Steam account hacked? Here’s what to do
Move fast and in the right order: reclaim the account through Steam’s official flow, kick the attacker out of every session, then close the door they came through — usually a password that leaked in a breach and was reused.
If your Steam account was hacked: start recovery at the official page (help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithLoginInfo), change the password to a unique one, sign out all other sessions, and re-check the recovery email and phone on the account. Then find out how the attacker got in — check whether your password appears in known breach data — and turn on two-factor authentication so it can’t happen again.
Recover your Steam account, step by step
These steps follow Steam’s official process. Official links only: account recovery · password reset.
Go to help.steampowered.com → "Help, I can't sign in" and follow the locked/hijacked account path.
Prove ownership with historical payment details or product activation codes when prompted.
Once in: change the password, deauthorize all devices, and re-set up Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator on YOUR phone.
Check the trade and market history plus pending trade offers; cancel API keys (steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey) — a registered API key is the classic persistence trick of trade scammers.
What trips people up with Steam
- Steam Guard trade holds mean stolen items usually leave via a quick scam trade the attacker "confirms" from your hijacked mobile authenticator — Valve's stated policy is that scammed items are generally NOT restored, so prevention (never confirm trades you didn't start) is everything.
- The recovery wizard verifies ownership by purchase history: the activation code of an old retail game or the card used on the first purchase unlocks accounts even when email/phone changed.
Still logged in? Lock the account down now
If you can still get in, you're racing the attacker. In this order: change the password to a long, unique one; sign out all other sessions/devices (the setting exists in Steam's security settings); confirm the recovery email and phone number are yours (attackers quietly add their own so they can "recover" the account later); remove unfamiliar linked apps or API access; and turn on two-factor authentication. Only then deal with anything the attacker posted, sent or bought.
Locked out of Steam — email or phone was changed
This is the worst-case scenario and the most common complaint: the attacker changed the account email, phone number or password so the normal reset flow emails them, not you. Do NOT keep triggering password resets — they go to the hacker. Go straight to Steam's dedicated recovery flow (link above), which is built for exactly this case: it verifies you by your original signup details, previous passwords, linked devices or a government ID / selfie check, bypassing the stolen email. Watch for the security notice Steam sent to your OLD email when the address was changed — it usually contains a "revert this change" link that works for a limited time and is the fastest way back in.
Lost your 2FA device or codes
If you changed phones or lost access to your authenticator, use the backup codes you saved when enabling 2FA — that's exactly what they're for. No backup codes? Steam's account-recovery flow (link above) can verify you through other signals — original signup details, linked email, purchase history or ID verification — but it's deliberately slow, since the same door would otherwise let attackers in. Start the process immediately and respond fast to any follow-up; recovery requests that go quiet get closed.
The attacker spent, moved or stole items, skins or in-game currency
Document everything first (screenshots of orders, trades or transfers, with dates), then report it through Steam's official support flow — platforms restore fraudulent purchases and stolen items, skins or in-game currency case-by-case, and a clean, dated report is what gets approved. If a card or bank account was charged, dispute the charges with the issuer as unauthorized. Change the password on the email account attached to Steam too — if the attacker owns your inbox, they'll just take the account back.
Steam banned or disabled the account after the hack
Very common: the attacker used your account for spam, scams or rule-breaking, and Steam's automated systems suspended it before you got it back. Don't create a replacement account — that can itself violate the terms and complicate reinstatement. Instead, appeal through the official process and state clearly that the account was compromised, when you lost access, and that the violating activity wasn't yours. Appeals that mention a documented hack (password-change emails, login alerts — keep the timestamps) are routinely overturned, but it can take days to weeks.
Why this happened — and how to make sure it can’t again
About a third of account takeovers are credential stuffing: a password you used on Steam (or the email behind it) leaked in some other company’s breach, and attackers replayed it here automatically. The FBI’s IC3 logged over 5,100 account-takeover complaints with $262M in losses in 2025 alone (IC3). Even when Steam itself was never breached, your reused password from another site opens it.
So after recovery, check what’s already out there: our free scanner shows which known breaches and dark-web dumps include your email — and whether passwords were exposed with it.
Check my exposure — free →After you recover: three doors to close
- Unique password + 2FA. A password manager plus app-based two-factor stops both stuffing and phishing replays.
- Reset everywhere you reused that password — email first (it’s the master key), then bank, then the rest.
- Shrink your public footprint. Attackers research targets on data-broker sites (your address, phone, relatives — enough to social-engineer support lines). Our free opt-out guide covers 190 of them, step by step.
Hacked Steam account, answered
How did my Steam account get hacked?
The most common cause isn't a hack of Steam itself — it's credential stuffing: a password you used on Steam leaked from some other site's breach, and attackers tried it here automatically. Roughly a third of account takeovers happen this way, with phishing (fake Steam login pages and alerts) close behind. That's why the first fix is a unique password, not just a new one.
Can I get my Steam account back?
Usually yes. Use the official recovery flow (https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithLoginInfo) — it can verify you even when the attacker changed the email and password. Be patient and respond quickly to follow-ups so the case stays open.
Should I just make a new Steam account instead?
Not until you've tried recovery. The old account keeps your history and contacts — and while the attacker controls it, it will be used to scam people who trust you. Recover it, or at minimum report it as compromised so Steam can lock it, before you start over.
Can I get my stolen items, skins or purchases back on Steam?
Sometimes. Platforms handle it case-by-case, and some restore fraudulently traded items only once per account — so file the support ticket carefully, with dates and specifics, rather than firing off multiple vague reports. Always mention the account was compromised, not just that items are "missing".
How do I stop my Steam account being hacked again?
Three things close most of the doors: a unique password (a manager makes this painless), app-based two-factor authentication, and shrinking your exposed footprint — checking your email against known breach databases and removing your personal data from data-broker sites that attackers use to research targets.