Before a gaming PC leaves your hands, sign out of every launcher from your account side, not only on the machine: use Steam's option to sign out everywhere or deauthorize devices, do the same in Epic Games, Riot and Battle.net where they offer it, then clear the browser and reset Windows. Signing out locally is not enough on its own, because a remembered login, a saved browser session or a Steam Guard authorization can outlive the app being closed. The order below keeps you in control of your accounts the whole time.
Why a local sign-out is not the whole job
A PC that has been your main gaming machine for years usually holds more than installed games. Launchers can remember your credentials, browsers keep signed-in sessions for store and community pages, and Steam treats a machine you have approved with Steam Guard as a trusted device. Steam's Steam Guard FAQ names malware on an already authorized PC and someone obtaining the Steam Guard file stored on the computer among the common ways protected accounts are still taken, and a handed-over PC can create both situations.
The safest mental model is simple: the new owner should get a machine that none of your accounts recognize. That means removing trust from the account side, where the change applies even if you forget something on the disk, and then wiping the disk as a second layer.
Steam: sign out everywhere and remove the machine's trust
Steam's Account Security Recommendations point you to your account's list of authorized devices and a Sign out everywhere option. Steam's Steam Guard FAQ explains what deauthorizing does: the machine is removed from Steam Guard authorization, so the next sign-in from it looks like a new device and needs a Steam Guard code. That is the property you want on a computer you are giving away.
One caveat is specific to the handover: exit Steam fully before the PC leaves, rather than leaving it minimized in the tray.
What the option covers, what it does not, and where to find it are in our guide on how to sign out of Steam everywhere and remove old devices.
Epic Games, Riot and Battle.net
The other launchers each handle this a little differently, which is why it helps to go through them one by one instead of relying on uninstalling them.
- Epic Games: offers a way to sign out of all devices, which ends the session the old PC still holds.
- Riot Games: has an all-sessions sign-out described in its multi-factor authentication FAQ, which matters if you told Riot to remember this PC.
- Battle.net: sign out of the desktop app and review your account security page; if you are unsure what the PC can still reach, a password change is the conservative step.
How the four platforms compare on sessions, two-factor options and recovery is covered in Steam, Epic, Battle.net and Riot security compared.
Browsers, saved passwords and small leftovers
Launchers are only half of it. Before the reset, think about what the browser and the rest of the system remember:
- Browser sessions. Sign out of store, community and account pages in every browser you used, then remove your browser profile or its sync connection.
- Saved passwords. If your passwords are stored in the browser or a password manager on this PC, confirm they are synced to your password manager or new device first, with no export file left on this disk, then remove them here.
- Authenticator and email. Your Steam Mobile app authenticator lives on your phone, not the PC, so it stays with you. Still, sign out of the email account linked to your launchers on this machine, since that email is the key to password resets.
- Sites and keys tied to Steam. Review third-party sites where you used Sign in through Steam, and remove any Steam Web API key you do not use; our Steam account security checklist covers where to look.
Reset Windows as the final layer
Once the account-side sign-outs are done, use Windows' built-in reset option and choose the setting that removes your files, so the buyer or recipient starts with a clean install. Do this last: if you reset first, you lose the easy chance to check what was signed in. A reset is a strong second layer, but it does not replace the account-side steps, because it cannot tell Steam or Riot to stop trusting the machine.
One boundary worth stating plainly: the accounts do not go with the hardware. Steam, Epic and Riot treat accounts as personal and restrict selling or sharing them, so leaving yourself signed in "as a bonus" can backfire for both sides. If you want to pass games on, look at the legitimate options in the real risks of buying or selling a Steam account.
What to do next
Work through the list in this order: sign out everywhere on each account, check the device lists, clean the browser, then reset Windows. If anything during that process looked unfamiliar, such as a device you do not recognize or a sign-in you did not make, treat it as its own issue rather than part of the handover. The same Steam security checklist walks through the settings worth reviewing once the old PC is gone and your new one is set up.