Steam is one of the most forgiving game distribution platforms when it comes to refunds, and my experience has always been easy whenever I’ve needed to return a game digitally. As long as you request a refund on Steam within fourteen days and don’t play for more than two hours, you can get your money back no matter the reason, even if you just get bored.
But those rules didn’t exactly apply to early and advanced access programs. This meant that people could play games before their release date for days and request a refund once they were satisfied. The unlimited time limit became a huge loophole that people took advantage of, and I mean, it makes a lot of sense.
As of April 24, that loophole was hermetically sealed. Valve has changed its refund policy for early and advanced access so that people can no longer play more than the two-hour limit. If you plan to play a game before its release date, keep in mind that you only have two hours to decide if it’s worth your money.
Here are the full details about Steam Refund Policy:
“When you purchase a title on Steam before the release date, the two-hour playtime limit for refunds will apply (except for beta testing), but the 14-day refund period will not begin until the release date For example, if you purchase a game that is in Early Access or Advanced Access, any play time will count towards the two-hour refund limit. If you pre-purchase a title that cannot be played before the release date, you can. request a refund at any time prior to the release of that title, and the standard 14-day/two-hour refund period will apply from the game’s release date.”
You can still get a refund, no questions asked
While you may be disappointed, the refund policy has not changed from because you want to request a refund. As I mentioned before, Steam will still be lenient when it comes to refunding you money for a game, whether it’s because you didn’t like the content or because you accidentally added a random game to your cart (don’t worry, this happens).
I remember buying “Devour” and immediately regretting it after ten minutes. This multiplayer horror game certainly didn’t live up to my expectations. Since my playing time was short, I quickly requested a refund and it was accepted the same day! While you can no longer spend hours and hours playing an Early Access game, you still have a good two hours to determine how much you like it.
Basically, Valve wants people to be mindful of their playtime when it comes to early and late access games. Since these releases could still be in development, it wouldn’t be fair to form a solid opinion until the final version has been released to everyone else. In this way, all members of the gaming community, including players and developers, evaluate the game fairly.
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