Steam Purchase Gifts and Guest Passes

Steam Gift Purchases

What is a Steam gift purchase?

When you purchase a game on Steam, we offer the option to “gift” the item to anyone you choose, whether or not the recipient is a current Steam user. The recipient will receive the gift as an attractive e-mail card with a personal message from you and instructions to redeem the game.

A Steam gift purchase is a one-time transfer—after the recipient has activated and installed the game, it is a non-refundable game in his or her Steam games collection. Also note that you may only gift new purchases—you may not transfer games you already own. That’d be like wrapping up and presenting the toaster you’ve used every morning for the past year.

How can I purchase Steam Gifts for a different Steam user?

To give a gift to a friend or family member, locate the game you would like to gift on the Steam Storefront and then click the "purchase" button. As you are reviewing your order, you will see a notice that asks "Is this a gift?". Click the check box next to "Yes, it's a gift" and hit "next". If the Steam account you are making the purchase on already has a subscription to the game that you are attempting to gift, it will default to a gift purchase.

Selecting your gift recipient

You can send your gift to an e-mail address or you can select the recipient from one of your Friends in the Steam Community. If you are sending your gift to an e-mail address, please verify that you have typed the e-mail address in correctly. If the gift is not a surprise, we recommend verifying the address with the person you are gifting the game to in order to ensure that they receive the gift promptly.

Including a Special Message with your gift

You may take a few moments to add a special message to the gift recipient. When they receive your gift, your special message will be displayed for them in Steam and they will also receive your gift message via e-mail.

You can also choose from a pre-defined list of sentiments or simply type your own in the "Your Sentiment" box. Feel free to customize your signature and the recipient's name if you like. Once your message is complete, press "next" to proceed to the purchase options.

Payment Methods

Steam currently accepts the following payment methods. Once your purchase is complete, please print your receipt for your records and store the hard copy in a safe place. You will also receive an e-mail receipt verifying your purchase.

What happens after I have sent the gift?

Your friend will receive a message in Steam and also an e-mail notifying them that they have received a gift. Your personalized gift message will be included in the notification.

How will I know whether my friend has received their gift?

To check the status of your gift purchase, click on "Games" in the main menu in Steam, then select "Manage gifts and guest passes..." Once your friend has redeemed their gift in Steam, your gift's status will change from "Sent" to "Redeemed."

How do I use a Steam gift given to me by a friend?

If you do not already have Steam, follow the link in the email you received to download and install Steam. Once you have Steam installed, you will be prompted to create an account or login to an existing Steam account. If you do not have an account, please create one. A pop-up message will notify you that you have received a gift. You must click the "activate" link in Steam in order to redeem your gift. Once you have accepted the gift, you can download the game from the "My games" list.

Gifting Questions

Do gifts expire if they are not redeemed in a certain amount of time?

Gifts will not expire once they have been issued. Once the gift purchase has been activated, the game is permanently subscribed to the Steam account that it was redeemed on.

Can I give my own Steam account a gift?

You can not make a gift purchase for the account that you are currently using. Do not allow someone else to use your Steam account to make a gift purchase. If the person who wants to gift you a game does not already have a Steam account, they will need to create one.

What will my friends see if I send them a Steam gift?

If your friend does not currently have a Steam account, your invitation will be sent to his or her email address with information on installing Steam and accepting your gift. If your friend already has a Steam account, your friend will still receive an email, but the gift will immediately be linked to his or her account.

How can I tell if my Friend already owns one of the games I would like to gift to him/her?

If your friends are members of your Steam Friends list, you can learn whether they already own the game you'd like to give. Your Steam Friends who already own this game will automatically be filtered out of the potential list of recipients. You can also visit your friend's Steam Community profile and click the link to "View all games" to view your Friend's list of owned games on Steam before purchasing them a gift.

I sent a Steam gift to a friend, but that person never received it. What now?

You can resend gifts in case your friend's email gift message was lost. If you are resending to a new (or corrected) email address you should be able to resend immediately. If you are attempting to resend it to the same email address the Steam system requires that you wait 24 hours to prevent the spamming of users. When you resend a gift the previously generated email will become invalid and the “accept” link within it will no longer work. Your friend must use the latest version of the email when accepting the gift.

I sent a Steam gift to a friend using their email address, but it turns out that person already owns this game. Can I give this gift to someone else?

Yes, provided your friend has not already redeemed your gift using a different Steam account. To give your gift to a different friend, simply find your gifts under the "Games" menu listed as "Manage gifts and guest passes". From the Gifts and Guest Passes dialog, highlight the gift in question and select "Resend" to give your gift to a new recipient.

Can I give multiple gifts at the same time?

You can not give more than one gift at a time.

Can I gift games I no longer play to my friends?

You can not gift games that were previously purchased on your Steam account to friends. Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One can be gifted when purchased as part of the Orange Box package. For more information about Orange Box gifting, please see this guide.

The game I was gifted has been revoked

Please see this guide.

May I sell or trade gift subscriptions?

Steam Gift Purchases can not be sold or traded. Attempting to sell or trade a gift subscription is a violation of the Steam Subscriber Agreement and may result in your account being permanently disabled.

Guest Passes

For more information about Guest Passes, please check out the Guest Pass Guide.

Resending a Gift or Guest Pass

If your intended recipient did not receive your gift or guest pass invitation, you may resend it by going to Steam's Games > Manage gifts & guest passes... menu.

You may select a friend from your Friends list, or enter a new email to send the subscription.