A game I own is no longer sold. Can I still uninstall/reinstall/move it?

[Gun Tech.]

Question in title. I bought this Single Player game on Steam, store page claims that the publisher no longer wants to sell it on Steam.

Many Steam users own more games than fit on their SSDs. To save space, you can uninstall after completing the game or similar, and reinstall it when you want to play it again.

You may also want to move it to another SSD, install it on a new gaming PC, etc.

If what I've described is the case for a game, will Steam still serve it forever so that I can download it anytime in the future?

Thanks.

[Spawn of Totoro]

In most cases, the game will still be available to download for those who purchased it.

I only recall one time where the game was completely removed, even from accounts, and that was due to it requiring the servers that had shut down in order to even play the game.

So, yes, you should be able to download and reinstall the game at any time.

[IFIYGD]

This game, which I own, has been unavailable for purchase for some time. Dead game, servers no longer exist, but I can still install it from my Library. Can't play it, since the developers made it online-only, with no offline play option. (Shame, it was a kinda fun game that had some promise.) Seems odd that owners can still re-install it, but cannot play it, but yeah. *Most* games taken off the Store can still be installed. Whether they can still be played is another story.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/464470

[Gun Tech.]

@Spawn_of_Totoro Ah. Yes, I've clarified that it's not an online game with no single player mode in my OP.

Let's limit the question to games with Single Player.

Obviously if some games are exceptions and are no longer available to reinstall from Steam, I don't dare to uninstall or even move it.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by Gun Tech.:

@Spawn_of_Totoro Ah. Yes, I've clarified that it's not an online game with no single player mode in my OP.

Let's limit the questions to games with Single Player.

Obviously if some games are exceptions and are no longer available to reinstall from Steam, I don't dare to uninstall or even move it.

An overall answer was given. No need to limit it to single player as others may have the same question about any other game and the answer is the same, regardless.

You are the only one asking questions.

I only stated the only game that had done it. As IFIYGD pointed out, it hasn't happened since, even with other games that were only playable on a server.

[IFIYGD]

Yeah, the game I brought up is the only Singleplayer game that I have found that no longer plays, even though you can still reinstall it.
The devs used server connection for a "gifting" system between Steam friends who also owned the game, and to determine loot drops, so without the server, no gifts, no loot, and no starting the game (server check at launch). I don't know of any other SP games that made this silly choice of SP with online-only. There are always outliers.

[rawWwRrr]

I've got more than a handful of titles in my library that are no longer for sale on the store. I can still install and play them.

The chances are nearly zero that a game would be forcibly removed from your library merely for being removed from the store. There would have to be more to it than that and even then the chances are slim that it would happen.

[KalGimpa]

Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:

In most cases, the game will still be available to download for those who purchased it.

I only recall one time where the game was completely removed, even from accounts, and that was due to it requiring the servers that had shut down in order to even play the game.

So, yes, you should be able to download and reinstall the game at any time.

see, i know of a game that has no servers and cannot be played at all and is still being sold.

op. i was able to dl a game that i know is gone. i did it just to see and it worked fine

[Gun Tech.]

Sounds reassuring. Is this a Steam policy and could it change in future? Because often we are talking 5-10 years before a game is removed from sale. (My game is from 2014 if that matters.)

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by Gun Tech.:

Sounds reassuring. Is this a Steam policy and could it change in future? Because often we are talking 5-10 years before a game is removed from sale. (My game is from 2014 if that matters.)

Everything can change in future, be it a policy or a legal requirement. If you wait long enough, there won't be any Steam around because there won't be any internet around because there won't be any earth around.
The better question is: how likely is something to change. Is the current state of affairs a mere courtesy or a legal requirement and if it is a legal requirement? How stable is the legislation?
The answer here is, it is a legal requirement and the legislation around it is very stable.

The past is often a good indicator. Games getting pulled off Steam certainly is 5 years old. Did anything change in those 5 years? No. That, and said stable legislation is a good reason to assume, this won't change in the next 5 years, the 5 years after that and so on.

But to answer your question directly: everything can change. And if you wait long enough, everything changes.

[Gun Tech.]

@ReBoot, I meant more like a change in EULA. I'm sure Apple's App Store can take down an app with no ability to re-download it. But it seems there's evidence in the thread that Steam products no longer sold are still available for download for owners, and that answers my question. I'm happy with that and will pick one answer so the thread is solved, even though many answers together answered it. Thanks all! :)

[Chika Ogiue]

Originally posted by sjohn29:

You can install games that have been removed, but playing them is another matter, take Battleborn for example, an always online game, which had the servers shutdown.

Battleborn wasn't playable when the servers were up. Gearbox just gave up on maintaining those servers a year or so before the game was due to shutdown =/.

As others have said, in 99.9% of the cases, Valve will NOT remove a delisted game from being downloaded by current owners. In the few cases where titles have been completely removed even from current owners, it was at the request of the publisher or developer and each was met with a lot of angry backlash from affected owners.

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:

In most cases, the game will still be available to download for those who purchased it.

I only recall one time where the game was completely removed, even from accounts, and that was due to it requiring the servers that had shut down in order to even play the game.

So, yes, you should be able to download and reinstall the game at any time.

There was one other time when the issue that got the game pulled was relating to copyright relating to the materials/assets