Valve’s User Agreement Allows the Company to Revoke Unused Steam Wallet Funds After Six Months

A new version of the user agreement rules has surprised Japanese players.

Many players sign user agreements automatically. However, in recent years, some users have increasingly started examining the legal documents they previously accepted, discovering various surprises along the way.

Recently, an update to the rules regarding payments and the Steam Wallet caught the attention of players in Japan. The changes were introduced back in April 2026, but information about them has only recently become widely shared.

The new rule grants Valve the right to cancel funds added to the wallet if the account holder does not spend them within six months from the date of deposit:

In accordance with Japanese law, funds added to the Steam wallet are cancelled if they are not used within six months from the date of deposit. You can check your balance and the expiration date of your funds in your Steam account wallet.

This new feature is tied to specific aspects of Japan’s Payment Services Act, which regulates prepaid payment instruments in online games, including in-game currency, and requires operators to comply with a number of requirements:

These include notifying the financial bureau, reserving funds if the amount of unused balances exceeds 10 million yen, providing players with necessary information, and additional responsibilities such as ensuring data security and handling complaints.

Legal experts note that failure to comply with these requirements, especially failing to reserve funds, can result in penalties for operators, including fines, imprisonment, and suspended sales.

Оказывается, Valve вправе аннулировать средства в кошельке Steam через 6 месяцев, если их не потратят — игроки изучили пользовательское соглашение — Image source: Wallpaper Engine community on Steam

Japanese publication Automaton submitted an inquiry to Steam support. Representatives of Valve’s service stated that, in practice, an expiration date is not yet applied to balances, and specific timelines for launching this system have not yet been determined:

At present, there is only the legal provision enabling the cancellation of funds in a Steam wallet after six months, but the measure has not yet been put into actual use.

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