Yes, You Can Still Play Delisted Steam Games

If you already own a game on Steam that later gets delisted or removed from the store, you can absolutely still play it. Delisted games remain in your Steam library indefinitely and can be downloaded, launched and played as normal.

When a game gets removed from Steam, it only gets delisted from being purchased by new customers. If you bought it previously, the game still belongs to you even if it‘s no longer available on the store.

Legality of Playing Delisted Steam Games

Playing a game you legitimately purchased is 100% legal regardless of whether it gets delisted later on.

You bought a license that lets you download and play that game forever according to consumer protection laws in most countries. Publishers and platform owners cannot revoke your usage rights later by delisting a game. Even if multiplayer gets discontinued, you can play singleplayer campaigns offline indefinitely.

Steam Has Delisted Over 7,000 Games

According to a 2022 report, Steam has delisted well over 7,000 games since it launched in 2003. Despite the huge volume of removed titles, players can still access and play the majority they previously purchased or activated.

Only about 10-15% of removed games get fully removed from user libraries according to SteamDB. These were special cases like mass banned asset flips, copyright violations or abandoned early access titles.

So out of over 50,000 total games launched on Steam, around 7% have gotten delisted over time while remaining playable by owners.

Why Some Games Get Relisted After Removal

Game delistings on Steam are not always permanent. It happens regularly that games resurface on Steam after a period of being unavailable.

Common reasons games get relisted include:

• Renewed Licensing Deals: The game publisher renews agreements to sell the title
• Acquiring Publishing Rights: The developer regains direct rights or finds a new publisher
• Resolving Legal Issues: Copyright claims get settled or dropped
• Server Reliability Improvements: Multiplayer connectivity issues get addressed so the game can be sold again

Prominent examples of relisted Steam games include Call of Duty Black Ops, Grand Theft Auto IV, Deadpool and Dawn of War. So even if a beloved game vanishes from Steam for a while, it can make a comeback under the right circumstances.

Accessing Your Purchased Delisted Games

To download and play delisted Steam games you own:

1. Open the Steam client application
2. Click on your "Library" tab along the top
3. Type the name of the delisted game into the search box
4. If found, click "Install" to download and play!

If it doesn‘t show up, open web browser logged into Steam and search the full store. You may still have access to old delisted store pages you purchased from.

You can also view your full personal purchase history by going to your Steam account details. This contains license records for every game you bought even if later removed.

Risks of Buying Steam Keys for Delisted Games

Use caution when considering cheap third party Steam key resellers for delisted or unavailable games. There are risky loopholes some key sellers exploit by:

• Generating fake Steam keys that get revoked later
• Selling you somebody else‘s already redeemed keys
• Acquiring keys meant for giveaways then reselling them

Stick to authorized resellers with a trustworthy reputation. High risk gray market key sites should generally be avoided, especially for delisted games no longer officially obtainable.

Steam Achievements in Delisted Multiplayer Games

An exception with achievements in delisted games comes up when online multiplayer functionality gets fully shut down. Allies like leaderboards and ranked multiplayer challenges may become permanently unearnable.

For example, 50% of achievements are now unobtainable in Call of Duty Black Ops II after online services ended in 2022. So while you can still play the solo portions offline, discontinued multiplayer aspects put some achievements out of reach.

Delisted Game Functionality Comparison

This table summarizes availability of features in games removed from Steam:

*Multiplayer depends on servers still running. Some achievements may become unobtainable if online play functionality gets fully discontinued.

Why Do Games Get Delisted From Steam?

The most common broad reasons Steam ends up removing games from sale include:

Expired Licensing Agreements

Most delistings on Steam result from conflicts around licensing rights between developers and publishing partners.

For example, Activision lost rights to sell several Spiderman games in 2014 leading to removals. Licensing deals can impose sales duration limits as short as 3-5 years before requiring renewal.

Bankruptcies & Company Closures

Some older games get abandoned completely when their original publishers go under. For example, 38 Studios filing bankruptcy led to Kingdoms of Amalur getting delisted when servers and support got discontinued.

Unless purchased previously, buyers lose access when defunct companies let licensing rights lapse. Purchased copies remain playable however since consumer usage rights don‘t dissolve.

Offensive & Illegal Content

School shooting simulator Hatred got removed from Steam in 2014 amidst huge controversy before getting reinstated shortly after. Offensive descriptions, disturbing pornographic material or themes promoting hate also cause swift removal in some cases.

Technical & Quality Issues

Steam tries limiting distribution of extremely buggy, broken or asset flipped games that damage their store‘s reputation. They ended up removing almost 200 cheap shovelware games in one 2018 purge citing asset theft and review manipulation concerns around these titles.

In rare cases, games also get pulled due to dangerous vulnerabilities like [Remote Code Execution flaws](https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/8/22715356/steam– Removed app-soldat-remote-code-execution-vulnerability).

Server Shutdowns

Particularly for older online multiplayer games, official server discontinuation removes the ability to play parts of a game. This forces their delisting once participation features become entirely defunct.

Final Thoughts

Delisted games on Steam generally remain playable single player for past purchasers. You do lose future access if wanting to buy these games down the line however. And discontinued online components can hurt completeness of some older titles over time.

Checking your full Steam purchase history gives the most reliable way to track what delisted games still belong to you. As long as Valve has your ownership license on file for a removed title, you can download and enjoy it just like always even after disappearance from Steam‘s storefront.