Usually, no. Buying a digital game normally gives you a personal, account-linked license rather than ownership of a transferable copy. That license generally cannot be sold, detached from your account, lent to another person, or automatically passed to an heir. Some platforms offer controlled sharing on a console or within a household, but those features grant limited access; they do not transfer ownership. If resale or ordinary lending matters to you, a physical disc or cartridge is the clearer option, subject to the title, platform and local law.
What you actually buy when you purchase a digital game
A digital storefront purchase usually creates a contract between you and the storefront operator or publisher. The transaction gives your account permission to download and use the game under stated conditions. It does not usually create a separate digital copy that you own and can hand to someone else.
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Valve’s Steam Subscriber Agreement puts the distinction plainly: “The Content and Services are licensed, not sold.” It adds that a license “confers no title or ownership in the Content and Services.” Microsoft uses similar language in its Digital Goods rules: “All Digital Goods are licensed, not sold.” Microsoft describes those goods as being for “personal, non-commercial use” and says that, except where expressly permitted, users may not transfer or resell licenses.
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The practical result is that the thing tied to your account is a permission to use software under platform rules, not a detachable object. Paying the listed price does not, by itself, give you a right to create a new account for a buyer or to demand that the platform move the license to another person.
Can you resell a digital game?
On the major storefronts covered by these terms, ordinary users generally cannot resell a digital game. There is no supported marketplace that turns your personal license into a transferable copy, and account-sale arrangements usually conflict with the account terms even when a buyer is willing to pay.
Why an account sale is not the same as resale
Selling an entire account would expose the buyer to the seller’s other games, payment history, messages, recovery methods and personal information. It also leaves the platform able to suspend or close the account under its rules. An account transfer therefore does not give the buyer the same legal or practical position as buying a used disc from a shop. It can also strand the original owner from every other title and service attached to that account.
What happens if a storefront closes or an account is lost
Your access depends on the account remaining in good standing and the platform continuing to authenticate or deliver the game. A forgotten password, irreversible account loss, enforcement action or service shutdown can prevent downloads even though you paid for the title. Some games also require publisher authentication or online servers after installation, so a local download is not a guarantee of permanent playability.
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Can you lend a digital game to a friend?
Most digital licenses do not include a general right to lend. Lending implies that one person can give another person temporary possession and then reclaim the same copy. An account-bound license normally cannot be detached in that way.
Steam
Steam’s agreement treats accounts and subscriptions as strictly personal. It says they may not be transferred except where Steam expressly permits it. Giving a friend your credentials is therefore not an ordinary lending transaction; it exposes the account to security risks and can breach the agreement.
PlayStation
PlayStation’s cited terms expressly state that users may not sell, rent, lease, loan or sublicense the content. A friend using your account to download or play is not the same as lending a physical copy, and the account holder remains responsible for the account and its security.
Nintendo
Nintendo’s general terms grant a personal, non-sublicensable license and do not provide a general resale or commercial-use right. The terms should be read together with any current console and account instructions for a particular game, because a feature that lets multiple users access software on one device is not automatically a transferable license.
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Is Xbox Home-console sharing a transfer?
No. Xbox Home-console sharing is a controlled access feature, not a sale or loan of your license.
Microsoft distinguishes between a user license associated with your Microsoft account and a device license that can attach to a designated Home console. When you designate a console as Home, another household user may be able to play eligible games on that console through the device entitlement. The user license itself remains associated with your account, and the arrangement depends on the designated device and Microsoft’s changing rules.
That distinction matters if you sell the console, change which console is Home, lose access to the account or try to give the game to someone outside the controlled setup. The other person’s access is conditional and can disappear when the account or device conditions change. It does not create an independent entitlement that the other person can move to a new account.
Digital games versus physical discs and cartridges
A physical copy is a tangible object. A digital purchase is ordinarily a personal license. That difference affects resale, lending, account dependence and what happens after a service or account problem.
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| Question | Digital purchase | Physical disc or cartridge |
|---|---|---|
| Can you resell it? | Usually no; the license is tied to the purchasing account and platform rules generally restrict transfer. | Generally yes as an object owned by the buyer, subject to local law, title conditions and any included access code. |
| Can you lend it? | Usually no general lending right. Sharing features are limited access controls. | Usually yes by handing over the disc or cartridge, although a title may require an account, code or server connection. |
| Does an account matter? | Yes. Downloading and authenticating commonly depend on the storefront account. | Less so for the physical media itself, but online modes, patches, downloadable content and activation can still require an account. |
| Can it work offline? | Only if the platform and game support offline use and required checks have been completed. | The media may run offline, but some titles still require installation, updates, codes or servers. |
| What if the service closes? | Future downloads, reauthentication or redownloads may be affected. | The disc or cartridge remains in your possession, but online-dependent features can still stop working. |
| What is its resale value? | No ordinary second-hand market for the individual license. | A used-game market may exist, with value affected by condition, rarity, region and completeness. |
| Can you move it to another platform? | Usually no; a license is normally limited to the storefront and account where it was acquired. | Usually no cross-platform right, but the same physical object can be sold or lent to another compatible owner. |
| What about downloadable content? | DLC is generally another account-bound license. | DLC may be tied to an account, a one-time code or a specific console region rather than transferring with the disc. |
What U.S. first-sale law does and does not do
Section 109(a) of Title 17 of the U.S. Code says the “owner of a particular copy” lawfully made under copyright law may “sell or otherwise dispose of the possession of that copy.” That rule is the legal foundation for the familiar ability to resell or give away a used book, disc or cartridge that you own.
