If a game is removed from steam?

[Zepondrax]

So another question if you have a game in your library and its removed from the steam store because its old or Valve decided to remove it, can you still play it?

[Spawn of Totoro]

The game will still be on your account and can be downloaded at any time.

Very rarely is a game removed in a way that you can not.

[Zepondrax]

Say I already downloaded it...for example I still have The Last Remnant in my library from 2009, I know they removed that from Steam a few years ago, is that still playable for me or not?

Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:

The game will still be on your account and can be downloaded at any time.

Very rarely is a game removed in a way that you can not.

[rawWwRrr]

Originally posted by Zepondrax:

Say I already downloaded it...for example I still have The Last Remnant in my library from 2009, I know they removed that from Steam a few years ago, is that still playable for me or not?

Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:

The game will still be on your account and can be downloaded at any time.

Very rarely is a game removed in a way that you can not.

You can still play it. If it shows a play button on the game page, you can play the game regardless if it's listed on the store page or not.

[Zepondrax]

That sounds good. I wasnt sure if it was still playable as I saw on steam forums during the week someone saying a game was unplayable for them as it was not on steam store anymore

Originally posted by rawWwRrr:

Originally posted by Zepondrax:

Say I already downloaded it...for example I still have The Last Remnant in my library from 2009, I know they removed that from Steam a few years ago, is that still playable for me or not?

You can still play it. If it shows a play button on the game page, you can play the game regardless if it's listed on the store page or not.

[Anonymous Helper]

Originally posted by Zepondrax:

That sounds good. I wasnt sure if it was still playable as I saw on steam forums during the week someone saying a game was unplayable for them as it was not on steam store anymore

There is one exception and that is games that are online only and require official servers to run (like MMO but there are others). If the servers are shut down, the game becomes unplayable. This is the fate of all online only games as servers will be shut down eventually. It's not matter of if but when.

[Zepondrax]

Makes sense with online games. I do know the Last Remnant from 2009 was not online and was Party Based but Single Player Only so that should still work even though Valve remove it from Steam back in the 2015s

Originally posted by Anonymous Helper:

Originally posted by Zepondrax:

That sounds good. I wasnt sure if it was still playable as I saw on steam forums during the week someone saying a game was unplayable for them as it was not on steam store anymore

There is one exception and that is games that are online only and require official servers to run (like MMO but there are others). If the servers are shut down, the game becomes unplayable. This is the fate of all online only games as servers will be shut down eventually. It's not matter of if but when.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by Zepondrax:

Makes sense with online games. I do know the Last Remnant from 2009 was not online and was Party Based but Single Player Only so that should still work even though Valve remove it from Steam back in the 2015s

Valve didn't remove the game, the publisher Square Enix did.

[Zepondrax]

Oh... any reason why? I wonder Why Square Enix wanted it removed?

I actually enjoyed that game and finished it. I remember how hard it got towards the end with the huge battles.

The problem I found and many others I noticed, when i read on steam back then was that some of the characters who joined Rush;s party joined too late so were weak when the big battles came up.

I did remember you end up rescuing Irina, Rush's Sister halfway through the game but by the time she joins Rush, she is too weak and gets smashed by the enemies

Good game though

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

Originally posted by Zepondrax:

Makes sense with online games. I do know the Last Remnant from 2009 was not online and was Party Based but Single Player Only so that should still work even though Valve remove it from Steam back in the 2015s

Valve didn't remove the game, the publisher Square Enix did.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by Zepondrax:

Oh... any reason why? I wonder Why Square Enix wanted it removed?

I actually enjoyed that game and finished it. I remember how hard it got towards the end with the huge battles.

The problem I found and many others I noticed, when i read on steam back then was that some of the characters who joined Rush;s party joined too late so were weak when the big battles came up.

I did remember you end up rescuing Irina, Rush's Sister halfway through the game but by the time she joins Rush, she is too weak and gets smashed by the enemies

Good game though

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

Valve didn't remove the game, the publisher Square Enix did.

They intended to remaster the game, but the remaster never came to PC. It was released on PS4, Switch and I think both mobile platforms.

A tip in that. When Valve bans and removes a game, the store page gets nuked. when developers/publishers delist a game, they generally leave the store page up. The store page for Last Remnant is still to be found.

[TGC> The Games Collector]

Generally, when Steam removes a game from the store:

The store page will be unlisted. You can't buy the game anymore.

The community hub will still exist. So you can still post on game's forum.

You can still download the game and play it.
-

I haven't seen a case yet where a game was entirely booted from the servers. community page and downloads and everything. Probably would be an extreme case.

[Cathulhu]

The Last Remnant which is listed as an example can still be downloaded and played if you already own it.
You can even share it through Family Share.

[MancSoulja]

Originally posted by TGC> The Games Collector:

Generally, when Steam removes a game from the store:

The store page will be unlisted. You can't buy the game anymore.

The community hub will still exist. So you can still post on game's forum.

You can still download the game and play it.
-

I haven't seen a case yet where a game was entirely booted from the servers. community page and downloads and everything. Probably would be an extreme case.

For that to happen it would require some kind of DMCA claim.

[Cathulhu]

Even with only a claim, current owners would still be able to download and play the game until the dispute is settled.

[Ocelote.12]

There even are some games which are not in Steam store anymore but that have an activation key, like Prey (2006), it can be activated in Steam with keys printed inside retail game cases. These physical copies of games are not produced anymore, but if you have one with a key not activated by an user before, you can add Prey (2006) to your Steam account.

P.S. This game is not related to Prey (2017) by Arkane Studios. These are different games set in different fictional universes, but for some strange reason sharing the same name.

[Kargor]

As a rule of thumb, Steam has avoided using their DRM platform in the commonly found style where they just go "thank you for purchasing xxx in the past. We will remove it from our platform soon, but we're always happy to sell you new stuff..."

You can expect to keep your stuff until Steam dies, unless (of course) there are reasons beyond Valve's control -- multiplayer-games shutting down their servers being the most common cause.