Karnewarrior

Well-Known Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,774
2,149
People keep saying Steam can just take my games away but, like... They're stored on my computer hard drive. I can play them without an internet connection. I can uninstall steam and still play them. I've done so.

So what the fuck are you lot on about? Is Gabe Newell going to kick down my door and purge my SSD?
 

shadowtempered

Active Member
Aug 22, 2020
823
1,603
People keep saying Steam can just take my games away but, like... They're stored on my computer hard drive. I can play them without an internet connection. I can uninstall steam and still play them. I've done so.

So what the fuck are you lot on about? Is Gabe Newell going to kick down my door and purge my SSD?
"What if" scenarios. It's definitely happened on other store fronts and likely has on steam at some point. Is it something they do on a daily basis? No. Is it something to be concerned in about in the long term since they're often not giving you a refund? Yes. Sure you have your downloaded copy, but if something happens to that copy, there's a solid chance you're SOL unless you're sailing the high seas for an alternate copy.
 
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TheDevian

Svengali Productions
Game Developer
Mar 8, 2018
14,679
34,456
People keep saying Steam can just take my games away but, like... They're stored on my computer hard drive. I can play them without an internet connection. I can uninstall steam and still play them. I've done so.

So what the fuck are you lot on about? Is Gabe Newell going to kick down my door and purge my SSD?
They are stored on your hard drive, but most of them have a requirement that you have to connect to Steam to play it. So if they take it down, you can't play it, even if it's still on your drive. And it also means that you won't be able to reinstall it again after that either.
 
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TigerWolfe

Forum Fanatic
Oct 19, 2022
4,373
8,464
People keep saying Steam can just take my games away but, like... They're stored on my computer hard drive. I can play them without an internet connection. I can uninstall steam and still play them. I've done so.

So what the fuck are you lot on about? Is Gabe Newell going to kick down my door and purge my SSD?
Not every person keeps every game they own permanently installed, steam has (usually due to the publisher) revoked download privileges in the past (I've lost a few older mainstream games this way), and if this happens and you don't happen to have the game installed at that point in time, you're SOL.
 
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torresm

Active Member
Apr 5, 2020
916
2,007
Not every person keeps every game they own permanently installed, steam has (usually due to the publisher) revoked download privileges in the past (I've lost a few older mainstream games this way), and if this happens and you don't happen to have the game installed at that point in time, you're SOL.
That's interesting, I didn't know they could remove it from your library entirely.
I have a few games in my library that were removed from the store, but I can still download them just fine.
 

TigerWolfe

Forum Fanatic
Oct 19, 2022
4,373
8,464
That's interesting, I didn't know they could remove it from your library entirely.
I have a few games in my library that were removed from the store, but I can still download them just fine.
I've had both happen I think valve would rather you keep it in your library but the publishers can do EULA bullshit and get it completely removed if they want to. At least in the land of no consumer rights, maybe not in the EU.
 
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Karnewarrior

Well-Known Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,774
2,149
"What if" scenarios. It's definitely happened on other store fronts and likely has on steam at some point. Is it something they do on a daily basis? No. Is it something to be concerned in about in the long term since they're often not giving you a refund? Yes. Sure you have your downloaded copy, but if something happens to that copy, there's a solid chance you're SOL unless you're sailing the high seas for an alternate copy.
I mean, what are the chances that Steam takes away my game (for some reason? That's never adequately explained either) AND then I lose my hard copy?
A heck of a lot lower than any of the other things that could take away my games, I'll tell you that much. I've lost games before, and most of it happened back when they were still on CD. I've yet to permanently lose a game I bought off any distribution platform, much less Steam in particular.

It just strikes me as fearmongering. The Government could come kick down my door and confiscate all my Puella Magi Madoka Magica manga too, but I'm not really that scared about losing access to Kazumi's inappropriately sexy booty. Tomorrow I could be struck dead in my gamer chair as a semi-truck careens through my bedroom. Next week I could get nuked in an unprovoked nuclear strike by the Chinese.

Sometimes it's important to think about what's likely to happen, rather than what could possibly, in some way, happen.


Not every person keeps every game they own permanently installed, steam has (usually due to the publisher) revoked download privileges in the past (I've lost a few older mainstream games this way), and if this happens and you don't happen to have the game installed at that point in time, you're SOL.
I mean sure. If you keep games in library, undownloaded, then you can have that taken away. But it seems silly, to me, to avoid the platform entirely when it's quite trivial to just... Download the games and have a backup. Consider the alternatives:
Are you going to just download the game off a pirate site? If the site goes down, now you can't redownload it, and pirate sites are generally less reliable than Steam because they're usually illegal or borderline legal. They're also magnets for viruses and malware, and you don't have the guarantee of a professional company reimbursing you if someone slips something malicious into your download.

Are you going to use another distributor? Now you just have the issues of Steam with a different label. Some of them don't even fully download the games, or install DRM that prevents you from playing offline, so now you're in a worse position.

Are you going to not get the game at all? Well, now you're not playing the game. In order to stop yourself from losing access to the game, you've forgone access to the game. Very intelligent.

I just don't understand the logic here. I've used all kinds of distributors, from physical game stores and pawn shops to Epic and Ubisoft's platforms to Steam and Good Old Games, and honestly Steam is the most robust one I've yet to find. Between it and GoG Galaxy the only reason I even open Epic's program any more is to run Unreal Engine 5 for development purposes.
 
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shadowtempered

Active Member
Aug 22, 2020
823
1,603
I just don't understand the logic here.
I mean, my own post that you quoted the entire point of the conversation. "What if". And I responded much as you did - do you need to worry about it? Likely not. Can/Has happened? Yes.

There's really not much need to super blow the topic out of proportion, especially if it doesn't remain on topic to the game or we risk mod clean up wrath.
 
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Ozymandias037

Member
Sep 25, 2023
103
319
I just don't understand the logic here. I've used all kinds of distributors, from physical game stores and pawn shops to Epic and Ubisoft's platforms to Steam and Good Old Games, and honestly Steam is the most robust one I've yet to find. Between it and GoG Galaxy the only reason I even open Epic's program any more is to run Unreal Engine 5 for development purposes.
Wait, you don't even claim your free game each week? I at least do that much....
 

danb35

Newbie
Jul 12, 2023
93
114
Ashley's far from my favorite, but this was a high point for her. Edit: and she's a good one to say it, too, because she's had a lot of that through her life.
 
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JoePlant

Member
May 2, 2017
309
303
I mean, what are the chances that Steam takes away my game (for some reason? That's never adequately explained either) AND then I lose my hard copy?
Licensing. People who bought Deadpool or... Transformer:Generations, for example, can no longer re install them.

So depending on which game, it is possible.
 

packor

Active Member
Oct 11, 2021
632
694
so much I could say about how you can't even launch Steam games without Steam unless they're some old ^&*( that you could find in abandonware Anyway, but I won't, because off-topic.
 
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