What happens to my purchased games when I delete my Steam account?

All games in your library are permanently lost when you delete your Steam account. According to Steam's Subscriber Agreement, you purchase licenses to play games, not the games themselves. These licenses are tied to your account and cannot be transferred. You will not receive refunds for any purchased content.

How long does it take to delete a Steam account?

Steam account deletion requires contacting Steam Support and is not instant. After submitting a deletion request, Steam Support typically responds within 1-3 business days. Once they verify your request and identity, the actual deletion process takes up to 30 days to complete. During this time, your account will be inaccessible.

Will I get a refund for my Steam Wallet balance when I delete my account?

No. Any remaining Steam Wallet balance is forfeited when you delete your account. Steam does not provide refunds for wallet funds upon account deletion. It's recommended to spend or gift your wallet balance before requesting account deletion if you want to use those funds.

What happens to my in-game items and marketplace items?

All in-game items, Steam Trading Cards, marketplace items, and inventory contents are permanently deleted along with your account. This includes valuable items like CS:GO skins, Dota 2 items, or TF2 items. These items cannot be recovered and have no cash value once the account is deleted. Consider trading or selling valuable items before deletion.

Can I transfer my games to another Steam account before deletion?

No. Steam does not allow game license transfers between accounts. Games are permanently tied to the account that purchased them. You cannot move games to another account or give them away before deletion. This is stated in Steam's Subscriber Agreement and is strictly enforced.

Will deleting my Steam account affect other gaming platforms?

Deleting your Steam account only affects Steam services. However, if you've linked your Steam account to other gaming platforms (like EA, Ubisoft, Epic Games) or used Steam to log into third-party games, those connections will be severed. You may lose access to linked content or need to create separate accounts for those services.

How to Delete Your Steam Account - Step-by-Step Guide (2025)

Written & Verified By

Delete.Directory Content Team

Our team of privacy advocates and former social media employees verify every deletion process through hands-on testing.

This guide helps you permanently delete your Steam account. We believe in digital autonomy: your right to leave any platform should be as easy as joining it. Follow these verified steps to ensure complete account deletion.

How We Verified This Guide

Methodology: Hands-on testing with live accounts

Quick Information

Time Required

15 minutes

Difficulty

medium

Steps

5 steps

Official Resources

Steam Support - Account Deletion

Official deletion guide from Steam

Additional Resources

[1]

Steam Subscriber Agreement

Legal terms governing your Steam account and content licenses

[2]

Steam Privacy Policy

Details about how Valve handles your personal data and privacy

Step-by-Step Guide

Log in to Your Steam Account

Open the Steam client on your computer or visit store.steampowered.com in your web browser. Log in with your account credentials.

Tips

•Make sure you're logged into the correct account if you have multiple Steam accounts
•Verify you have access to your registered email address for support communication
•Have your Steam Guard authentication code ready if enabled

Access Steam Support

Navigate to help.steampowered.com or click 'Help' in the Steam client menu. You'll need to submit a support ticket to request account deletion.

Tips

•Use the Steam client's built-in help feature for faster access
•You can also access support directly at https://help.steampowered.com/
•Make sure you're logged in to see all support options

Navigate to Account Issues

In Steam Support, select 'My Account' and then choose 'Data Related to Your Steam Account' or look for options related to account closure or deletion.

Tips

•The exact menu path may vary as Steam updates their support interface
•Look for 'Account deletion', 'Close account', or 'Privacy' related options
•You may need to search for 'delete account' in the support search bar

Submit Account Deletion Request

Create a support ticket requesting permanent account deletion. Clearly state that you want to permanently delete your Steam account and all associated data. Provide any required verification information.

Warnings

•Steam does not offer instant account deletion - you must contact support
•Be clear and specific in your request to avoid delays
•All game licenses, purchases, and content will be permanently lost

Wait for Support Response and Confirm

Steam Support will review your request and respond via email (typically within 1-3 business days). They may ask for additional verification or confirmation. Follow their instructions to complete the deletion process.

Tips

•Check your spam folder for Steam Support emails
•Respond promptly to verification requests to avoid delays
•Keep a record of all support ticket correspondence
•Once confirmed, deletion is typically processed within 30 days

Important Warnings

Permanent Loss of Game Library

All games in your Steam library will be permanently lost, including purchased games, free-to-play games, and games received as gifts. You will not be able to access or re-download any of these games after deletion. There is no refund for purchased content.

