Can You Move Steam to Another Account? What Transfers
Purchased games, subscriptions and achievements cannot be moved directly between Steam accounts. A game library is permanently tied to the account that bought it. There are ways around the restriction — family sharing, gifts, or changing the account's region. Here is exactly what can and cannot be moved, and how not to lose access to your games along the way.
Can purchased games be moved to another account?
Steam has no feature for transferring a library between accounts. Every game is tied to the profile that bought it or redeemed its code. That protects developers' rights and prevents licence resale. So the answer to the central question — can Steam be moved to another account — is no, not the library as a whole.
That does not mean you cannot play your games on another account. Steam offers two legitimate mechanisms:
- Family sharing — you give another account access to your library. Ownership stays with you, but the second user can download and play your games while you are not playing them yourself.
- Gifts — you buy a game as a gift and send it to another account. That is a genuine transfer of the licence, but only for one specific game.
Neither moves every game at once. If you want to move fully to a new account, you will have to buy the library again or rely on family sharing permanently.
What exactly can be passed between accounts
Here is what parts of a Steam account can be transferred and what cannot.
| Item | Transferable? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Games in the library | Partly | One at a time, as a gift, or through family sharing |
| Subscriptions (EA Play) | No | Tied to the account they were taken out on |
| Achievements, hours played | No | Stay on the original account |
| Steam wallet | No | Funds cannot be moved to another account |
| In-game items (skins, cards) | No | Tied to the profile |
| Friends, game lists | No | Social connections do not transfer |
So the binding to a profile is a hard one: everything except the ability to play through family sharing stays on the original account. If you want to change accounts completely, you will have to accept losing achievements and in-game items.
How to switch Steam accounts without losing your games
If you have decided to create a new account and move to it, here is a realistic plan:
- Enable family sharing from the old account to the new one. On the old account open "Settings", choose "Family", then authorise the new computer. A folder with the old account's games will appear in the new account's "Library".
- Games you want to play at the same time as the old account will have to be bought again — family sharing does not allow the same game to run on two accounts simultaneously.
- If money is left in the old account's wallet, spend it on gifts for the new account. A gift can only be bought in the same region as the recipient's account.
Remember: switching accounts is not a transfer of data — you simply start using a new profile, while the old one remains as the source for family sharing.
Moving a Steam subscription (EA Play)
Subscriptions taken out through Steam, such as EA Play, are tied to the account that activated them. Moving one to another account is not possible. That covers trial periods and paid subscriptions alike.
The only route is to cancel on the old account and subscribe again on the new one. Bear in mind that terms do not stack, and new-user discounts may not apply if you have already used them on the old account.
Changing the Steam region as an alternative
Instead of creating a new account you can change the region of the current one. That is not a transfer, but it can solve the problem if what you want is to buy games at different prices. Steam allows a region change once every three months and requires confirmation with a payment method from the new country.
We covered the process in detail in the article how to change your Steam region. If you want to buy from Turkey or Kazakhstan, there are separate guides: buying Steam from Turkey and buying Steam from Kazakhstan.
Changing region changes the store's currency and the available payment methods, but all games and achievements stay where they are. It is the simplest way to "refresh" an account without losing anything.
How we handle it: wallet top-ups and region changes
We help with topping up a Steam wallet and changing an account's region. If you need to buy a game as a gift for another account, top up the balance through us and you can send the gift from within Steam. If you want to change region, we handle that on your account, with no foreign card required.
| Plan | Option | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Смена региона Steam (любой) | Услуга | 270 ₽ |
People often ask us whether games can be "moved across" to another account after buying a new computer or changing email. In practice they are confusing family sharing with a full library transfer, and are disappointed to learn the games stay on the old account. Our answer is that family sharing solves ninety per cent of the problem, but for full control it is better to buy games on the account that will be your main one from the start.
Our Steam top-up and region change services avoid the usual problems: dead codes, region mismatches, blocks after a chargeback. We handle everything on your own account, so your access to games and subscriptions is guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
Can achievements and hours played be moved in Steam?
No, achievements and playtime statistics are tied to the account and do not transfer. Even with family sharing they do not appear on the new account — you start the game from scratch.
Can two Steam accounts be merged into one?
Officially there is no such feature. Steam does not allow libraries to be merged or games moved between accounts. The only option is to gift a game from one account to the other, and only if the game is unplayed and less than 14 days old (through a refund and a repurchase as a gift).
What happens to my games if I delete the account?
Deleting an account loses all games, subscriptions and wallet funds irreversibly. Steam does not restore deleted profiles. If you want to stop using an account, it is better to leave it in place and use family sharing for the new one.
Can an account be sold or handed to someone else?
Handing an account to a third party is against Steam's rules. If you pass on a login and password and the new owner changes the details, you lose access permanently. On top of that, a suspected transfer can get the account blocked. Family sharing or gifts are safer.
If you need to top up a Steam wallet to buy a gift for another account, or to change region, look through our catalogue — we handle it all, with no unnecessary complications.