Steam now says the ‘game’ you’re buying is really just a license

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Steam is now showing a new disclosure on its store checkout screen that clarifies you don’t actually own a game.

By Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge.

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The Steam brand logo against a blue and black backdrop

Image: The Verge

Valve is now explicitly disclosing that you don’t own the games you buy from its Steam online store. The company has added a note on the payment checkout screen stating that “a purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam,” as reported earlier by Engadget.

We confirmed the message appears in the Steam desktop app, but we haven’t seen it in the mobile app yet. Some Steam users noticed the disclosure go live earlier this week and posted their findings on Reddit.

steam desktop screenshot with Metaphor: ReFantazio in the cart and the new disclosure.

steam desktop screenshot with Metaphor: ReFantazio in the cart and the new disclosure.
My colleague Sean is not actually buying this yet, he says he has to play Persona 3 first.
Image: Steam

Why? Probably, a new law. California has a law going into effect next year that’ll require digital storefronts like Valve’s Steam platform to clearly say that you’re only purchasing a license for your digital media, because some companies like Ubisoft and PlayStation were removing digital purchases from users’ libraries, keeping them from playing games like The Crew or watching their old Discovery shows.

The law does not apply to games where you can download an offline installer that can be used without connecting to the internet, like with Good Old Games’ DRM-free game store.

There’s speculation Valve went live with the new message to get ahead of the law. The law states digital storefronts must not say you can “buy” or “purchase” something unless that something is a license, and it must link to the terms and conditions of the license — which Valve already seems to have covered.

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