Any content you post on Steam, including reviews, screenshots, and workshop items, is licensed to Valve permanently and royalty-free, and Valve can use it in connection with its business.
This analysis describes what Steam's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
This license is permanent and irrevocable, meaning Valve can continue using your posted content even if you later delete it or close your account.
Interpretive note: The interaction between the irrevocable license assertion and GDPR Article 17 erasure rights creates legal ambiguity that may be resolved differently across jurisdictions.
The updated agreement no longer explicitly discloses that Steam Wallet funds held by Japanese users will expire six months after being added, or that expiration dates can be reviewed in the Steam Wallet. The removal of this disclosure eliminates the transparency mechanism previously available to Japanese subscribers regarding fund expiration timelines and monitoring options. Japanese law may still impose expiration requirements on stored funds regardless of contractual disclosure, but the agreement no longer notifies users of this expiration mechanism.
View change record →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.
View full change record →Game reviews, screenshots, workshop mods, forum posts, and other user content you submit to Steam are subject to a permanent, royalty-free license that Valve retains even after account closure or content deletion.
How other platforms handle this
we may closely review accounts that offer the following services, products, or content: Online trading, day trading tips, and stock market related content
Paid Subscribers can select whether Content is public or private.
If Your Content is prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction where our Services are available, we may remove it even if it is not illegal in your location.
"As a Subscriber you may submit or transmit (collectively, "post") Content on or through Steam, including but not limited to, written works, images, photos, messages, comments, game data, gameplay recordings, and profile data ('User Generated Content' or 'UGC'). By posting any UGC on Steam, you expressly grant to Valve a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to reproduce, publicly display, publicly perform, distribute, transmit, adapt, and otherwise use the UGC in connection with the Steam service and Valve's business.Excerpt from Steam's Subscriber Agreement
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The perpetual, irrevocable UGC license grant engages GDPR Article 17 (right to erasure) for EU users to the extent UGC constitutes personal data; the tension between an irrevocable commercial license and the right …
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This license is permanent and irrevocable, meaning Valve can continue using your posted content even if you later delete it or close your account.
Game reviews, screenshots, workshop mods, forum posts, and other user content you submit to Steam are subject to a permanent, royalty-free license that Valve retains even after account closure or content deletion.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 262 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Steam.