Steam appears to have started posting a notice in its shopping cart that purchases on its storefront are only for a license and not a game, according to a notice spotted by Engadget. It looks like an attempt by the company to get ahead of a new California law coming next year that forces companies to admit that buyers don't actually own digital content.

Valve updates Steam store to clarify that games purchased are only licensed, not owned. This change complies with an upcoming California law.

Steam has apparently started alerting users that they’re obtaining digital licenses to play games, paving way for other marketplaces like PS Store to follow suit. The move comes ahead of an upcoming California law that will require online storefronts to admit that players don’t actually own the content that they pay for.

Gamers looking to add new titles to their Steam library are being met with a new message clarifying that purchasing a digital game grants them a digital license to the game, but ownership of the game itself. Valve implemented the warning ahead of a recently passed California law, which is set to go into effect in 2025.

Steam now includes an up front warning to customers that they’re buying a license, not a game ahead of a Californian law going into effect in 2025. The change to Steam comes after California governor Gavin Newsom signed a law forcing digital marketplaces to make it clear to customers that when they buy media,