The key phrase is “owner of a particular copy.” A boxed game disc or cartridge is a physical copy that can generally be transferred as an object. A digital storefront customer normally holds a license governed by contract, not ownership of a particular copy that can be detached from the account. First-sale principles therefore do not automatically convert a non-transferable digital license into a resalable one.
Section 109(a) also contains restrictions concerning commercial rental, lease or lending of computer programs, with exceptions for programs embodied in certain limited-purpose video-game computers. The statute is not a universal answer for every transaction. The title, the kind of media, the transaction’s purpose and the applicable jurisdiction can change the analysis. A U.S. rule also does not settle a dispute involving another country’s succession or consumer law.
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Can someone inherit your digital game library?
Inheritance is not automatic. A will can identify your accounts, consoles, devices and purchase records, but it cannot by itself rewrite a platform’s license or force a provider to recognize a new account holder.
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Why an heir may not receive the games
The cited platform terms describe licenses as personal, non-transferable, non-sublicensable or revocable. Those conditions can prevent an executor or beneficiary from downloading the deceased person’s games under the beneficiary’s own account. The provider may also be unable to disclose account content because of privacy rules or may require a specific estate procedure.
What can affect the outcome
- The platform’s current account-closure, memorialization or estate process.
- The publisher’s separate terms for the game, downloadable content and online services.
- Privacy and data-protection rules governing disclosure of account information.
- Succession law in the jurisdiction where the deceased person lived and, where relevant, the location of the estate.
- Whether the game is on physical media, uses a one-time activation code or depends on an online server.
An executor should not promise an heir that a provider will simply change the account name or transfer the library. The legally and practically safer approach is to document what exists, preserve evidence of purchases and contact the provider through its published estate or support process.
How to plan if resale, lending or inheritance matters
Before buying
- Identify the exact storefront, console edition and publisher account involved.
- Read the current purchase, account and digital-content terms, not just the store listing.
- Check whether the game needs a one-time code, online activation, recurring authentication or a still-operating server.
- Decide whether the convenience of digital delivery outweighs the loss of a normal second-hand market.
- If future resale or ordinary lending is important, choose a physical disc or cartridge when one exists and verify what is actually on the media.
When sharing inside a household
- Use only the platform’s documented sharing controls, such as a designated Home console where applicable.
- Keep the account owner in control of the password, recovery methods and payment settings.
- Explain to every user that access is conditional and does not create ownership or a transferable license.
- Review the setup after changing consoles, closing an account or changing household arrangements.
For estate planning
- List platform accounts, console serial numbers, physical discs and cartridges, purchase receipts and important publisher accounts in your estate records.
- Store recovery information securely rather than writing passwords into an openly circulated will.
- Tell your executor where the records and devices are located and which items are physical property.
- Separate games from subscriptions, in-game items, downloadable content and online services because each can have different terms.
- For a cross-border estate or contested account, obtain advice under the applicable local law before promising a beneficiary access.
Common misunderstandings and what to do instead
“I paid for it, so I own it.”
Payment establishes that you completed the transaction; it does not determine whether the contract grants ownership or a license. Read the storefront language and identify any account, region and service conditions.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match“Family sharing means my child owns the game.”
A family or console-sharing feature may authorize play under specified accounts or devices. It does not necessarily transfer the underlying license, and access can end when the owner account or device designation changes.
“I can leave the account in my will.”
You can leave instructions about the account and device, but a will cannot override a provider’s personal-license terms or privacy obligations. Ask the provider what estate documentation it accepts.
“A physical disc always works forever.”
The disc or cartridge is a transferable object, but the game may still require an activation code, installation data, updates or online servers. Check those dependencies before relying on it for long-term access.
Bottom line for buyers
For major storefronts, a digital game is normally an account-bound permission, not a transferable property right. Resale and ordinary lending are generally blocked; controlled sharing does not change that; and inheritance depends on provider procedures, privacy rules, publisher terms and local succession law. A physical copy offers a clearer path to resale or lending, but it can still carry codes and online dependencies. Choose the format with the future use you actually need, and preserve account and purchase records either way.
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