Windows 11 · Windows
Gift an Eligible Game on Steam
Source-checked About 10 minutes
Answer
Open the game's Steam store page, add it to your cart, choose Purchase as a gift, and select an eligible friend. Steam only lets you gift a new purchase, not a game already in your Library; product, DLC, bundle, ownership, and regional restrictions can also block a recipient.
Add the correct product to your cart
In the Steam client or store website, sign in, open the exact game's store page, check the edition and included content, then select Add to Cart. The cart should show that product before you continue.
Start a gift purchase
In the cart, select Purchase as a gift instead of buying for your own account. If Steam does not offer that choice, the product cannot be sent through this workflow.
Choose an eligible friend
Select the recipient from Steam's Friends List and read any message beside an unavailable name. A friend can be ineligible because they already own the game, the product cannot be gifted between the two regions, or the DLC requires a base game they do not own.
Review and pay
Add the optional gift message, then review the recipient, product, price, and every restriction Steam shows before entering payment details. Complete the purchase only when the confirmation page names the intended friend and game.
Have the recipient accept the gift
The recipient opens Steam's gift notification, selects 1 New Gift, and chooses Accept Gift. Acceptance permanently adds the game to that account's Library; declining it, or taking no action for 30 days, cancels the gift and refunds the purchaser.
Verify delivery
Ask the recipient to open Library and confirm the exact title is listed on the intended account. The purchaser can also open Steam Inventory, its menu, and View Gift History to check the gift's status.
Request an eligible refund when needed
For a redeemed gift, the recipient must first permit the refund through Steam Support; the purchaser then submits the request. Steam's normal game limit is within 14 days of purchase and under two hours of play, while an unredeemed gift can be requested by the purchaser.
Video walkthrough
If it does not work
- If a friend is greyed out, read Steam's displayed reason before paying; changing stores, using a VPN, or buying through an unrelated marketplace does not safely bypass ownership or regional restrictions.
- If the gift notification is missing, have the recipient confirm the signed-in account and check 1 New Gift in the Steam client while the purchaser checks View Gift History. Keep the receipt and contact Steam Support instead of purchasing the game a second time.
- If Purchase as a gift is absent, check whether the cart contains personalized Complete Your Collection content, a non-giftable package, or DLC whose base-game requirement the recipient does not meet. Choose a separately giftable edition only if Steam offers one.
Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: Windows.
Steam Support documents gift eligibility, delivery, acceptance, cancellation, and refund rules. The retained video is supplementary; use the written steps for current restrictions and results.