Snapshot of the source text at fetch time — not a live mirror of the policy page.
Plain-English summary
This Steam Subscriber Agreement review highlights several important aspects. Valve disclaims all warranties (risk-1) and significantly limits its liability for damages (risk-2), meaning you may have limited recourse if issues arise. Your account could be terminated without notice for violating rules like using IP proxies (risk-3, risk-5). If your account is compromised without Valve's negligence, they are not responsible (risk-4). Valve receives broad, worldwide rights to use any user-generated content you upload (data-1) and can use your feedback freely without compensation (data-2). Use of cheating or automation may be reported by Valve to external game hosts (data-3). Valve also retains the right to modify your Workshop Contributions without compensation (data-4). Funds in your Steam Wallet are typically non-refundable (cancellation-1), and the minimum age for creating an account is 13, with possible additional country-specific age restrictions (gotchas-1).
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Risk Flags
Key areas in the policy that might pose a risk to the user.
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Valve disclaims all warranties except those required by law.
Valve provides Steam, its content, and subscriptions "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind. They specifically disclaim implied warranties like merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or noninfringement. This means Valve doesn't guarantee the service will meet your expectations or be free from errors.
Why it matters: You cannot claim that the service, content, or subscriptions should be fit for a particular purpose or of merchantable quality, as Valve disclaims these warranties. This limits your legal recourse if the service doesn't perform as expected.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, VALVE AND ITS AFFILIATES AND SERVICE PROVIDERS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM (I) ANY WARRANTY FOR STEAM, THE CONTENT AND SERVICES, AND THE SUBSCRIPTIONS, AND (II) ANY COMMON LAW DUTIES WITH REGARD TO STEAM, THE CONTENT AND SERVICES, AND THE SUBSCRIPTIONS, INCLUDING DUTIES OF LACK OF NEGLIGENCE AND LACK OF WORKMANLIKE EFFORT.
B. Content Uploaded to the Steam Workshop, paragraph 17 · Citation strength: strong
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Use of IP proxying can lead to account termination.
You agree not to use IP proxying or other methods to hide your residence, whether to get around geographical restrictions, purchase at different prices, or for any other reason. If you do this, Valve may end your access to your Account.
Why it matters: Using tools to mask your location could result in the termination of your Steam account, causing you to lose access to all your games and content.
You agree that you will not use IP proxying or other methods to disguise the place of your residence, whether to circumvent geographical restrictions on game content, to order or purchase at pricing not applicable to your geography, or for any other purpose. If you do this, Valve may terminate your access to your Account.
A. Payment Authorization, paragraph 4 · Citation strength: strong
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Valve allows termination of accounts without prior notice.
Valve may restrict or terminate your account(s) or a subscription for illegal conduct, cheating, automation, or breaches of the Steam Online Conduct Rules. You acknowledge that Valve is not required to give you notice before ending your subscription(s) and/or account.
Why it matters: Your account or subscriptions can be terminated without prior notification if you violate certain rules, potentially leading to immediate loss of access to your content and services.
Valve may restrict or terminate your Account(s) or a particular Subscription for any conduct or activity that is illegal, constitutes a Cheat or Automation or breaches the Steam Online Conduct Rules. You acknowledge that Valve is not required to provide you notice before terminating your Subscription(s) and/or Account.
The ways in which the company collects, processes, and shares user data.
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User-generated content license is worldwide and non-exclusive, duration aligns with intellectual property rights.
When you upload content to Steam, you grant Valve and its affiliates a worldwide, non-exclusive right to use, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, distribute, transmit, transcode, translate, broadcast, and otherwise communicate, publicly display, and publicly perform your User Generated Content. This license is granted for the entire duration of intellectual property rights and is for the operation, distribution, incorporation, and promotion of Steam services.
Why it matters: You grant Valve broad rights to use your user-generated content globally for the full period of intellectual property rights, allowing them to use it for their services and promotion without needing further permission.
When you upload your content to Steam to make it available to other users and/or to Valve, you grant Valve and its affiliates the worldwide, non-exclusive right to use, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, distribute, transmit, transcode, translate, broadcast, and otherwise communicate, and publicly display and publicly perform, your User Generated Content, and derivative works of your User Generated Content, for the purpose of the operation, distribution, incorporation as part of and promotion of the Steam service, Steam games or other Steam offerings, including Subscriptions.
USER GENERATED CONTENT[⏶](https://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/#0), paragraph 3 · Citation strength: strong
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Valve can use user feedback and suggestions without obligation to compensate.
If you provide Valve with any feedback or suggestions about Steam, the content and services, or any Valve products, hardware, or services, Valve is free to use the feedback or suggestions however it chooses, without any obligation to account to you.
Why it matters: Any feedback or suggestions you provide to Valve can be used by them freely without compensation or needing to give you credit.
If you provide Valve with any feedback or suggestions about Steam, the Content and Services, or any Valve products, Hardware or services, Valve is free to use the feedback or suggestions however it chooses, without any obligation to account to you.
USER GENERATED CONTENT[⏶](https://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/#0), paragraph 4 · Citation strength: strong
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Use of automation or cheating may be reported to external hosts.
Any host of an online multiplayer game distributed through Steam ("External Host") may report your use of Cheats, unauthorized process tampering, or Automation to Valve. Valve may communicate your history of use of these to External Hosts within the boundaries of the Steam Privacy Policy.
Why it matters: If you use cheats, tamper with processes, or use automation in online multiplayer games, this information may be shared by Valve with other game hosts, potentially affecting your access or standing in other games.
Further, you acknowledge and agree that any host of an online multiplayer game distributed through Steam ("External Host") may report your use of Cheats, unauthorized process tampering or Automation to Valve, and Valve may communicate your history of use thereof to External Hosts within the boundaries of the Steam Privacy Policy.
Valve can make modifications to your Workshop Contributions.
Valve has the right to modify your Workshop Contributions to make them compatible with Steam and the Workshop functionality or user interface. Valve or the applicable developer can also modify Workshop Contributions accepted for in-Application distribution to enhance gameplay or make them compatible with the Workshop-Enabled App.
Why it matters: Valve can change your user-generated content submitted to the Workshop for compatibility or gameplay purposes, and you are not entitled to compensation for their modifications.
A, Valve will only have the right to modify including to create derivative works from your Workshop Contribution in the following cases: (a) Valve may make modifications necessary to make your Contribution compatible with Steam and the Workshop functionality or user interface, and (b) Valve or the applicable developer may make modifications to Workshop Contributions that are accepted for in-Application distribution as it deems necessary or desirable to enhance gameplay or make it compatible with the Workshop-Enabled App.
B. Content Uploaded to the Steam Workshop, paragraph 6 · Citation strength: strong
Cancellation and Renewal
Information about how to cancel the service or how it renews.
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Looking good
No billing surprises spotted
Verbaterm only flags concerns it can cite. No cancellation, auto-renewal, or refund terms needed attention here.
Gotchas
Unusual or surprising clauses that may be hidden in the policy.
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Minimum age for account creation is 13, with additional restrictions possibly applying.
You cannot become a Subscriber if you are under the age of 13. Steam is not intended for children under 13, and Valve will not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. Additional age restrictions may apply in your country.
Why it matters: If you are under 13, you are prohibited from creating a Steam account, and Valve will not collect your personal information. Be aware that country-specific age limits might be higher.
You may not become a Subscriber if you are under the age of 13. Steam is not intended for children under 13 and Valve will not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. Additional age restrictions may apply in your country.
[Term and termination](https://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/#9), paragraph 5 · Citation strength: strong
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