Many gamers now have a considerable collection of games on Steam. This raises the question for some users of whether it is possible to bequeath the entire library to another person. A player recently inquired with Valve whether it would be possible to include the Steam account in their will.
What was the answer? The player asked the following question:
Hello Steam team. I have a burning question that needs an answer. I don’t plan on dying anytime soon, but if I do… Could I transfer my Steam account through a will? Thank you for your answers.
User on Steam, via 3D Juegos
Steam customer service responded that it is not possible to transfer the account to someone else. Other individuals are not allowed to access the account or to merge the account with another. Thus, upon death, a user loses all rights to the games.
The customer service cited the usage policies. There it states that users “must not disclose their password or account, share it, or otherwise allow others to use the password and the account.” Something else would only apply if Valve expressly permitted it.
What is not allowed, however, is renaming one’s own game on Steam:
The legal situation regarding the inheritance of the Steam account is more complicated
Is the case thus closed? The player could still try to bequeath their Steam account to another person. Another user had asked the same question and received a slightly different answer: According to this, Valve would differentiate on a case-by-case basis whether the account could be passed on (via Steam Community).
According to this information, Valve is willing to work with the respective parties if such an unfortunate case were to occur.
Our colleagues from GameStar asked a lawyer whether it was possible to bequeath the library. The internet and IT law expert stated that, in principle, it is possible to further bequeath the account.
However, the case is more complex than one might think, because with Steam we do not acquire the games themselves, but only the usage license. Furthermore, rights and contracts of the testator can be further bequeathed, but not the “most personal rights” that might accompany active use of the games.
Ultimately, the current Steam user agreement does not stipulate that inheritability can fundamentally be excluded. However, there are many legal grey areas that make inheritance difficult.
What can I do instead? In the comments of a reddit post, a user points out that the deceased person would need to share their login information before their death if necessary. However, this violates the usage policies, and the account could be suspended if this is noticed.
Another method would be to set up a family library. This way, players can access the titles of other family members.
Other companies are already further along: Tencent filed a patent in 2021 that allows digital possessions to be passed on to heirs. This way, skins, mounts, and other digital goods can be legally transferred from one owner to another: Soon I can bequeath my most valuable possessions to my son – My skins in Fortnite, ESO, and Apex
