How to delete a steam game

Steam games purchased will be automatically added to the Steam library. Users can view, install, play, or uninstall any game from the Steam library. Steam provides the option to categorize the games in different categories. However, you can also hide games from the Steam library. There are many games that are not preferable for all ages and you can hide these games from other users that use your Steam account. Sometimes the users can also hide the games that they don’t play to minimize the list of their Steam library games. Users can also remove the games from their account if they do not like the game or don’t want it on their account anymore. This is different from Steam Disk Write error though.

What is Hiding and Removing for Steam Games?

There is a difference between hiding and removing a game on Steam. Hiding a game is just temporary and can be reversible, whereas removing a game from Steam will remove it permanently from your account. The hidden game can still be accessed anytime, but once the game is removed from the account, the user will never be able to play it unless they repurchase the game.

Hiding Games from Steam Library

Steam library list becomes vast by purchasing games or playing free games. However, you can hide the games that you don’t play anymore by using the hide feature. Hiding games in the Steam library are similar to hiding folders and files in your system. You can always view hidden games and unhide games within a few clicks. Steam updates its interface frequently, so some of the steps may look different in the future.

1. Open your Steam client by double-clicking the shortcut or searching it through the Windows search feature.
2. Now click on the Library, then right-click on the game that you want to hide and choose the Manage > Hide this game option.
   
   Hiding Steam Game
3. This will hide the game from your Steam library. You can view the hidden games by clicking on the View menu and choosing the Hidden Games option.
   
   Viewing hidden games
4. This will show all the hidden games. To unhide the game, right-click on the game and choose the Manage > Remove from Hidden option.
   
   Unhiding games

Removing Games from Steam Library

Note: You can only remove free games from your Steam Library, Any game that is purchased or gifted by someone is not removable.

Removing games from the Steam library is removing games from the Steam account. By removing we don’t mean uninstall but removing the game from the Steam account. This was much more difficult to do in the past, but now it is pretty simple and quick. However, do remember that removing the game will also uninstall the game from your system. Therefore, if you want to keep the game for other accounts, then you should backup the game before removing it. The interface for steam is updated frequently, therefore, the steps may look different in the future. Follow the below steps to remove any game from your Steam account:

1. Open the Steam client by double-clicking the shortcut or searching it through the Windows search feature.
2. Click on the Library, then right-click on the game you want to remove and choose the Manage > Remove from account option.
   
   Removing a game from Steam account
3. It will give you a warning page with the details. Click on the Remove button to permanently remove the game from your account.
   
   Confirming removing the game
4. To get the game back, you have to repurchase it from the Steam store.

Steam shows every game you’ve ever purchased or received as a gift in its library. It remembers some free games you’ve installed, too. But you can hide a game from your library—or even permanently delete it from your account.

The Difference Between Hiding and Removing Games

Hiding is reversible. When you hide a Steam game, it’s hidden from the standard library views. Someone can still see the game with a few clicks, and you can unhide the game in the future. You can even play a hidden game. It’s just a way of sweeping a game under the rug for the moment.

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Removing is permanent. When you remove a game from your Steam account, it’s permanently deleted. The game won’t appear in your library. You previously had to contact Steam customer support and ask for this, but there’s now a standard way you can delete games in a few clicks. Beware: To play the game again in the future, you’ll have to repurchase it.

How to Hide a Steam Game

To hide a Steam game, locate it in your library, right-click it, hover over “Manage,” and then click “Hide this game.”

How to Find or Unhide a Hidden Steam Game

To view your hidden Steam games, click the “View” button in the top left side of the window, and then click “Hidden Games.”

You’ll see a list identical to your regular Steam library, except this list only contains the games you’ve hidden. To unhide a game, right-click it, hover over “Manage,” and click “Remove from Hidden.”

How to Remove a Game From Your Steam Account

You should uninstall a Steam game from your computer before removing it from your library. If you remove a game from your account first, you won’t be able to uninstall it normally—you’ll have to hunt down its files on your hard drive or SSD and remove them manually.

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To permanently delete a game from your library, click Help > Steam Support.

Click the game you want to delete. If you’ve played it recently, it will appear at the top of the list. If you haven’t, you can use the search box at the bottom of this page to search for the game by name.

Click “I want to permanently remove this game from my account.” (If you purchased the game in the past two weeks and have played it for less than two hours, you can also return the game for a refund from here.)

RELATED: How to Refund a Game on Steam

Steam will give you more information about this process. If the game were purchased or activated as part of a bundle, Steam would show related games that will also be removed.

Click “OK, remove the listed games from my account permanently.” You’ll have to repurchase the game if you ever want to play it again.

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This won’t remove information about your playtime and achievements in the game, which will remain tied to your Steam profile.