To gift a game on Steam, add it to your cart, choose “This is a gift,” select a friend, then send it now or schedule delivery up to 12 months ahead. The recipient can accept the game into their library or decline it. Eligibility, region rules, and refund steps can affect what happens next.
How to send a Steam game as a gift
- Open the game’s Steam Store page and add it to your cart.
- In the cart, select “This is a gift”, then choose the recipient from your Steam Friends List.
- Choose immediate delivery or schedule a date up to 12 months after purchase.
- Complete checkout using an available payment method. Steam sends the recipient an email and a gift notification in the Steam client. Steam Gifts
To review sent gifts, open your Steam Inventory and select View Gift History. While a gift is still scheduled in your Inventory, you can reschedule it through your purchase history. Steam Gifts
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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| 2 |
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Visa Virtual eGift Card | $28.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Visa Virtual eGift Card | $105.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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$500 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery | $500.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Visa Virtual eGift Card | $206.95 | Buy on Amazon |
What happens when the recipient gets the gift?
The recipient can accept the gift, adding the game to the account that redeems it, or decline it. If they decline, Steam automatically refunds the purchase to the purchaser’s payment method. If they do nothing, the delivered gift remains pending for 30 days; after that, Steam cancels the purchase and refunds the original payment method. Once accepted, the game is permanently added to the recipient’s library. Steam Gifts
Why can’t I gift this game?
Steam checks gift eligibility for the specific item and recipient. Common reasons the option may be unavailable include:
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- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
- The recipient already owns the game.
- A regional price difference or territory restriction prevents gifting across the two regions.
- The recipient does not own a required base game for the DLC.
- The item is a customized “Complete Your Collection” bundle, which cannot be gifted.
- The title does not support gifting, or it is a multipack.
Steam’s FAQ says multipacks cannot be purchased directly as gifts. Some promotional offers provide extra copies that can be passed along, but those are distinct from buying a multipack as a gift. Steam Gifts Extra Copies
Cross-region gifts
Restrictions depend on the product and the countries involved. Steam identifies applicable limits during checkout, and the gift description lists the countries where the gift can be redeemed; those country groups can change. Steam Support cannot remove a restriction. Using a proxy or VPN to disguise your location to redeem a restricted gift violates Steam’s Terms of Service and can lead to account restrictions. Region Restrictions on Steam
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- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
How refunds for Steam gifts work
Unredeemed gift
The purchaser can submit a refund request to Steam Support for an unredeemed gift. Steam’s stated baseline is that the game must have been purchased within 14 days and played for less than two hours; requests outside those conditions can still be submitted for review, but approval is not guaranteed. Steam Gifts Common Refund Questions
Redeemed gift
If the recipient has accepted the gift, they must first approve removing it from their account. The purchaser can then submit the refund request. The same 14-day and under-two-hours baseline applies; Steam reviews requests and does not promise approval. Steam Gifts Common Refund Questions
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- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
A gift refunded because of fraud or a payment dispute may be revoked from the recipient’s library. Steam says it will notify the recipient, and the game will no longer be playable from that library. Revoked Gifts
When to send a Steam Gift Card instead
If a particular game cannot be gifted—or you are not sure which eligible title the recipient wants—a Steam Gift Card is Steam’s recommended alternative. The recipient receives an email and an account notification, then redeems the card and can use the wallet funds toward a game or add-on for their account. A gift card does not automatically bypass regional availability or account restrictions, so check the terms for the specific card and recipient’s region. Steam Gifts Region Restrictions on Steam
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| Choice | What the recipient gets | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Gift a game | The specific title you select, if the recipient and region are eligible | Ownership, DLC requirements, product type, and regional restrictions can block the gift |
| Steam Gift Card | Wallet funds the recipient can apply to an eligible purchase | Card terms and regional/account restrictions still matter |
Can I send a duplicate game I already bought?
Usually, no: an ordinary duplicate purchase does not grant an extra giftable copy. Steam limits giftable extras to specific promotions, such as certain four-packs or offers explicitly identified at checkout. Promotional extra copies cannot be bought or sold. Extra Copies
How to avoid gift-related account problems
Steam warns users not to accept gifts from people they do not know. Redeeming a fraudulent gift can be a restricted-account issue, and Steam does not support the sale of Steam gifts outside Steam. Use Steam’s gifting flow or an authorized seller rather than assuming a third-party gift offer is supported. Revoked Gifts Restricted Steam Account
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- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
