Securing an account after you receive it
A short summary of what to do and what to avoid, whichever platform you bought.
Do these straight away
1. Copy the credentials somewhere safe
The order page is the only place they exist — we never email credentials. Copy them into a password manager or somewhere you can definitely get back to.
2. Sign in through a web browser first, not the desktop client
The browser shows far more detailed error messages, so you will know exactly what went wrong, and it will not collide with your own account already signed in to the client.
3. Change the email first, then the password
The order matters. If you change the password first and then hit a problem with the email, you can no longer verify through the old address.
Per-platform guides: Steam · EA · Ubisoft Connect · Minecraft
4. Attach your own two-step verification
If the previous owner's authenticator is still attached, remove it and attach yours — guide for Steam.
Keep the recovery code you are shown when attaching it. Every platform shows that code once. Without it, recovering the account after losing your phone is very hard.
Never do these
❌ Do not spend the remaining Steam Wallet balance
That balance belongs to the previous owner and spending it can get the account locked — and an account locked for that reason is on the not-covered list.
This applies to Steam only. EA and Ubisoft Connect accounts have no such wallet.
❌ Do not show the credentials to anyone
Account credentials and game keys work for whoever holds them. A key someone else sees and redeems first is on the not-covered list.
❌ Do not resell the account or key
Reselling voids claims entirely, whatever happens at the other end.
❌ Do not turn two-step verification off
Move it to your own device by all means, but never switch it off. It is the layer that keeps other people out.
❌ Do not approve a request you did not trigger
In the Steam Guard confirmation box, if you see something you did not do, do not approve it — contact an admin first. Some requests approve items being traded out of the account, and approving cannot be undone.
Myths
"Changing the password or email voids the warranty"
False. Change them whenever you like, from the first moment. The 30 days stay intact.
The advice about waiting 24 hours and changing within 72 is a security recommendation, not a warranty condition.
"Changing everything means it cannot be reclaimed"
Also false. Changing the details cannot prevent a reclaim, because the game provider gives the strongest rights to the email the account was originally registered with. That is exactly why pre-owned accounts carry a 30-day warranty rather than a promise that it will never happen.
Changing the details is still worth doing — it keeps out anyone who happens to learn the password, just not the original owner.
"New accounts and game keys carry the same reclaim risk"
No. Neither has a previous owner, so the risk does not exist, and their warranty has no expiry — see The three product types explained.
If you suspect someone else has access
- Change the game account's password immediately
- Read the mailbox to see what alerts arrived
- Sign out of all devices (most platforms have this in their security page)
- Check that two-step verification is still attached to your device
If the account has already been taken and you are still inside the warranty, go to Claiming warranty on a pre-owned account.