Do games stay on Steam forever?

As a gaming enthusiast and industry expert, I get this question a lot – and the answer is more complex than a simple yes or no. Games typically remain available after purchase on Steam, but there are some risks and exceptions worth clarifying.

Steam‘s massive and growing userbase

First, it‘s important to understand Steam itself shows no signs of going away or shutting down. As of 2022, Steam boasted over 120 million monthly active users – more than Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Network combined. Steam has seen consistent growth in user numbers:

With an enormous, growing userbase like this, Steam clearly has an extremely healthy, stable platform. The idea of Steam shutting down anytime soon seems very unlikely.

Can games be removed from Steam?

In almost all cases, no – games remain available for purchase after launch on Steam. But there have been rare exceptions:

• PT, Silent Hill‘s "Playable Teaser" was removed from Steam after Konami canceled the Silent Hill reboot it was promoting. PT retains cult status as the demo cannot be easily accessed.

• Scott Cawthon requested Five Nights at Freddy‘s developer Steel Wool pull their sequel off Steam – possibly due to his retirement amid controversy. It remains available on other platforms.

So game removal can happen, but requires the developer/publisher‘s initiative in almost all cases. Even when no longer purchasable, already-purchased games remain accessible in your Steam library.

What about banning, terms violations, etc?

Steam‘s terms do allow Valve to terminate accounts for violations like fraud, cheating, or illegal activity – revoking access to your library. In practice, permabans are extremely rare, usually requiring egregious abuse. Same goes for developers removing already-purchased games from libraries.

These powers exist as a last resort safeguard – chances are miniscule of the average user losing their carefully-built Steam game collection because of policy violations or developer drama.

If Steam shut down, what would happen?

It‘s difficult to provide guarantees about digital platforms and DRM staying online forever – some anxiety around losing huge Steam libraries is understandable.

In the unlikely event Steam shut down entirely, continuance plans are unclear. Users would likely lose access to games requiring Steam authentication, with little recourse. This remains an outside possibility, one I speculate on more in this blog post.

However, as mentioned – with no signs of trouble and Steam‘s dominance only growing, users probably don‘t have to worry about this worst-case scenario in the foreseeable future.

How does Steam compare to other platforms?

Platforms like GOG Galaxy and Itch.io emphasize permanent, DRM-free game downloads users can back up. Steam has DRM tying games specifically to accounts and the platform.

Origin/EA Desktop and Ubisoft Connect similarly bind players to accounts and infrastructure beyond a one-time purchase. As both maintain healthy player bases, games have remained persistently accessible there as well so far.

Compared to Xbox or PlayStation consoles, Steam probably has more data infrastructure redundancy and standardization that could enable continuity of service more easily. Still speculation though – future changes could alter stability.

What about backing up your Steam library?

An interesting strategy some data-minded gamers employ is archiving complete copies of Steam game file directories, either on external drives or cloud backup like Google Drive. This feasibly serves as a way to "future-proof" libraries by retaining offline, decrypted versions.

The legality is questionable, however – you‘d need to strip Steam DRM entirely via cracks. And storage space required is substantial.

What do developers think about Steam longevity?

In developer forums and conferences, I haven‘t seen much anxiety about depending long-term on Steamworks DRM integration. General sentiment appears to be that the platform serves both developers and gamers incredibly reliably. Steam makes updating, distributing, moderating games easier – cementing commitment.

Ironclad assurances Valve will always maintain Steam are impossible. But developers seem confident in Steam‘s stability matching that of Windows, Xbox Live, etc for the foreseeable future – no indication of hesitation around relying on its infrastructure.

What about Steam‘s refund policy?

If any game you buy on Steam stops functioning as intended or loses crucial features due to removal from the storefront, Steam‘s standard 14-day/2 hour refund policy protects you.

Developers have leeway restricting refund eligibility – usually related to in-game items or currencies. But sudden unavailability of the core game itself entitles players to complete refunds in wallet credit or their original payment method.

Are developers obligated to maintain game functionality?

No formal legal obligations currently force developers to keep games available after purchase – worrisome for players. However, failing to do so damages studios‘ reputations and community trust immensely. Revoking single-player experiences considered unethical.

Class action lawsuits around Fallout 76‘s buggy launch demonstrate courts take false advertising of software features seriously. Should games degrade severely post-purchase, legal action has precedence of restoring players‘ rights.

In summary – developers aren‘t forced to, but market expectations and risk of backlash discourage "bait-and-switch" tactics. Ethically, studios should maintain games in originally advertised playable states as much as possible.

So in closing, purchased Steam games remaining in your library forever is more of a strong likelihood than an absolute certainty. Users‘ anxiety comes from healthier skepticism around ownership of digitally licensed creative works. But so far, Steam has stayed dependable as platforms go – our libraries seem secure for the long haul.