PC games giant Valve has introduced an upfront warning for its Steam users that they are not purchasing a game but instead are buying the license to access a game. 

The new warning was spotted by Engadget and appears to be brought in ahead of a new California law coming into effect in 2025. Said legislation – AB 2426 – forces digital marketplaces to be more clear about what they are buying, i.e they are purchasing access to content, not content itself. 

When on the cart page of Steam, users are now warned "A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam."

The new AB 2426 legislation was introduced to address numerous instances of consumers purchasing items on digital marketplaces only for this content to later disappear. While it doesn't stop the issue of said content no longer being accessible, it does at least make clear what someone is buying. 

“As retailers continue to pivot away from selling physical media, the need for consumer protections on the purchase of digital media has become increasingly more important,” said the authoer of AB 2426 and a member of the California Assembly, Jacqui Irwin, following the law being signed into effect. 

“I thank the Governor for signing AB 2426, ensuring the false and deceptive advertising from sellers of digital media incorrectly telling consumers they own their purchases becomes a thing of the past."