Steam has one of the simplest refund policies in games: you can get your money back for nearly any reason, as long as you ask in time. These are the rules, taken from Valve’s own refund policy.
The basic rule
A game or program can be refunded if you request it within 14 days of purchase and have played it for less than two hours. You do not have to justify it. If you fall outside those limits you can still submit a request, and Valve says it will take a look.
Special cases
- DLC: 14 days from purchase, provided you have played the base game for less than two hours since buying the DLC and the content has not been consumed, modified or transferred. Some DLC is marked as non-refundable on its store page.
- Pre-purchases: you can ask for a refund at any time before release. After release, the standard 14-day and two-hour rule applies from the release date.
- Pre-purchases with early or advance access: any time played counts towards the two hours, and the 14 days start on the release date.
- Bundles: refundable in full if nothing in them has been transferred and the combined playtime of all the items is under two hours.
- Gifts: an unredeemed gift follows the standard rule. Once redeemed, it is the recipient who has to start the refund, and the money goes back to the buyer.
- In-game purchases: in Valve’s own games, within 48 hours if the item has not been used. In other games it depends on the developer, and Steam says at checkout whether an item is refundable.
- Steam Wallet funds: within 14 days, if they were bought on Steam and have not been spent.
What cannot be refunded
Purchases made outside Steam, such as keys or wallet cards bought from other shops, are not covered. Video content is not refundable either, unless it comes in a bundle with other refundable content. And if Valve’s anti-cheat system bans you in a game, you lose the right to refund that game.
How to ask and how long it takes
Requests are made at help.steampowered.com. Once approved, the refund is issued within a week. It goes back to the original payment method when that is possible and to your Steam Wallet when it is not.
Is refunding often considered abuse?
Valve says refunds exist to remove the risk from buying, not as a way to get free games, and that it may stop offering them to users it believes are abusing the system. It gives one explicit exception: refunding a game you bought just before a sale and buying it again at the lower price is not considered abuse.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to refund a game on Steam?
14 days from the purchase, with less than two hours played. Outside those limits you can still submit a request and Valve will review it.
Can I refund a game I pre-purchased on Steam?
Yes, at any time before release. After release the standard rule applies: 14 days from the release date and less than two hours played.
Where does a Steam refund go?
To the original payment method when it supports refunds, or to your Steam Wallet when it does not. Approved refunds are issued within a week.
This article was written with AI assistance from the sources linked above.
