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If you claimed a Steam game during a Free to Keep promotion, the game remains licensed to your Steam account after the deadline. Steam removes the promotional free package from the store page, but the claim itself is not cancelled. If you missed the deadline, you cannot use that ended promotion to add the game for free.
The result is different for a Free Weekend. That offer grants temporary access; when the event ends, the game can remain listed in your library, but Steam restricts you to uninstalling it unless you purchase the full version.
First, identify which kind of free offer you used
Steam uses several labels that sound similar but create different account entitlements. Check the exact wording on the game’s store page or the publisher’s announcement before deciding what will happen.
| Offer label | What you receive | After the offer ends |
|---|---|---|
| Free to Keep | A permanent game license when you claim it during the stated window. | The promotional package disappears from the store page. A claimed license remains on the account. |
| Free Weekend | Temporary permission to play during the event. | The game may stay in your library, but only uninstall is available until you buy the full version. |
| Free to Play | Ongoing free availability under the game’s normal model. | It is not an expiring giveaway; access follows the game’s free-to-play terms. |
Free to Keep
Valve’s Steamworks documentation defines this as “a time-limited promotion that allows a player to permanently acquire a license for a game for free.” The time limit applies to the chance to claim the license, not to the duration of the license granted by a successful claim.
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Free Weekend
A Free Weekend is an event package designed to let people try the complete game for a limited period. Downloading the game or seeing it in your library during the event does not turn that temporary access into a permanent entitlement.
Free to Play
A Free to Play listing is a separate commercial model. It normally remains available without a purchase, although the developer can change the game’s service, content, or access terms. Do not treat its availability as evidence that a limited Free to Keep claim is still open.
What happens when a Free to Keep promotion ends?
A claim made before the cutoff remains on your account
Steam automatically activates the promotional package while the event is live. If you add the game to your account before the stated deadline, Steam grants the permanent game license described by the promotion. The end of the event does not start a countdown on that license.
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After the window closes, Steam removes the special free package from the store page. The price or normal purchase options can return, and a person who never claimed the offer must buy the game if they want access. This store-page change does not remove licenses that were already granted.
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Merely downloading is not the proof of a claim
A download can come from several sources, including a temporary event, family sharing, or another existing entitlement. The important action for a Free to Keep deal is adding or claiming the game while the promotion is active. Keep the account-library entry or transaction confirmation as your practical record rather than relying on the installer files alone.
How to check whether your account kept the game
- Read the original offer label. Look at the game’s Steam store page or the publisher’s event announcement and confirm that it said Free to Keep, not Free Weekend.
- Confirm the claim timing. The game must have been added to the same Steam account before the promotion’s published cutoff. A late download does not extend the claim period.
- Open your Steam Library. Search for the game while signed in to the account that made the claim. A normal library entry after the event is consistent with a retained license.
- Check the account that owns the entitlement. If the game appears only while another person is sharing a library, or only during a temporary event, that is not evidence of a permanent Free to Keep claim.
- Try the normal install or launch control. A retained claim should behave like an owned library license even though the store page no longer advertises the game for free.
A library listing by itself does not reveal every license type. Steam can show a title because of a permanent claim, a Free Weekend package, family sharing, or another subscription or access arrangement. Use the offer wording and the account that performed the claim to interpret the listing.
What happens after a Free Weekend?
When the event expires, Steam removes the free package from the store page. Valve’s Free Weekend documentation explains that participating players can still see the game in their Steam libraries, but “they’ll only be able to uninstall it – continued play requires purchasing the full version.” In practical terms, the listing is retained as a reminder and as a path to purchase; it is not a permanent license.
Why the game can still appear in your library
Steam does not need to erase every record of a temporary package when access ends. The listing can remain so that you can remove the local files or buy the game. Seeing the title in the library therefore does not answer the ownership question on its own.
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What to do if you want to continue
Purchase the full version through the game’s Steam page or another legitimate purchase path offered for your region. Do not expect repeated downloads, reinstalling, or keeping the files on disk to bypass the expired event license; the account entitlement controls whether the game can launch.
