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
By submitting, sharing, or otherwise making User-Generated Content available through any of the Licensed Products, including by submitting User-Generated Content using UEFN, you grant Epic a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, sublicensable, worldwide license to use, reproduce, modi...
By setting your pages and repositories to be viewed publicly, you agree to allow others to view and fork your repositories within the GitHub Service. By setting your repositories to be viewed publicly, you agree to allow GitHub to display your User Content in ways to enable users to view, fork, and ...
"Content" means anything you or your Customers create or make available through the Service in connection with your Account, including your intellectual property (e.g. trademarks, trade names, service marks, and copyrighted works); the products or services you offer (e.g., courses, coaching, members...
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"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 Steam 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 to erasure is a recognized compliance consideration. The FTC's guidelines on endorsements and testimonials are relevant where user reviews and UGC are used in Valve's commercial communications. Copyright law in applicable jurisdictions governs the underlying ownership of UGC. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The perpetual and irrevocable nature of the license is notable and goes beyond what some comparable platform agreements assert, though broad UGC licenses are common in the industry. The sublicensability of the license means Valve may authorize third parties to use subscriber-created content. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU/EEA users retain GDPR Article 17 erasure rights with respect to personal data elements within UGC, which may create tension with the irrevocable license assertion. UK GDPR imposes similar obligations. The right to erasure under GDPR is not absolute but applies in defined circumstances that may conflict with Valve's license claim. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Developers and content creators who post substantial workshop content or creative assets to Steam should understand that Valve holds a perpetual, sublicensable license to that content. This has implications for IP ownership, commercial use, and any downstream licensing arrangements. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Privacy teams should assess whether the UGC license grant is adequately disclosed at the point of content submission and whether EU users are provided sufficient information to make an informed decision. The interaction between the irrevocable license and GDPR erasure requests should be documented in the organization's data mapping and response procedures.
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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 4 platforms. See the full comparison.
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