any applicable recurring payment amounts”

⚠️

Wallet funds are non-refundable and can be forfeited

🗄️Data retention

3-B

💬 Money you load into your Steam Wallet cannot be withdrawn or cashed out, and if your account is closed you may lose it entirely.

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“funds added to the Steam Wallet are non-refundable and non-transferable. Steam Wallet funds do not constitute a personal property right, have no value outside Steam”

⚠️

Silence equals acceptance of wallet limit changes

📝Can change terms anytime

3-C

💬 If Valve changes wallet rules and you keep using Steam, you're deemed to have agreed; your only alternative is to close your account, with no refund of remaining balance.

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“Your continued use of your Steam Account more than thirty (30) calendar days after the entry into force of the changes will constitute your acceptance of the changes. If you don’t agree to the changes, your only remedy is to terminate your Steam Account”

⚠️

Account termination for using a VPN

⛔Account termination

3-D

💬 Using a VPN or proxy to change your apparent location (e.g. to get cheaper regional prices) can get your entire account terminated.

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“You agree that you will not use IP proxying or other methods to disguise the place of your residence... If you do this, Valve may terminate your access to your Account.”

4Conduct, Cheating & Automation1 clause

🔴

Termination without notice

⛔Account termination

4-A

💬 Valve can shut down your entire account with no warning if it decides you broke the rules — and you lose access to all your purchased games with no refund.

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“Valve may restrict or terminate your Account(s) or a particular Subscription for any conduct or activity that is illegal, constitutes a Cheat or Automation or breaches the Steam Online Conduct Rules. You acknowledge that Valve is not required to provide you notice before terminating your Subscription(s) and/or Account.”

6User Generated Content2 clauses

⚠️

Broad, perpetual, free license to your content

📄Claims your content

6-A

💬 Anything you upload (guides, screenshots, workshop items, feedback) gives Valve a free, worldwide license to use and modify it for essentially forever, and you get nothing in return unless a specific app says otherwise.

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“you grant Valve and its affiliates the worldwide, non-exclusive right to use, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, distribute, transmit, transcode, translate, broadcast, and otherwise communicate, and publicly display and publicly perform, your User Generated Content... This license is granted to Valve as the content is uploaded on Steam for the entire duration of the intellectual property rights.”

⚠️

Valve owns derivatives of your content

📄Claims your content

6-B

💬 If Valve modifies or builds on your content, Valve owns that new version outright and can license it to others.

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“Valve is the sole owner of the derivative works created by Valve from your User Generated Content, and is therefore entitled to grant licenses on these derivative works.”

7Disclaimers & Liability2 clauses

🔴

Broad liability exclusion

🛡️Limits their liability

7-A

💬 Even if Valve is negligent or at fault and it causes you loss, they claim they won't pay you for most types of damages (does not apply to EU/UK, Australia or New Zealand consumers).

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“IN NO EVENT WILL VALVE BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES... EVEN IN THE EVENT OF VALVE’S OR ITS AFFILIATES’ FAULT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, OR BREACH OF VALVE’S WARRANTY”

⚠️

Everything provided 'as is' with no warranty

🛡️Limits their liability

7-B

💬 Steam and your games come with no guarantees at all — if something is broken or unavailable, that's your problem (except where consumer law overrides this).

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“STEAM, THE CONTENT AND SERVICES, THE SUBSCRIPTIONS, AND ANY INFORMATION AVAILABLE IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, "WITH ALL FAULTS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND”

8Amendments1 clause

⚠️

Valve can change terms unilaterally

📝Can change terms anytime

8-A

💬 Valve can rewrite the rules whenever it wants; if you don't close your account before the changes take effect, you're deemed to have agreed — and closing gets you no refund.

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“Valve may amend this Agreement (including any Subscription Terms or Rules of Use) unilaterally at any time in its sole discretion... Your failure to cancel your Account prior to the effective date of the amendment will constitute your acceptance of the amended terms.”

9Term & Termination2 clauses

🔴

No refunds on termination

⛔Account termination

9-A

💬 If Valve terminates your account, you lose all your games AND any money left in your wallet, with zero refund.

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“In the event that your Account or a particular Subscription is restricted or terminated or cancelled by Valve for a violation of this Agreement or improper or illegal activity, no refund, including of any Subscription fees or of any unused funds in your Steam Wallet, will be granted.”

ℹ️

Bundle termination is all-or-nothing

📌Other

9-B

💬 You can't drop just one game from a bundle — losing one means losing all games in that bundle.

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“Access to Subscriptions ordered as a part of a pack or bundle cannot be terminated individually, termination of access to one game within the bundle will result in termination of access to all games ordered in the pack.”

10Applicable Law/Jurisdiction1 clause

⚠️

Washington law and courts required

📍Jurisdiction

10-A

💬 Non-EU/UK users must sue Valve in Washington State courts under Washington law, which can be expensive and impractical for most people. (EU/UK users keep their home-country law.)

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“You and Valve agree that all disputes and claims between you and Valve... shall be commenced and maintained exclusively in any state or federal court located in King County, Washington... You and Valve hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts and waive any objections as to personal jurisdiction or venue”

Steam terms of service, explained in plain English — TOSTLDR