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For a long time, the biggest platform for PC gaming didn't have a refund policy. It wasn't until 2015 that Steam introduced a streamlined way to return a PC game. Now, if you're unsatisfied with your digital game purchase, you can request your money back. While Steam’s refund policy is relatively generous and easy to use, you still need to know a few things before submitting a request. Here's what to know and how to get your refund.
Which Games Are Eligible for Refunds on Steam?
Compared to other game platforms like Xbox or PlayStation, requesting a refund on Steam is relatively easy. Valve allows you to return games, preorders, DLC, in-game purchases, and unredeemed gifts. However, these items must fall under specific parameters:
It needs to be a game you purchased through Steam. You can't get a refund if you received a game through a third-party site or other means.
You need to submit the refund request within 14 days of purchase.
Any purchased game can only have two hours of playtime on it.
You can request refunds on in-game purchases or subscriptions, typically within 48 hours of purchase. Such refunds are on a case-by-case basis.
Note that Valve-developed Steam games will offer refunds within 48 hours of purchase, but other developers have to enable the option for refunds first. You also can’t get a refund on video purchases unless it was available in a bundle with non-video items.
As part of the refund process, you can choose where you receive your money. It can go into your Steam Wallet, or back to another payment method you have tied to your account. Steam can refund your money to Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, or PayPal. Note that it may take up to seven days for refunds to be processed.
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How Do You Get a Steam Game Refund?
For this tutorial, I used my recent purchase of Dead by Daylight. I bought the game on sale, but it just so happens I already have it on Xbox. To initiate a return in the Steam client, go to the Help menu and click Steam Support. You can also click the Support button at the top of the Steam website.
There are a lot of options here, but you want to focus on the game you want to return. If it’s in your most recent games, it’ll be listed on this front page. If not, go to Games, Software, etc. and search for it there. Since I’m returning Dead by Daylight, there’s no need for me to search for it.
You can report any problems you’re having with a specific game in this next menu, but you can request a refund by clicking It’s not what I expected or I purchased this by accident. (You can also remove the game permanently from your account, but you won’t receive a refund.)
Regardless of your choice, you’ll be taken to a second window where you must confirm your desire for a refund. You'll then be able to use the drop-down menu to pick where you want the refund; I chose my Steam Wallet.
You can then input your reasoning and type out any other comments about your purchase. Select Submit request and you’re all set! You will then be taken to a screen confirming that your request was submitted with a reference code for your ticket. This will also be sent to the email address registered on your Steam account.
If the refund itself was a mistake, you can also select Cancel refund request. You can also cancel at any point before the request is reviewed by going back to Steam’s support page. That’s all there is to it. As long as your purchase meets Steam’s parameters, you’ll get your money back
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