Do you own a game you buy on Steam? Under Valve’s Subscriber Agreement, the answer is that you receive a license to use the game—not title or ownership in the digital content itself. That distinction can affect access and transfers, but it does not settle every consumer-rights question in every country or the terms of each individual game.
What Steam’s license reminder means
Valve’s Subscriber Agreement puts it plainly: “The Content and Services are licensed, not sold.” It adds: “Your license confers no title or ownership in the Content and Services.” Read Steam’s Subscriber Agreement.
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In practical terms, paying for a Steam game gives you contractual permission to access and use it under the applicable terms; it does not give you ownership of the game’s copyright or the digital content as property. Steam access is tied to an account. Valve’s agreement also says use may require the Steam client and an internet connection, though that does not mean every game needs a continuing connection to launch.
Why Steam made the wording more visible
Ars Technica reported on October 11, 2024, that Steam’s checkout displayed: “A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam,” with a link to the Subscriber Agreement. The report connected the disclosure to California AB 2426, which it described as requiring conspicuous, plain-language disclosure for certain digital goods. That is the report’s explanation of the checkout change and its California context—not a claim that California law governs every Steam customer. Read Ars Technica’s report.
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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.
What a license can mean for access and transfers
Access can depend on services
A license does not automatically mean a game will disappear, or that Valve can arbitrarily revoke every purchase. But digital access may depend on a store account, downloads, servers, or services that a publisher later stops operating. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s March 2025 final report describes standard-form game-store contracts, including Steam’s, as generally granting revocable licenses to access and play rather than ownership of a copy or a permanent ability to play and lend it.
The report points to Ubisoft’s online-only game The Crew: after its servers shut down in April 2024, players lost the ability to download, install, or play it. That example illustrates the risk of server dependence; it does not establish that every delisted game becomes unplayable. Read the ACCC’s final report.
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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.
Account transfers and resale are restricted
Valve’s agreement restricts transfers of accounts and subscriptions, subject to exceptions in the agreement, subscription terms, rules of use, or specific permission. That matters if you expect to resell a digital game or pass it to someone else. It is a statement about Valve’s terms; it does not establish that digital games are legally non-transferable everywhere.
What players think about licensed game purchases
The ACCC report gives a sense of how Australian players view the issue. In a survey of Australian consumers aged 14 and older conducted in October–November 2024, 56% said they had been unaware that some digital game-store purchases grant a license rather than ownership. Asked whether that possibility was fair, 72% considered it quite or very unfair, while 10% considered it quite or very fair. These are findings about the survey’s Australian respondents, not a global estimate.
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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.
What to check before buying a digital game
- License terms: Check what rights the storefront grants and whether it restricts account transfers or resale.
- Offline access: Find out whether the game can be downloaded and launched without a continuing internet connection.
- Server dependence: Check whether core gameplay relies on publisher-operated servers.
- Support and shutdown plans: Consider what the publisher says will happen if online services end or the game is no longer hosted.
- Local consumer law and game-specific terms: Valve’s agreement is not a complete account of the law where you live, and a game may have additional terms of its own.
The ACCC report also contrasts storefront licenses with GOG’s stated position. GOG’s managing director said that “games you bought and downloaded [from GOG] can never be taken from you or altered against your will”. That is the company’s stated position, as quoted in the report—not an independently established legal guarantee, nor proof that a buyer owns a game’s copyright.
Quick Recap
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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.
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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.
