Risk Score
0 = very fair · 100 = very risky
Summary
This is the Steam Subscriber Agreement (EULA/Terms of Service) from Valve Corporation governing use of the Steam gaming platform. The most significant consumer-facing issue is that all purchased games and content are licensed, not owned, meaning Valve can terminate access under certain conditions. The agreement is moderately aggressive in standard areas like arbitration and unilateral modification, but does include some notable consumer protections such as a refund policy and advance notice requirements for certain changes. Overall, it is fairly typical for a major gaming platform but contains several clauses that meaningfully limit user rights compared to traditional software or media purchases.
Flagged Clauses
When you 'buy' a game on Steam, you are not purchasing ownership of that game. You are purchasing a license to access it, which can be revoked. You cannot resell, transfer, or gift your purchased games to others.
“The Content and Services are licensed, not sold. Your license confers no title or ownership in the Content and Services.”
Even items acquired on the Steam Community Market or through trading are merely licenses. You have no ownership interest, and Steam items cannot be transferred outside of Steam's own systems — including potentially in cases like inheritance.
“Subscriptions acquired in any Subscription Marketplace are license rights, that you have no ownership interest in such Subscriptions, and that Valve does not recognize any transfers of Subscriptions (including transfers by operation of law) that are made outside of Steam.”
If your account is terminated for any reason, you lose access to all purchased games and content. Because licenses are tied to your account and accounts cannot be transferred, there is no way to recover access to your purchases through a third party.
“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.”
Valve can shut down the Steam Marketplace or change its terms at will. While some notice is promised, there is no guarantee of compensation if features you paid to use are removed.
“Valve may decide to cease operation of any Subscription Marketplace, change the fees that it charges or change the terms or features of the Steam Subscription Marketplace.”
Money loaded into your Steam Wallet cannot be withdrawn as cash, transferred to another person, or refunded. If your account is closed or Steam shuts down, those funds could be lost.
“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 and can only be used to order Subscriptions and related content via Steam.”
If your Steam Wallet balance goes unused for a period that qualifies as 'unclaimed property' under your state or country's laws, Valve may transfer those funds to the government rather than returning them to you.
“Steam Wallet funds that are deemed unclaimed property may be turned over to the applicable authority.”
Valve can change Steam Wallet rules with 60 days notice. Continuing to use Steam after 30 days of the change taking effect counts as accepting the new terms. If you disagree, the only option described is to terminate your account — potentially losing your game library.
“You will be notified by e-mail of any change to the Steam Wallet balance and usage limits within sixty (60) calendar days before the entry into force of the change. 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.”
Cancelling your account does not erase outstanding debts to Valve. You must settle any unpaid amounts before creating a new account.
“If you cancel your Account, Valve reserves the right to collect fees, surcharges or costs incurred before cancellation. Any delinquent or unpaid Accounts must be settled before Valve will allow you to register again.”
You are permitted to create fan art using Valve game content for non-commercial purposes. Commercial use requires separate permission from Valve.
“You may incorporate content from Valve games into your Fan Art... you may use, reproduce, publish, perform, display and distribute Fan Art that incorporates content from Valve games however you wish, but solely on a non-commercial basis.”
Valve and its partners retain all intellectual property rights to games and services on Steam. Users receive only the specific limited-use rights described in the agreement.
“All title, ownership rights and intellectual property rights in and to the Content and Services and any and all copies thereof, are owned by Valve and/or its or its affiliates' licensors.”
Using a VPN or proxy to access games or pricing not available in your region can result in permanent account termination, with loss of all purchases.
“You agree that you will not use IP proxying or other methods to disguise the place of your residence, whether to circumvent geographical restrictions on game content, to order or purchase at pricing not applicable to your geography... If you do this, Valve may terminate your access to your Account.”
By agreeing, you consent to automatic updates to games and software. This could change system requirements or alter game content without additional approval from you.
“Valve may need to automatically update, pre-load, create new versions of or otherwise enhance the Content and Services and accordingly, the system requirements to use the Content and Services may change over time. You consent to such automatic updating.”
Missing Protections
- No explicit mandatory arbitration clause or class action waiver is visible in the provided text — it may appear in sections not included (Sections 7, 10, 11 are referenced but not fully provided)
- No clear data collection or data sharing disclosure in this document — a separate Privacy Policy is referenced but not included here
- No explicit guarantee of access duration — no commitment that purchased content will remain accessible for any minimum period
- No account reinstatement process or appeal mechanism described for terminated accounts
- No portability rights described — no ability to export your library or data to another platform
- No explicit statement about what happens to your purchases if Valve ceases operations or is acquired
- No clear process for disputing incorrect charges beyond the general refund policy reference
Fair Terms
- Valve provides 60 days advance email notice before changes to Steam Wallet limits take effect, which is more notice than many platforms provide
- A refund policy is explicitly referenced and incorporated (Steam Refund Policy), giving users a defined path to request refunds
- EU and UK consumers are explicitly acknowledged as having statutory withdrawal rights under local law, which Valve does not attempt to override
- Fan art and non-commercial creative use of Valve game content is explicitly permitted without needing to seek individual permission
- Valve explicitly states it will not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13
- Notice is required before substantial changes to Subscription Marketplace terms take effect, with an exception carve-out for force majeure
Document information only — not legal advice.