Games

Valve Introduces New Rules to Enhance Steam's Refund Policy

Addressing a controversial loophole, Steam has revised its refund policy to ensure fair play for all users.
Valve Introduces New Rules to Enhance Steam's Refund Policy

Highlights

  • Valve has updated Steam's refund policy to prevent abuse of returning early access games.
  • The revised policy now includes playtime during the "Advance Access" period, except for beta testing.
  • Users have a 14-day window to request refunds, with a limit of playing a game for less than two hours.

Players seeking refunds on Steam will encounter a tougher process following Valve's recent update to the platform's refund policy, which aims to close a widely exploited loophole related to 'advance access' game titles. Steam stands out as a major digital game marketplace, offering a vast array of PC games ranging from blockbuster releases to indie creations. While Steam permits users to refund their game purchases within 14 days of acquisition, provided the games have been played for less than two hours, the intention is to prevent users from finishing an entire game before requesting a refund, effectively playing for free.

This restriction has prompted concerns from indie developers whose games fall short of the two-hour limit. Some users had discovered a workaround to exceed the playtime limit for returning games, particularly with pre-release 'Early Access' or 'Advance Access' titles. Previously, playtime during these early access periods didn't count until the game's official launch, but this has now changed.

Valve recently announced adjustments to Steam's refund policy to include playtime hours clocked during a game's 'Advance Access' phase towards the two-hour refund threshold, excluding beta testing. However, the 14-day refund period will only commence upon the game's full release, applicable solely to games playable before their official launch. Refunds for pre-orders will not be subject to the two-hour/14-day limit until the game is officially released.

Updated Policies for Steam Refunds

Steam has previously made exceptions to its refund policy in extreme cases, such as games launching with numerous bugs that severely impede gameplay. For instance, the PC version of The Last of Us suffered from extensive load times, allowing Steam users to refund the game even after exceeding the two-hour limit. However, most refund requests stem from users simply not enjoying the purchased game. In such cases, users are granted a 14-day refund window with a maximum playtime of two hours, a rule also enforced for Steam's 'Advance Access' program, offering early access to upcoming game releases.

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