this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2026
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Gaming
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This. One reason I'm reluctant to purchase games on Steam is how impermanent it really is.
You buy a game in Steam, you can't play it without Steam. Should Valve decide to cut you off or just stop existing, your games are gone. And switching to another platform leaves you trapped to play your previously purchased titles on Steam or buy it again.
This is not just a Steam issue, I have games I bought and will never be able to play because of DRM. Until laws change, this won't change.
Indeed, Steam is just one culprit - yet culprit nonetheless.
Culprit in what way? It's the developers and publishers that put the DRM on the games, not Steam.
Steam features its own DRM, ensuring games cannot be launched without it.
Steam has enormous leverage in the gaming market and could at least influence the devs to make DRM transferable between the publishing spaces (but that might hurt Steam's bottom line).
Plenty of games release both on Steam and, say, GOG. GOG versions don't feature DRM, Steam versions do. Why?
You are not required by Steam to use their DRM, it's a service they offer. Publishers make the choice to use the DRM.
https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/The_big_list_of_DRM-free_games_on_Steam