Do you own Steam games? Valve admits the truth

Valve has finally confirmed if players own any of the games they buy on Steam.

Steam, a digital distribution platform that has been selling games since 2005, is the most popular way to download games on PC. Early on October 11, 2024, the company decided to address a long-discussed topic amongst gamers. If players buy a game on Steam, do they actually own it? This has been debated for quite some time, with forums going back years and years.

Now Steam has given an official explanation.

Do players own the games they buy on Steam?

The short answer is no, players don’t own the games they buy on Steam. So what does that mean? What are they even paying for?

On October 11, Steam added a warning when gamers went to buy a game on the platform. It reads: “A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam.”

Basically, gamers are paying to use the license of the game, not to own the game itself. It sounds harsh and annoyed some gamers who felt ripped off, but others pointed out on Steam forums that this has always been the case for Steam, all digital content, and even physical copies of games. While they can be handed a physical copy of a game, that doesn’t mean they own the game itself. They’re just holding a copy of it.

Steam added the warning due to a new law targeting digital storefronts that sell games. The new law forbids these sites from using the word “buy,” not wanting to mislead gamers that they own the game. Instead, Steam and other storefronts must clarify that gamers are just buying a license to access the content.

While this sounds alarming at first to be told they don’t own games that they buy, it has been known for quite some time. While Steam hasn’t outwardly stated it until now, it’s been a heavily discussed topic for well over a decade. So the news is not new, just confirmed. But this brings back the hot topic. If they don’t own the game, what can gamers do if Steam bans them or they suddenly can’t access the “license” they purchased?

Still, some gamers are calling Steam a “scam” now and some are even requesting refunds for games they purchased without the warning. Others are even wondering if this means that “pirating” media is no longer a bad thing.

Said one X user: “If buying isn’t owning, then pirating isn’t stealing.”