No Account Recovery

Once your Steam account is permanently deleted, it cannot be recovered under any circumstances. You will lose access to your entire game library, achievements, friends list, and all account data forever.

Loss of In-Game Items and Progress

All in-game items, including expensive skins, cosmetics, trading cards, and marketplace items will be permanently lost. Years of game progress, achievements, and saved games will also be deleted.

Active Subscriptions and Wallet Balance

Any remaining Steam Wallet balance will be forfeited. Active subscriptions to services like Steam family sharing or game-specific subscriptions will be terminated without refund.

Community and Social Data Loss

Your friends list, community posts, workshop items, reviews, screenshots, and all social interactions will be permanently deleted. Any content you've created or shared in the Steam Community will be removed.

Alternatives to Consider

Set Account Privacy to Private

easy

Instead of deleting your account, you can make your Steam profile completely private, hiding your game library, playtime, achievements, and activity from everyone except yourself.

Pros

•Keep all your purchased games and content
•Maintain your game progress and achievements
•Can be reversed at any time
•No loss of purchased content or wallet balance
•Friends can still contact you if desired

Cons

•Your account still exists on Steam's servers
•Steam still has access to your data and purchase history
•You may still receive promotional emails unless unsubscribed
•Account name still appears in friends lists

5 min

Use Steam Family View

easy

Enable Family View to restrict access to your account, effectively locking it down without deleting it. This can prevent unwanted purchases or game access while keeping your library intact.

Pros

•Prevents unauthorized purchases and downloads
•Games and content remain safe in your library
•Easy to disable when you want to use your account again
•Useful for taking a break from gaming

Cons

•Doesn't address privacy concerns with Steam holding your data
•Account is still active and accessible with PIN
•Doesn't reduce your digital footprint
•Requires PIN to access, which could be forgotten

10 min

Remove Payment Methods and Clear Personal Data

easy

Remove all stored payment methods, clear your purchase history visibility, and minimize personal information on your profile while keeping your account and games accessible.

Pros

•Reduces risk of unauthorized purchases
•Minimizes personal data exposure
•Keep all games and content
•Can still use account with manual payments when needed

Cons

•Account still exists with purchase history on Steam's servers
•Less convenient for future purchases
•Doesn't fully address privacy concerns
•Some data cannot be removed from Steam's backend

10 min

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Once your Steam account is permanently deleted, it cannot be recovered under any circumstances. All games, purchases, achievements, friends, and account data are permanently lost. Valve does not offer any account recovery options after deletion is complete. Make absolutely certain before proceeding with deletion.

References & Citations

[1]
Steam Subscriber Agreement
Legal terms governing your Steam account and content licenses
https://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/
[2]
Steam Privacy Policy
Details about how Valve handles your personal data and privacy
https://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/

All citations verified as of 11/11/2025. We regularly review and update all external links to ensure accuracy.

Found incorrect information?

We strive for accuracy. If something's outdated or wrong, let us know.

Report incorrect information

Quick Navigation

Related Guides

You might also want to delete these accounts

epic-games

Epic Games Store is a major competitor offering exclusive games and free weekly titles

gog

GOG (Good Old Games) offers DRM-free games with different ownership model

xbox-game-pass

Microsoft's gaming subscription service with cloud gaming options

Critical Warnings

Permanent Loss of Game Library
All games in your Steam library will be permanently lost, including purchased games, free-to-play ga...
No Account Recovery
Once your Steam account is permanently deleted, it cannot be recovered under any circumstances. You ...
Loss of In-Game Items and Progress
All in-game items, including expensive skins, cosmetics, trading cards, and marketplace items will b...

Last Updated

November 11, 2025

Steam Account Deletion

How We Verified This Guide

Quick Information

Official Resources

Additional Resources

Step-by-Step Guide

Log in to Your Steam Account

Access Steam Support

Navigate to Account Issues

Submit Account Deletion Request

Wait for Support Response and Confirm

Important Warnings

Permanent Loss of Game Library

No Account Recovery

Loss of In-Game Items and Progress

Active Subscriptions and Wallet Balance

Community and Social Data Loss

Alternatives to Consider

Set Account Privacy to Private

Use Steam Family View

Remove Payment Methods and Clear Personal Data

Frequently Asked Questions

References & Citations

Found incorrect information?

Quick Navigation

Related Guides

Critical Warnings

Tags