Valve has modified Steam’s refund policy to deal with a loophole exploited by many users. Generally speaking, Steam’s refund policy has worked the same way for a long time: as long as the user hasn’t played any purchased game for more than two hours, they can request a full refund without bureaucracy.
Although this main rule remains the same, Valve has changed the moment when the two-hour period comes into effect.
In a new message published on Steam, Valve announced that games released before the official date will now have the two-hour period counted for users to test the title and decide if they want to keep it. In recent years, many publishers have begun granting access to games two or three days before their official release as an incentive for pre-orders or special editions.
Previously, the games available in this early access on Steam did not count towards the two-hour period, which allowed users to play the entire title and request a refund before the official release. Valve has taken steps to prevent this abuse of the platform’s refund system.
When you buy a title on Steam before the release date, the two-hour refund limit will apply (except for beta tests), but the 14-day refund period will only start on the release date,” explains Valve’s new definition of the system. “For example, if you buy a game in Early Access or Advanced Access, any game time will count towards the two-hour refund limit. If you pre-order a title that is not playable before the release date, you can request a refund at any time before the release, and the standard 14 day/two hour period will apply from the game’s release date.”
Generally speaking, it’s hard to criticise Valve for the change on Steam, especially as early access incentives are becoming increasingly common in video game releases. Even with this change, Steam still has one of the best refund systems for digital purchases of games. As such, this change probably won’t discourage many users from continuing to use the platform as their main hub for PC games.
