How to Send a Steam Game as a Gift: Steps & Troubleshooting Tips

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Brighten someone's birthday or holiday with a new Steam game
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Are you trying to send someone a game as a gift on Steam, but you're not sure how? Then this is the article for you! In this step-by-step guide, we'll teach you how to do so. Plus, we've included a troubleshooting section in case things don't go as planned. Keep reading to learn more.

Quick Steps

  1. Add the desired game to your cart on Steam.
  2. Select View My Cart .
  3. Change the dropdown under the game to "This is a gift."
  4. Click Continue to gift options .
  5. Choose a gift recipient and select a delivery time.
  6. Click Continue to payment and add the required payment information.
  7. Select Purchase to complete the payment and send the gift.
Section 1 of 2:

How to Gift a Steam Game

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  1. You can do this by searching for the game in the Steam store or clicking Store Page on a game in your library.
  2. Ensure the game runs on the operating system that your friend uses. The icons above the Add to Cart button indicate which platforms the game works on.
    • Besides the Windows and Apple icons, you may see a Steam icon. This stands for SteamOS, which means the game may work on some Linux distros and/or the SteamDeck.
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  3. If you want to add more games to your cart, you can click Continue Shopping . You can gift all the games in your cart to the same person or choose a different recipient for each game.
    • If you want to give the same game to multiple people, you'll need to do each transaction separately, as you can only have one copy of a game in your cart at any given time.
  4. By default, this dropdown will say "For my account."
  5. It's to the left of your cart, under the estimated total.
  6. You must have the intended recipient as a friend on Steam to give them a game. If you clicked the wrong person or changed your mind, click (Edit) next to the gift recipient's name to choose a new recipient.
    • If a friend has the game you're buying on their wishlist, they will be bumped to the top of the list, and it will say "On wishlist" next to their name.
    • If a friend already has the game you're trying to send as a gift, their name will be grayed out, and it will say "Already owns this item" next to their name.
  7. You can enter a short message (160 characters or less) to personalize the gift. Click (Add custom signature) to change the signature from your Steam nickname to something else.
  8. By default, the delivery option selected will be As soon as possible (via email and Steam Client) . However, if you want to schedule your delivery for a specific date and time, click Schedule delivery and enter your desired delivery date and time.
  9. It's in the same spot as the Continue to gift options button, to the right of the cart.
  10. Steam accepts PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and JCB. If you choose any option besides PayPal, you'll be required to enter your card number, expiration date, security code, and billing address.
  11. If you're checking out with PayPal, click the yellow PayPal button. Select the card or bank account you want to pay in the PayPal popup, then click Complete Purchase to move to the next step.
  12. Once you complete the purchase, your friend will be notified both by email and in the Steam client that they have a gift. They have 30 days to accept the gift, or else Steam will cancel the purchase and send you a refund. [1]
    • If you want to change your payment method before completing the purchase, click (Change) next to the payment method.
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Section 2 of 2:

Troubleshooting

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  1. There are several reasons you might not be able to send a Steam gift:
    • Your friend owns the game already: You can't give someone a game they already own. If your friend's name is grayed out and it says "Already owns this item" next to their name, you won't be able to send them that game as a gift.
    • There's a regional restriction: Certain games can't be gifted to users living in certain regions. If there's a regional restriction on a game, it will be noted on the game's store page. [2]
    • Your friend doesn't own the DLC's base game: If you are sending DLC as a gift, the recipient must already own the base game.
    • You're trying to gift a bundle: Certain bundles cannot be gifted because they are created specifically for your account.
    • You're trying to gift a multipack: Sometimes, multiplayer games are sold in multipacks of 2, 3, or 4. You cannot gift the multipack, but if you purchase the multipack, you will be prompted to select other Steam users to get the extra copies of the game as a gift.
    • The game can't be gifted: Although rare, some Steam games can't be sent as gifts.
  2. There are no restrictions on how long you must be someone's Steam friend to send them a gift. However, if you add new friends and immediately send them gifts often enough, this may look suspicious to Steam's servers, and you may get blocked from gifting.
  3. No. You must purchase a new copy of the game from the Steam store to send it as a gift, even if you already own the title. If you want to share the games in your library with a friend, you can use Steam Family Sharing instead. Learn how to do this in this wikiHow article .
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      Tips

      • If you're not sure which game to give your friend, check out their wishlist! You can do this by going to their profile, clicking Games in the right-hand sidebar, then clicking the Wishlist button in the top-right portion of the page.
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      • If you want to gift someone a Steam game but don't have a Steam account, consider getting them a Steam gift card. You can send a digital gift card to their email or purchase a physical gift card at big box retailers like Walmart, Target, or Best Buy.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/2C02-3563-B72F-F117
      2. ↑ https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/58D3-B80D-2943-3CC6

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