A Steam license is not ownership of the software
Valve’s Steam Subscriber Agreement states: “The Content and Services are licensed, not sold.” A Free to Keep promotion gives your account a persistent Steam license under that agreement. It does not transfer the game’s intellectual property, source code, or publishing rights to you.
The phrase permanent license describes the duration of the promotional entitlement compared with a temporary event. It is not an unconditional promise that the title will function forever regardless of account status, changes to Steam, legal requirements, server shutdowns, or game-specific conditions. Your account must remain in good standing and the service must continue to provide the relevant content.
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The general agreement also describes circumstances in which licenses or subscriptions can end. Read “permanent” here as a lasting account entitlement created by the Free to Keep claim, not as ownership independent of Valve’s service and contractual terms.
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Features that can differ from a paid copy
Steam identifies two platform-level differences for Free to Keep licenses:
- No trading-card drops. An account that received the game through Free to Keep does not receive Steam Trading Cards for that game.
- Reviews do not affect the score. Reviews written from these licenses can be visible, but Steam excludes them from the game’s review score.
These limits do not mean the license is temporary. They are specific rules for how Steam handles promotional entitlements and community features.
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Do not assume every game transfers progress the same way
Save and achievement behavior is controlled by the game, its cloud implementation, and the purchase or license path. Steam’s platform documentation does not establish one universal carry-over rule for every Free Weekend.
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In one Steam and 2K Free Weekend announcement, progress and achievements were stated to carry over to a later purchase on the same platform. That example is limited to the named promotion. It should not be generalized to every game, every platform, or every event.
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Check before you uninstall
If you may buy the game later, read the game’s own announcement or support information before removing local files. Confirm whether it uses Steam Cloud, where saves are stored, whether achievements are account-bound, and whether the later purchase is on the same platform. DLC access can also have separate rules; a Free Weekend does not automatically grant paid expansions.
Common situations and the correct interpretation
| What you see | Most likely explanation | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The game remains playable after the date shown on a Free to Keep deal. | Your account received the permanent promotional license. | Confirm that the original label was Free to Keep and that the claim was made before the cutoff. |
| The store page now shows a price, but the game is still in your library. | The free package ended; the prior claim can still be valid. | Use the account that claimed it and try the library’s normal install option. |
| The game is in your library but only offers Uninstall. | The listing is probably an expired Free Weekend package or another temporary access record. | Check the event label and whether a full purchase is required. |
| The game disappeared from one account but appears on another. | You may be signed into a different account, or the original access came from sharing. | Sign into the claiming account and review the original promotion details. |
| Your progress is missing after buying the game. | The title may use separate save locations or may not support transfer from that event. | Read the game’s support guidance before deleting old saves or assuming the purchase failed. |
Deadlines and promotion mechanics
The deadline is the boundary for acquiring the free license. Steam’s Free to Keep guidance says a promotion must last at least 24 hours and generally recommends keeping it under two weeks. Those are setup recommendations for developers, not a promise that every promotion will run for either period.
Use the exact end time and time zone shown on the store page or announcement. A promotion can have additional terms, a regional cutoff, or a game-specific claim condition. If the page says the event ends at a particular time, complete the claim before that time rather than assuming the offer lasts through the entire calendar day.
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A practical checklist before an offer ends
- Verify the label: Free to Keep, Free Weekend, or Free to Play.
- Sign in to the Steam account that should retain the entitlement.
- For Free to Keep, add the game to the account while the promotion is live; do not rely on downloading alone.
- Open the Library and confirm that the title appears on that account.
- Save the announcement or account confirmation if the claim is important to you.
- For a Free Weekend, decide whether to purchase before access ends and check the game’s save-transfer instructions.
- Remember that a Free to Keep license does not include trading-card drops and does not count toward the game’s review score.
The short answer for each reader question
Do I keep the game if I claimed it before the offer ended?
Yes, when the offer was specifically Free to Keep and the claim was made before its cutoff, Steam grants a permanent promotional license to that account.
Can I still play after a Free Weekend?
Not on the expired temporary package. Steam can leave the game visible in your library, but continued play requires purchasing the full version.
Does the game stay in my Steam library?
A claimed Free to Keep game should remain available as a normal library entitlement. A Free Weekend title may also remain listed, but its post-event listing does not prove that you own a permanent license.
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