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This page describes what the document states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability may vary by jurisdiction. Methodology
The Steam Subscriber Agreement establishes the terms governing access to Steam's platform, including purchase of games, software downloads, community participation, and marketplace transactions. The agreement provides that users obtain a limited license to access digital content rather than ownership, with Valve authorized to suspend or terminate access upon account termination. For US-based users, the agreement includes mandatory arbitration and class action waiver provisions that establish arbitration as the dispute resolution mechanism.
The Steam Subscriber Agreement governs the contractual relationship between Valve Corporation (a Washington State corporation) and individuals who register a Steam account, covering access to the Steam platform, digital game licenses, in-game content, community features, hardware purchases, and user-generated content. The agreement states that subscribers receive a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use Content and Services, that Valve may modify or discontinue subscriptions at any time, and that all purchases of digital content are final with refunds governed only by the separate Steam Refund Policy. Notable provisions include a mandatory binding arbitration clause with a class action waiver applicable to US residents, Valve's reserved right to terminate accounts and revoke access to all associated digital content, and a broad intellectual property license over user-generated content that is perpetual and royalty-free; applicable law varies by geography, with Washington State law governing US users and EU consumer protection law acknowledged for European subscribers. The agreement engages GDPR for EU/EEA users (with the Valve Privacy Policy incorporated by reference), CCPA for California residents, COPPA for the under-13 age restriction, and FTC Act consumer protection standards; compliance teams should note that the arbitration and class action waiver provisions, while common in US consumer agreements, face enforceability constraints in the EU and several other jurisdictions, and the digital goods licensing model (rather than ownership) has been subject to increasing regulatory scrutiny in the EU under the Digital Content Directive.
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Start Compliance free trial3 important changes detected
3 versions captured · Last updated: June 2026
Steam removed two sentences from its Subscriber Agreement on April 18, 2026 that previously disclosed fund expiration rules for Japanese users. The removed language stated that any Steam Wallet funds …
View change record →This new provision explicitly prohibits account and subscription transfers, establishing a hard contractual restriction on account ownership portability.
This provision establishes that refund policies and online conduct rules are binding terms and incorporates external documents by reference into the agreement.
This provision grants Valve broad unilateral authority to terminate or modify any service aspect without notice or cause, eliminating user protections against service disruption.
This establishes Washington State law and exclusive jurisdiction in King County courts, creating a geographic limitation that may disadvantage international or non-Washington users in disputes.
The combined version was split into separate provisions, but this removes the specific language about Valve's unilateral discretion to cancel for 'any reason' from the license section.
This removal eliminates explicit notice about unredeemed wallet fund termination and access revocation language, though similar termination rights appear in the new provisions.
The explicit prohibition on wallet fund redemption and the statement that wallet funds are not legal tender were removed, potentially allowing for future changes to wallet policies.
The removal of explicit EU withdrawal rights language is significant as it may diminish transparency regarding EU consumer protection rights under UCPL.
The removal of explicit liability limitation language reduces transparency about Valve's liability caps, though such limitations may still be enforceable under other terms or law.
The account termination and content revocation language was separated into its own provision, and the word 'Your' was changed to lowercase 'Your' in the excerpt.
The provision was significantly expanded to include steam hardware and services, removed geographic restriction (United States or Canada), added prominent legal warning language, and strengthened class action waiver language.
The license was changed from transferable to perpetual and irrevocable, scope was expanded to explicitly include game data and profile data, and formal definition of 'UGC' was added.
2 provisions unchanged.
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