You can use Steam without buying anything. Free to Play games and free demos are on Valve's list of things a no-spend account can do. Until the account has spent at least $5.00 USD in the Steam store, though, Valve keeps it "limited" and blocks a long list of community features.
Valve's stated reason: spammers and scammers tend to run accounts that have never bought anything, so the spend requirement makes those accounts harder to use.
What counts toward the $5
| Counts | Doesn't count |
|---|---|
| Adding $5 or more to your Steam Wallet | Activating a retail game on Steam |
| Buying games in the Steam store | Playing free demos |
| Adding a Steam Wallet card worth $5 or more | Free to Play games |
| Buying a Steam gift for someone else (once they redeem it) | Free Weekends and other promotional trials |
| Adding a non-Steam game as a shortcut | |
| Promotional keys from hardware or graphics card makers | |
| Games or gift cards you were given | |
| Spending money earned from market sales |
Only purchases that finished processing count. A payment still pending with your bank doesn't. If your store currency isn't USD, each purchase is converted at that day's exchange rate.
What a limited account can't do
Among the features a limited account can't use (Valve says the list isn't complete):
- send friend invites (it can accept them, and use quick invite links)
- trade, or use the Steam Market
- vote on reviews and Workshop items
- make its profile visible to non-friends
- level up past level 0
- use browser and mobile chat
- create groups, public guides or a Steam Family
- post links in the community
- use the Steam Web API
Discussion posting is allowed but restricted: 60 minutes of playtime (free games count), ownership of the game whose hub you post in, and a daily post cap.
Refunds and chargebacks
A refund to your bank, or a payment dispute, is subtracted from your total. If that drops you under $5.00, the account is limited again. Valve's example: buy a $5 game, dispute the charge with your bank, and the restrictions come back.
A refund to your Steam Wallet doesn't change the total.
An account that was unlimited can become limited again if its total spend is recalculated under $5.00. Valve says this commonly hit accounts with between $1.00 and $5.00 of spend.
Sources
- Steam Support — Limited User Accounts (checked Nov 9, 2026)