Where to find your Steam gifts

Your Steam gifts live in your account inventory, not in a separate gifts section. When someone sends you a gift, it arrives as an item you can see, accept, or decline — but Steam doesn't have a dedicated "gifts" page that lists everything you've ever received. Instead, you check gifts through your inventory or through your purchase history, depending on what you're looking for.

The fastest way to see gifts waiting for you is to open Steam, click your username in the top right, and select Inventory. Any unopened gifts appear here as gift boxes with the sender's name. If you want to see gifts you've already opened or declined, you'll need to check your purchase history instead, which shows a record of every transaction tied to your account.

Key Takeaways

  • Unopened gifts appear in your Steam Inventory as gift boxes with the sender's name attached.
  • You can accept a gift directly from your Inventory, which adds the game to your library immediately.
  • Declined or already-opened gifts show up in your Purchase History, not in your active Inventory.
  • If a gift is still in your Inventory after 30 days, Steam will automatically add it to your library whether you open it or not.
  • Gifts sent to you by friends appear with their Steam username, so you know exactly who sent each one.

How to accept a gift in your inventory

When you see a gift box in your Inventory, click on it to open the details. The box shows the game name, who sent it, and when it arrived. At the bottom of the gift details, you'll see an Accept Gift button. Click that button, and the game moves from your Inventory into your main game library within seconds.

Once you accept, the game is yours to download and play. You can't trade it, sell it, or give it to someone else — it's permanently tied to your account. If you're not sure whether you want the game, you can leave the gift in your Inventory for up to 30 days. After 30 days, Steam automatically accepts it for you.

How to decline or remove a gift

If you don't want a gift, click on it in your Inventory and look for a Decline Gift button instead of Accept. Declining sends the gift back to the sender's account as a gift they can send to someone else or keep. The sender is not charged again — the gift just returns to their inventory unused.

Declining is different from letting it sit for 30 days. If you decline, the gift goes back immediately. If you do nothing, Steam accepts it automatically after a month, and you own it. There's no way to remove a gift you've already accepted, so think carefully before clicking Accept.

Finding gifts in your purchase history

To see all gifts you've received in the past, including ones you've already accepted or declined, go to your account page and click Purchase History. This shows every transaction on your account, including gifts received. Look for entries labeled "Gift Received" or with a gift icon next to the game name.

Purchase History is useful if you want to remember which games were gifts versus games you bought yourself, or if you're trying to track down when a particular gift arrived. It keeps a permanent record, so you can scroll back months or years. The list shows the sender's name, the game, and the date received.

What to do if a gift doesn't show up

Sometimes a gift sent to you doesn't appear in your Inventory right away. This usually means the sender's payment is still processing, or there's a region restriction preventing delivery. Check back in a few hours — most gifts arrive within minutes, but some take up to 24 hours.

If a gift still hasn't arrived after a day, ask the sender to check their purchase confirmation email. They can see whether the gift was actually sent to your account or whether the transaction failed. If the transaction succeeded but the gift never reached you, contact Steam Support with the sender's name and the game title, and they can investigate.

Region restrictions and gift limitations

Steam restricts some games by region, which means a gift purchased in one country might not work in another. If someone sends you a game that's restricted in your region, the gift won't arrive at all — Steam blocks it before it reaches your account. The sender will see an error message and can request a refund.

You can check which region your account is set to by going to your account details. If you've moved countries, you may need to update your location. Some games are restricted everywhere, some only in specific countries, and some have no restrictions at all. There's no way around a region restriction — the game simply won't work on your account in that location.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see who sent me a gift if I've already accepted it?

Yes. Go to Purchase History and find the "Gift Received" entry for that game. It shows the sender's Steam username. If you accepted it weeks ago, you can still scroll back and find it in your purchase history to see who sent it.

What happens if I don't accept a gift within 30 days?

Steam automatically accepts it for you and adds it to your library. You don't lose it — it just becomes a permanent part of your account whether you wanted it or not. There's no notification when this happens, so if you're unsure about a gift, accept or decline it yourself rather than waiting.

Can the person who sent me a gift get it back if I don't want it?

Only if you decline it. Declining sends the gift back to their inventory unused, and they can send it to someone else or keep it. Once you accept a gift, it's yours permanently and can't be returned or transferred.

Why does a gift say it's restricted to my region?

Some games have licensing agreements that prevent them from being sold or played in certain countries. Steam enforces these restrictions automatically. If a game is restricted in your region, the sender will see an error when trying to send it, and the transaction won't go through.

Can I gift a game I received as a gift to someone else?

No. Once a gift is accepted into your library, it's locked to your account forever. You can't trade it, sell it, or give it away. Only unopened gifts in your Inventory can be declined and returned to the sender.