What happens to a Steam account when someone dies
Valve publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes in through Valve's support ticket system.
Under Valve's terms, a Steam account closes when the holder dies and nothing in it passes to anyone.
Valve publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes in through Valve's support ticket system. The request takes one document.
What to do
- •For a card purchase: the card type, the name on the card, the billing address, city and postal code, and the last four digits (never the full number)
- •For PayPal: the name and billing address on the PayPal account and a screenshot of a Steam purchase showing the invoice ID
- •For a retail key or Wallet code: a photo or scan of the code registered to the account
Required Documents
- Proof of ownership: for any request Steam Support handles on the account. Payment information previously used on the account, or retail product codes activated through Steam. The full card number is not asked for.
What Valve Corporation's terms say at death
- Section 3.D
“You also understand and acknowledge that Subscriptions acquired in any Subscription Marketplace are license rights, that you have no ownership interest in such Subscriptions, and that Valve does not recognize any transfers of Subscriptions (including transfers by operation of law) that are made outside of Steam.”1
What Valve Corporation says happens10
- Who owns the asset
The Content and Services are licensed, not sold, and the license confers no title or ownership in them.1
- Purchased content and licenses
Subscriptions are not transferable, and an activation key cannot be registered to any other account even after access to its Subscription ends.1
- Balances, payouts and refunds
Steam Wallet funds are non-refundable and non-transferable, are not a personal property right, have no value outside Steam and no cash value.1
Steam Wallet funds deemed unclaimed property may be turned over to the applicable authority.1
Deleting an account refunds nothing automatically, and its Steam Wallet funds are no longer available once it is deleted.2
- Deletion and data retention
Account deletion is permanent: game licenses, community profile, gifts, inventory items and Wallet funds are deleted and cannot be recovered.2
Valve keeps certain transactional data for up to ten years under commercial and tax law, and other personal data only as long as its purpose or the law requires.3
- Restoring a deleted account
After Steam Support verifies ownership, the account is restricted for 30 days while queued for deletion, and the deletion can be cancelled within those 30 days; once deleted it cannot be restored.2
- Disclosure of account content
Where French data protection law applies, the Privacy Policy recognizes a right to set guidelines for preserving, deleting and transmitting personal data after death.3
- Verifying the requester
Steam Support assists with an account after verifying proof of ownership, and requires comprehensive proof of ownership before deleting one.4, 2
- Passwords and login
The Subscriber Agreement does not let a holder reveal, share or otherwise allow others to use the password or account except as Valve specifically authorizes.1
- Closing the account
The holder may cancel the account at any time, and may ask Valve to end access to a Subscription.1
- Other ways to reach the provider
The Privacy Policy accepts data requests by its web form or by email to questions@valvesoftware.com, verifying identity through Proof of Ownership, and lets a California resident act through an authorized agent.3
Not in Steam's published guidance10
- A process for a deceased account holder
- A form for estate requests
- A complete list of the documents to send
- How long a request takes
- Inactive accounts and expiry
- A path to refund a balance to the estate
- A phone number for this
- A live chat channel
- Inheritance, estate or death-specific terms in the agreement
- What happens to a Steam Family when a member account is deleted
Sources4
- 1.Steam Subscriber Agreement, last updated on September 10, 2026
- 2.Account Deletion - Common Questions
- 3.Privacy Policy, Revision Date: February 14th, 2025
- 4.Providing Proof of Ownership
A written request to Valve can ask it to refund an unspent balance, provide purchase and transaction records for the estate inventory, transfer the accounts to a named family member, close the account and preserve the account while the estate is opened.
The value that can still be kept is what the account holder moved while alive: Valve allows family pooling.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for Steam drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from Valve Corporation primary sources (8 pages reviewed). How we research.
Steam estate claims
Steam Support
Website
Estate requests go through general customer service.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
Calculate how many certified death certificates you need and see ordering info for your state.
Do I Need Probate?
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What Happens to Jointly Owned Property When an Owner Dies?
See what your state records when a joint tenant with right of survivorship dies: an affidavit, the death certificate or a new deed.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Find out which tax returns need to be filed after someone dies and whether tax clearance is required.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away.
What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
