Is it possible to trade games with each other?

[Sassanid]

I read somewhere that the only way to trade a game is if I've purchased it but haven't actually activated or played it at all. So kind of like a gift. Is this true?

One would think the biggest benefit of trading would be say if I've played Dying Light 2 or something, and don't want to play it again, and I enter a trade with another Steam user and Steam acts as a middle man portal, where I add DL2 to the trade portal, and the other user adds the game which they don't want any more, and once both games are in the trade portal and we both confirm, my game is now transferred to their library and vise versa.

I appreciate it if someone can clarify exactly how it works

[ShelLuser]

Not possible, games are permanently tied to your account.

[potato]

Originally posted by Fret:

I read somewhere that the only way to trade a game is if I've purchased it but haven't actually activated or played it at all. So kind of like a gift. Is this true?

uh, if you buy a steam key on a third party site then you can give it someone else (assuming that key works in their region)

you can also gift someone a game on steam by selecting "purchase as a gift", but if you buy it for your account then it's bound to your account and cannot be traded

[Sassanid]

Ah ok, thanks guys

[Sega]

some games you can buy it in packs (like is the case with project zomboid i think) so you buy 1 and get 3 copies at your inventory that you can send as a gift

BUT you cant trade like cards/emotes/backgrounds etc

[MadZec]

Originally posted by qSxga:

some games you can buy it in packs (like is the case with project zomboid i think) so you buy 1 and get 3 copies at your inventory that you can send as a gift

BUT you cant trade like cards/emotes/backgrounds etc

incorrect you can buy packs with games you have but to get discounts on DLCs.... for example if game is 10€ and dlcs price is 5€ but in bundle game is 9€ and 4€ you will spend only 4€ and you will not spend any money for game.
And you will only get game.
You can however buy a "game as a gift" and place it in your inventory but you can only use it as a gift to a friend on steam.

[FFL2and3rocks]

Originally posted by MadZec:

Originally posted by qSxga:

some games you can buy it in packs (like is the case with project zomboid i think) so you buy 1 and get 3 copies at your inventory that you can send as a gift

BUT you cant trade like cards/emotes/backgrounds etc

incorrect you can buy packs with games you have but to get discounts on DLCs.... for example if game is 10€ and dlcs price is 5€ but in bundle game is 9€ and 4€ you will spend only 4€ and you will not spend any money for game.
And you will only get game.
You can however buy a "game as a gift" and place it in your inventory but you can only use it as a gift to a friend on steam.

qSxga is correct. He's talking about packs that give you multiple copies of the same game so you can gift the extras. Not game+DLC bundles.

Some games allow you to buy a 3-pack or 4-pack. One goes to your library, the rest go into your inventory. Valve stopped allowing publishers to use these packs, but the ones that already existed before the change are still there.

Other than that, no, you can no longer buy games as a gift and store them in your inventory. That ended a long time ago. Now when you buy a gift, you must send it to a friend immediately. Inventory gifts that already existed from before then can still be traded though.

[Sassanid]

Such a shame we can't trade games that we've played and don't need any more. But I guess that would mean less profit for games devs and Steam's cut so from a business pov I understand why they don't allow that.

[UrbanMech]

You were able to buy games as gift "items" in the past and be able to trade it that way.

This ended up being abused so the system was changed many years ago.

That is probably what you heard about but it is no longer current.