Steam trade reversals: what Valve will and will not undo
Two facts govern every "I got scammed" thread. One: since June 2015, Valve does not restore items lost to scams or hijacks - support will secure your account, but the items are gone. Two: since 2025, CS2 specifically has a self-serve undo button most players still do not know exists.
Why Valve stopped restoring items
Valve's own reasoning, from the Item Restoration Policy: "If more copies of the item are added to the economy through inventory rollbacks, the value of every other instance of that item would be reduced." Restorations duplicated items, and people promptly abused it with fake-hijack claims. So the policy became: no restoration, for anyone, regardless of story.
The 2025 CS2 exception: Trade Protected Items
- Every CS2 item received in a trade is trade-protected for 7 days - it cannot be traded, sold or modified during that window.
- A hijacking victim can self-serve reverse all their CS2 trades from the past 7 days via their Trade History.
- Pulling that lever signs out every session and trade-locks the account for 30 days - the cost of the undo.
- CS2 only for now; Valve has said it may extend the system to other games.
PROTECT YOURSELF FIRST
The reversal exists for hijacks, not regret - a trade you agreed to and simply lost on is yours to keep. Run the Steam Mobile Authenticator, never log in through links sent to you, and treat any "I accidentally reported you, contact this Steam admin" message as the scam it is.
OBLIGATORY PLUG
Relevant to us: when you win a skin here, delivery is an ordinary Steam trade offer to the trade URL on your profile - which means the 7-day protection applies to your prize too. The system quietly working in your favour, for once. Browse the draws ->
