„Don't contact Steam support” Reddit warns users trying to recover a Steam account after the death of a loved one, and for a good reason

How does Valve handle an account when the owner passes away? This is a thought that may have occurred to you at some point in your time as a PC gamer. Steam has become synonymous with the platform as the largest digital storefront available, despite competition from places like the Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store. If you’ve been keeping track of the constant struggle of game ownership over the last few years, such as the ongoing lawsuit over Ubisoft’s shutdown of The Crew, or the Stop Killing Games movement, you may know that most digital games are not purchased and owned as you might expect. Instead, when you buy a game on Steam, you are granted a license to play the game. This could give you a hint about what happens to your Steam account when Valve finds out you are no longer around.

Whatever you do, don’t contact Steam support to try to get a loved one’s Steam library

The question arises periodically on Reddit, as it did yesterday, when a user shared a post to r/Steam explaining that their father had recently passed away. They asked: “…any ideas of how I can get all of his [games] transferred to my account rather than just family sharing?” The top comment shared their condolences and then gave the best advice in this situation: “…do not write to Steam support as they will close his account.” Which is true. If Valve learns that the owner of a Steam account has passed away, that is the end of that account. By Steam’s own rules, there is no way to transfer ownership of an account.

A post shared recently.Source: r/Steam

From the Steam support page: “Steam account ownership cannot be transferred. Buying, selling, trading, or gifting a Steam account is a violation of the Steam Subscriber Agreement.” This is vital information for anyone hoping to hold onto a loved one’s Steam library, and Reddit has learned the lesson enough times. Such as this post on r/Steam from nine months ago about a parent who tragically lost their son. Users were quick to suggest obtaining the password, or at least the email, and maybe find a way to activate family sharing, but most importantly, Reddit told them to “never tell Valve support that the account holder has passed, they will delete the account immediately.”

A post shared nine months ago.Source: r/Steam

A few years ago, Reddit had a discussion on this exact topic, with a user posting on r/Steam: “Who gets your Steam profile when you die?” The top comment drops some Gabe Newell lore: “Gaben reabsorbs the profile for nutrients so he can make new ones.” But other users had more serious information and advice. One user, Equal-Introduction63, points out that there is essentially no legal standing to transfer the account, even in the event of a death.

A post shared a few years ago.Source: r/Steam

In this digital age we live in, you can’t rely on Valve to have your best interests at heart. It’s unlikely that Steam closes accounts out of some kind of maliciousness; more likely, it’s to keep inactive accounts from being stolen, hacked into, or anything like that without an owner at the helm. But that also means they won’t help you if you find yourself in a situation like this.

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