Reddit users reveal a massive problem with your Steam library

Recently, Steam users on Reddit were presented with a fascinating moral dilemma: Is it wrong to use a dead person’s account? The original request came from a son whose father had passed away. A few days before he passed away, the father recommended a game to his son. Now the son is wondering how feasible it would be to gain access to his father’s account and complete all the game’s achievements to honor him. Reddit was supportive, but the discussion covered many more fascinating topics about the popular PC gaming storefront.

What happens to a Steam account when the owner passes away? Don’t contact support

The top-voted comment on the Reddit post reads: “He isn’t going to use it anymore. It’s family. I can promise you he wouldn’t mind.” On some level, this was the only answer the original poster needed. But as Reddit was quick to point out, there are more elements to consider. Further down in the comments, another supportive user added, in all capital letters: “…DO NOT MESSAGE SUPPORT.” Why is this bit of information so important? It’s because of Steam’s licensing policies.

On Steam, you don’t own your library of games. This has become more apparent recently as Steam added a statement to the checkout process. If you look at your cart on Steam, on the right-hand side, just underneath the “Continue to payment” button, a box reads: “A purchase of a digital product grants a license of the product on Steam.” The ownership of digital products is a topic that’s still being fought over in courts, perhaps the most notable being the ongoing case against Ubisoft over their shutdown of the racing game, The Crew. Unfortunately, this initiative is also losing traction with players. So, if you care about owning your games, check out and support the “Stop Killing Games” campaign and the “Stop Destroying Videogames” initiative.

This lack of ownership is a key detail in the case of this Reddit post, as one user pointed out: “…I’ve seen people say when they messaged Steam support about the topic Valve shut the account down.” In this case, that would be the most tragic outcome. Not only would the original poster never be able to complete those achievements, but they would also lose access to something significant to their memory. The rest of the Reddit comment section was quick to back this up, ensuring that the poster got the message.

Other sections of the comments had further discussions. Many users shared their plans to pass their accounts on to their children after they pass away. A few other users discussed Steam’s policies around account length and ownership. For example, one user brought up the idea of what Steam would do with an account that reaches one hundred years of age. Most users input their birthday when creating an account, so in theory, this is something Steam could track. But of course, Steam hasn’t been around long enough for this to come into play yet.

The topic of digital purchases and game ownership is becoming increasingly relevant to modern gamers. There’s no telling exactly where laws and regulations will fall in the coming years, but hopefully, they will fall on the side of the consumer. For now, there are alternative storefronts you can use, like Good Old Games, that will actually let you purchase the game, not just a license.

• Steam
• Valve
• Reddit