Steam has always enticed gamers all over the world with its massive library of games, and more importantly, the hugely popular Steam Summer Sale that slashes the prices of almost every game out there. However, you might be someone who’s looking to quit gaming and are considering deleting your Steam account permanently. Or maybe you have become privacy-conscious and don’t want a company to have access to your data. Well, whatever be the reason, deleting your Steam account is possible, but there are some things you should consider before that. This article will cover the step-by-step process of how you can delete your Steam account while also answering some of the most burning questions you may have.
- Can I Deactivate My Steam Account Instead?
- View All Your Steam Personal Information
- How to Delete Steam Account Permanently
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What Happens to My Game Library?
- Will I Get Any Refunds?
- What Will Happen to My Steam Wallet Balance?
- How Long Does It Take for Steam Support to Delete an Account?
- Can I Cancel my Steam Account Deletion Request?
- Can I Reuse My Steam Gamer Tag After I Delete My Account?
- What Happens to My Data After I Delete My Steam Account?
Can I Deactivate My Steam Account Instead?
Now, for users mulling to delete their Steam account, there might be a hint of doubt at the back of your mind. Should I disable my Steam account instead? Is it possible to deactivate a Steam account? Well, unfortunately, you cannot disable your Steam account.
For those looking to delete their Steam account because of privacy concerns, there’s a way to find out what all data Steam has collected on you over the years. Steam has a handy information center that contains all the data the Valve-owned service holds on you.
So you have decided to delete your Steam account then. However, before you do that, remember that all Steam account deletions are permanent. Once you put in a deletion request, you get 30 days to revert your decision but post that everything is gone. So I would suggest you think twice and proceed with caution.
Q. What Happens to My Game Library When I Delete My Steam Account?
Your Steam Game Library, along with all other data, including your community profile, gifts, wallet funds, and other information, will be deleted permanently. Any game keys you registered to your Steam account will also become invalid and will no longer be playable. Only games that do not exclusively require Steam will work, but you will need to use their respective clients to play the game. For example, you can continue to play Apex Legends by moving to Origin after deleting your Steam account.
You will not get a refund for any games or software you purchased on Steam once your account is deleted. However, if there are any games you recently bought, they might qualify for Steam’s 14 days/ 2 hours policy window. That means you can refund all these games before you begin deleting your account. So before you go through Steam’s account deletion process, make sure to refund those games on Steam.
The funds in your Steam Wallet will no longer be available once your account deletion process is complete.
As per the official support page, Steam waits 30 days before permanently deleting an account. That means you have at least 30 days if you change your decision. Steam will remind you at the end of 30 days, giving you one last chance to recover your account.
Q. Can I Cancel My Steam Account Deletion Request?
Fortunately, the answer is yes. You can choose to cancel the account deletion request and restore your Steam account. Once your steam account deletion goes through, the 30 day period begins, and you will see a red banner on top of your Steam profile. You need to log back into your Steam profile, click on the red notification, and press the “Cancel, I no longer want to delete my account” button.
Unfortunately, you cannot. As Steam states on its support page, “Account names are unique and can only be used once, regardless of whether an account has been deleted.” However, you can freely use your existing email addresses, profile name, and any purchase method you used before on a new Steam account or anywhere else.
