What will be the fate of a Steam account after the owner passes away?

Valve has confirmed that Steam accounts and game libraries cannot be transferred to others, even if the user passes away.

This means that the game treasures that users have painstakingly collected will 'follow' them into the afterlife when they pass away.

What will be the fate of a Steam account after the owner passes away? Picture 1

This information caused controversy in the gaming community. Some people think this is an unreasonable policy and express disappointment with Valve. Meanwhile, some other gamers believe that account transfer is unnecessary because the deceased will leave login information for relatives who can use that account.

However, Steam warns that using someone else's account if it is discovered that the account owner has passed away may result in the account being investigated and even permanently locked.

This issue once again raises questions about ownership of digital products after the user's death. It also came under scrutiny more than a decade ago when actor Bruce Willis said he couldn't leave his extensive iTunes music collection to his daughter.

Currently, Steam has no plans to change this policy. However, the company is testing an alternative in the future with a 'Steam Families' feature, allowing users to share games with friends and family.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 29 May 2024