Steam’s refund policy requirements
Some things to consider before submitting a refund request on Steam. If you purchased a game on Steam within the last 14 days and haven’t played it for more than two hours, you can theoretically submit a request for a refund.
Therefore, there is no use in attempting to get a refund for games you bought a few years ago but have yet to play. They will be a permanent part of your collection. Steam, though, says that it will still take into account some requests even if they don’t match those conditions.
Request a refund cautiously.
It’s important to remember that even while Valve is generally lenient when it comes to Steam refunds, your request for a refund on a game may be denied if the firm has reason to believe you are abusing the system.
Don’t abuse the refund system by asking for it often or by trying to exploit it to speedrun games. If that happens, you might lose the ability to request a refund in the future.
Do you offer refunds on downloadable content?
You can get your money back for more than just Steam games, such as DLC and in-game currency. If you change your mind about a DLC purchase within 14 days of buying it, provided you haven’t put in more than two hours of gameplay time on the game in question, you can get your money back.
This rule can be broken, however, if the downloadable content fundamentally alters the game in a way that cannot be undone.
The rules vary slightly for in-game materials. Within 48 hours of making an in-game purchase, if the item has not been modified, used, or transferred, you can seek a refund if the game was developed by Valve. It’s possible that third-party games will vary.
So what if you get kicked out?
Are unused gift games returnable?
Steam also allows you to request a refund for a game that was given as a gift. The same conditions apply, so long as you haven’t used the product for more than two hours and it hasn’t been in your account for more than 14 days, before requesting a refund.
A refund request for a game that a friend has bought for you will result in the money being refunded to your friend’s account.
What’s the deal with cheap video games?
A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Steam Game Refund
- Open up Steam and click the help menu on the top left of the program
- Click on Steam Support
- Find the game you want to refund under “recent products” or click on “games and applications” to see more games
- Click on the game you’d like to get a refund on
- Then select the reason you want a refund
- Choose how you’d like a refund
- Select either to refund into your Steam wallet or directly to the original payment method you used
- Gameplay or technical issues
- DLC or bonus content is missing
- I’m having trouble with my retail CD key
- It’s not what I expected
- I purchased this by accident
- I want to permanently remove this game from my account
Issues with gameplay or technical aspects, accidental purchases, or “it’s not what I expected” are typically cited as the most common grounds for requesting a refund.
We advise you to elaborate on your refund request if you have already chosen one of the reasons and are given the opportunity to do so. Especially if there are bugs or other issues that other people could have with the game as well.
You don’t need to be at the computer where Steam is installed to obtain a refund; there are other options. Visit the Steam Support website, sign in, and proceed as before.
You may relax after sending in your request. Valve states that it may take up to seven days to review and approve your request. When it’s done, we’ll send you a message.
Video games purchased from other stores: do we offer refunds?
It’s natural to want to know if you can get your money back if you’ve already paid for a game elsewhere. Games purchased from outside of Steam can be added to your library by redeeming codes within Steam.
This was originally intended for CD/DVD keys, for when you already owned the game and wanted to add it to Steam. However, in recent years, companies like Green Man Gaming, Humble Bundle, Fanatical, and others have emerged, giving customers additional options for where to buy video games.
You may then use these on Steam to buy games. Video games can be made more affordable in this way thanks to sales of game keys and bundles. But can you get a refund on a Steam purchase like this? In a nutshell, no. You should get in touch with the website you bought the key from if you’d want a refund.
