For gamers who have spent years diligently cultivating an enviable Steam library, here’s a sobering reality: all those hard-earned digital games effectively vanish when you do. That’s because Valve’s terms of service strictly prohibit transferring Steam accounts, even after passing away.
The issue caught widespread attention this week after a Steam user inquired with customer support about the possibility of bequeathing their account to a friend or family member via their will. Valve’s response was unequivocal: “Unfortunately, Steam accounts and games are non-transferable.”
“Steam Support can’t provide someone else with access to the account or merge its contents with another account,” the company policy states flatly. “I regret to inform you that your Steam account cannot be transferred via a will.”
It’s a sobering reminder that while you may “own” those game licenses in a philosophical sense, Valve maintains full control over the account credentials. Users effectively lease access to their libraries from the company based on adherence to the Steam subscriber agreement.
That agreement also bans the obvious workaround of simply sharing account login details, decreeing: “You may not reveal, share, or otherwise allow others to use your password or Account except as otherwise specifically authorized by Valve.”
There are currently no provisions for that “specific authorization” in the case of death. No matter how sizeable one’s Steam collection has grown over the years, the entire library will be permanently locked once an account owner passes away.
The policy has raised ethical debates in gaming circles this week. Some argue that after spending thousands on games, consumers should have more ownership rights to transfer libraries similiar to digitial properties like ebook collections.
Proponents of Valve’s stance counter that non-transferability is an industry standard akin to how digital movies or music bought through platforms like Amazon or iTunes cannot be reassigned after the original purchaser’s death.
For its part, Valve has not provided any further public comment beyond the customer service response confirming its unwavering policy. The company historically keeps a tight lid on the particulars around its massively popular digital game store.
Gamers have long grumbled about feeling beholden to potential Steam account bans or a potential service closure rendering their libraries inaccessible. This account transference issue only further underscores those apprehensions.
While the revelation is undoubtedly a buzzkill for anyone hoping to pass down their digitally-amassed gaming legacy, it does provide some free financial planning advice: be sure to set aside enough funds so loved ones can simply repurchase those beloved games for themselves after you’re gone.
At least then they won’t need to deal with manually divvying up an irretrievable Steam library. Gamers have enough daunting boss battles to deal with already.
