Add the game to your Steam cart, open the purchase drop-down, choose This is a gift, then select Continue to gift options and choose the recipient, delivery time, and payment. Steam also supports gifts from shared wishlists and guest or email gifting. Email gifts must go to someone in the purchaser's country and cannot be scheduled; only a new eligible purchase can be gifted, not a game already in your Library.
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.
2
Start a gift purchase
In the cart, open the purchase drop-down, choose This is a gift, then select Continue to gift options. If Steam does not offer that choice, the product cannot be sent through this workflow.
3
Choose the recipient route
Choose a recipient from your Friends List, use a shared-wishlist link that pre-fills its owner, or use Steam's guest checkout to send the game to an email address. Email gifts require the recipient to live in the purchaser's country.
4
Choose the delivery time
For a Friends List gift, choose As soon as possible or schedule delivery up to 12 months ahead. Email gifts cannot be scheduled; when a friend is in a higher-priced region, Steam can match that region's price at checkout, while territory or language restrictions may still prevent the gift.
5
Review and pay
Add the optional gift message, then review the recipient, product, delivery time, price, and every restriction Steam shows. Complete the purchase only when the confirmation page names the intended recipient and game.
6
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.
7
Verify delivery
Ask the recipient to open Library and confirm the exact title is listed on the intended account. The purchaser can open Steam Inventory, select its menu, then choose View Gift History to check the gift's status.
8
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.
If it does not work
If a friend is unavailable, read Steam's displayed reason before paying. They may already own the game, lack required base-game DLC, or be blocked by a product, territory, language, bundle, or multipack restriction; a higher regional price can instead be matched by Steam at checkout.
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 This is 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 the current cart, delivery, acceptance, cancellation, refund, and eligibility rules. Valve's July 2026 announcement documents guest checkout, email gifts, shared-wishlist gifting, and cross-region price matching. The retained video is historical provenance only.
