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How to Share, Lend, and Resell Digital Games

Digital sharing features can let family members play under specific conditions, but they do not usually transfer ownership or allow resale. Here is how Steam, Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation differ.
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You can often let someone else play a digital game through a platform’s sharing feature, but that usually gives them conditional access—not ownership of the game or the right to resell it. The rules depend on the platform, the game, your account region, and whether you want to share within a household, lend temporarily, or transfer a purchase permanently.

First decide what you want to do

  • Play on another household console or PC: Check the platform’s sharing features and the game’s eligibility. Access may be limited by family-group rules, device settings, online requirements, or the number of copies owned.
  • Lend a game temporarily: A platform may offer a specific lending function, such as Nintendo’s virtual game cards for eligible family-group members. A physical game card or disc can also be handed to another person, if compatible with their device.
  • Resell or permanently transfer a digital purchase: Do not assume a sharing feature permits this. Platform terms commonly treat a digital purchase as a personal license tied to an account, not a transferable copy.

Sharing a game does not automatically transfer the purchasing account, the license, or the purchaser’s rights. Account credentials are not a safe or established way to transfer a game.

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How Steam Families sharing works

Steam Families lets invited members access eligible games owned by other members while playing on their own Steam accounts. Members keep their own saves, achievements, and Workshop files. Valve announced the feature as generally available on September 11, 2024; its announcement says a family can have up to six members in total—the creator and up to five invitees. See Valve’s Steam Families announcement and FAQ for the current feature details.

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  • Simultaneous play: Two people can play the same title at the same time only if the family has at least two copies of that game.
  • Game eligibility: Developers can opt games out. A game that requires a third-party key, account, or subscription may also be unavailable for family sharing.
  • Offline play: Eligible games may work offline if the game itself supports Family Sharing; offline access is not guaranteed for every title.

Steam Families grants access through a family library; it does not make another member the owner of the purchaser’s copy. Valve says, “You maintain ownership of your current titles and when you purchase a new game it will still show up in your collection.” The same official announcement explains the feature, while the Steam Subscriber Agreement sets out restrictions on selling, transferring, renting, or licensing Steam content, subject to the agreement and applicable law.

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How to share digital games on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2

Nintendo uses several mechanisms that should not be treated as interchangeable. The company says, “Digital games and downloadable content are tied to the Nintendo Account that purchased them.” Its instructions for multiple consoles distinguish virtual game cards, online licenses, and physical game cards. Review Nintendo Support’s guide to playing games across multiple Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch consoles for account and device setup details.

  • Lend a virtual game card: A virtual game card can be lent to a member of the Nintendo Account family group, who can play it on their own console under Nintendo’s rules.
  • Use an online license: The online-license setting can let the purchasing account play downloaded software while connected to the internet, including in certain multi-console situations where a virtual game card is not loaded. Device setup and Nintendo’s connection requirements apply.
  • Share on a console with the card loaded: A virtual game card loaded on a console can be used there subject to Nintendo’s rules. This is access on that console, not a transfer of the purchase to another account.
  • Hand over a physical game card: Insert the card into the other compatible console. This lends the physical copy; it does not convert or transfer a digital purchase.

Because these options depend on which account is playing, which console is being used, and whether it is online, check Nintendo’s instructions for the exact setup rather than assuming that one console-sharing arrangement applies to every situation.

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Xbox and Microsoft: check the service and game rules

Microsoft’s Digital Goods usage rules describe digital content as licensed for personal, non-commercial use and generally prohibit transferring or reselling licenses. The rules also identify circumstances that may affect access, including account or terms violations, unpaid recurring subscription fees, a region change, failure to refresh a license, or termination of a service.

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Those general licensing rules do not, by themselves, explain every Xbox home-console or sharing configuration. For the specific game and console setup, check the applicable Xbox service rules and title requirements. Do not infer a right to sell or transfer a license from a console-sharing feature.

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PlayStation: terms differ by region

United States

The US PlayStation terms of service describe Store purchases as personal licenses for private, non-commercial use. They say licenses are non-transferable unless local law requires otherwise, and restrict selling, renting, leasing, or lending content except where the agreement or an express permission allows it.

United Kingdom

The UK PlayStation Software Usage Terms say users must not resell disc-based or digital games unless Sony expressly authorizes it; where another company publishes the software, that publisher must also authorize resale. This is UK-specific wording and should not be assumed to state the law or terms in other countries.

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Quick comparison: access, lending, and resale

Platform or format Who can get access Same title played at once Connection or eligibility limits What it means for resale
Steam Families Invited Steam Family members, up to six people total per Valve’s September 11, 2024 announcement Requires a separate family copy for each person playing that title at the same time Developer opt-outs, third-party keys/accounts/subscriptions, and game-specific offline support can limit access; check the title Family access does not transfer ownership; see Steam’s Subscriber Agreement
Nintendo virtual game card A Nintendo Account family-group member can receive a loan under Nintendo’s rules Not stated in the cited support guide as a general same-title guarantee; check Nintendo’s current setup rules for the specific consoles and accounts Virtual-card loading and online-license use have different account, console, and internet conditions The digital purchase remains tied to the purchasing Nintendo Account
Xbox / Microsoft digital goods Specific sharing access depends on Xbox service and game rules Not stated in the cited Microsoft Digital Goods rules Service, title, account, region, subscription, and license-refresh conditions can affect access Microsoft generally prohibits transferring or reselling digital licenses
PlayStation digital purchase Specific console or account-sharing behavior depends on the applicable regional terms and settings Not stated in the cited US or UK terms Terms differ by region; check current console settings and applicable game terms US terms restrict transfer subject to local law; UK terms require express authorization for resale
Compatible physical card or disc The person holding the physical copy can use it on a compatible device, subject to game and console compatibility One physical copy is available to one player or console at a time No digital license transfer is involved, but the recipient needs compatible hardware The physical item can be lent or sold as a copy; this does not establish any right to transfer a separate digital license
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Can you resell a digital game?

For the platforms covered here, the practical answer is: generally, do not expect to resell or permanently transfer a digital game license. Steam, Microsoft, and PlayStation terms restrict transfer or resale in the ways described above, while Nintendo says purchases are tied to the purchasing account. A family feature or temporary lending option changes who may play under defined conditions; it does not itself change who holds the purchase.

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The legal answer can depend on the country, the precise terms, and the facts. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s March 2025 inquiry report characterizes standard-form terms at stores including Steam and PlayStation as granting a revocable license to access and play rather than ownership of a digital copy with permanent lending rights. In its Australian survey, 56% of surveyed game players were unaware of this type of licensing arrangement, and 72% considered the described arrangement quite unfair or very unfair. Those figures describe the ACCC’s Australian survey, not players everywhere. See the ACCC Digital Platform Services Inquiry final report.

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Terms are not a complete statement of every country’s consumer or copyright law. Before attempting a permanent transfer, check the current agreement for your account’s region, any publisher-specific restrictions, and local law. Selling account credentials or trading accounts is not a dependable substitute for an authorized license transfer.

When a physical copy is the better fit

If your goal is to lend a game temporarily or pass a copy on permanently, a compatible physical card or disc may fit better than a digital purchase. The recipient must have compatible hardware, and lending the physical item is different from transferring the account-linked digital license. For Nintendo, Support specifically directs users to insert a physical game card in the console where it will be played.

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