Steam Now Tells You You Are Only Buying A Game License

The next time you buy a game on Steam, it’ll be clear that you won’t actually be buying the game. A recent update on Steam now shows players that instead of buying a game, all they are purchasing is a license.

“A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam,” the message reads along with a link to Steam’s subscriber agreement.

The update comes just after California signed a bill into law that requires digital storefronts to clearly state when media being purchased is only a license to access. The new law applies to all digital works such as music, movies, TV shows, ebooks, and video games.

As of writing, Steam is the only storefront to show this disclaimer. Neither the Xbox Store, nor PlayStation Store, nor Epic Games Store display this same notice when going to purchase a game from the stores. It’s unclear when that update will come, but it should be expected to happened

What do you think of Steam telling players that the game they are buying is just a license and doesn’t constitute ownership? Let us know below or in the official Insider Gaming Forums.

For more Insider Gaming, check out our exclusive look at never-before-seen gameplay for The Axis Unseen from Just Purkey Games. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.