Steam, owned by Valve, is a digital distribution service for video games. Besides selling games, Steam also serves as a gaming community hub, with over 90 million users active on a monthly level. Aside from that, Steam offers a set of tools and services named Steamworks, meant for the developers and publishers of the game. Initially, Steam was developed for Microsoft Windows operating systems. But, now Steam is also available for Linux and macOS users. Over the last 10 years, Steam expanded to mobile gaming with apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.
Although Steam has a great gaming catalog, but its services are not flawless. Probably, you bought a game which does not work on your computer due to hardware requirements, or you played it for an hour and decided it is not that great. In any case, you may want your money back. So, how to get a refund on Steam? Can you get a refund on Steam with more than two hours? Read the text below to get that answer.
Getting a Refund on Steam
There are some cases when you want to ask for a refund from Steam. The process is not so straightforward. According to their support, you are able to ask for a refund for almost any purchase. But, several items are not refundable, and also there is a time limitation on being eligible for getting your money back.
The good thing is that you will be able to ask for a Steam refund for almost any reason. But, there are two-time constraints. You are not eligible for a refund from Steam if you do not honor the return period, which is:
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- Two weeks after the purchase.
- Two hours of playtime.
The time constraints apply to the games and software applications purchased on Steam, including pre-purchased titles, rewards, and downloadable content, with several limitations. Even if you had purchased a game before it went on sale, you are able to ask for a refund and purchase it at a new price, if you made the purchase within two weeks.
After approval, the money is returned to you via the payment method you used. But, if it is not possible, then the full amount is going to be credited back to your Steam Wallet.
In the United States, here are the payment methods accepted on the Steam support refunds:
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- Visa
- MasterCard
- American Express
- Discover
- JCB
- PayPal
Getting a Refund for Games on Steam on Your Own
If you want to navigate the customer support web page of Steam, here is a way to get a refund for your Steam purchases:
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- At the first step, you have to go to Steam Help and log in with your Steam credentials.
- In the section under What do you need help with, (your profile name), you are able to click on A Purchase.
- Please find the purchased item in the list and click on it.
- When asked about the issue you have with the product, select I purchased this by accident.
- Please click I’d like to request a refund.
- Now, you need to fill out the request form where you are able to choose your preferred payment method.
- After submitting, you are going to receive a confirmation email that your refund request has been received.
Warning: This procedure is the only way of requesting Steam refunds. The company does not offer any other options to contact them about getting your money back.
How Long Does a Steam Refund Usually Take?
If you ask for a refund for a Steam 14 days after you paid for it or within two hours of playtime, Steam ensures that your request is going to be approved. After Steam representatives confirm that you are eligible for a refund, then you are going to receive an email stating that your purchase has been refunded. Afterwards, you are going to have the money back in your account within seven days. For those who used an international payment method, the process would take a bit longer.
In other cases, if you ask for a refund on Steam, and it is approved within 24 hours of the purchase, then this condition is not treated as a refund. Steam is going to cancel the original transaction. The charge is going to disappear from your bank statement. If it comes to this scenario, then you will not see a credit in your account. Usually, the whole process takes up to 10 days.
Common Issues You Might Experience When Requesting a Refund on Steam
Here are some common issues you might experience when requesting a refund on Steam:
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- Refunds for older purchases – Although Steam encourages its users to ask for a refund for older purchases, their policies explicitly say that there is no guarantee the refund is going to be approved. If the game was purchased significantly out of the 14-day, then the refund request would be denied.
- Refunds for several DLC – Steam does not guarantee refunds in the case of several third-party DLC or if the DLC is consumed, modified or transferred.
- Refunds for in-game purchases – In case of the game developed by Valve, in-game purchases are able to be refunded within 48 hours, unless the game has been transferred, modified, or consumed. In the case of third-party developers, Steam will respect their refund policies
- Video content refunds on Steam are not possible – Although Steam is basically a game store, they also offer movies and series. If you buy a video through them and you want to return it, unfortunately you will not be able to get your money back.
- Refunds for the items which were not purchased on Steam are not allowed – If you purchase CD keys or Steam wallet cards on another site, of course you will not get a refund from Steam.
AUTHOR BIO
On my daily job, I am a software engineer, programmer & computer technician. My passion is assembling PC hardware, studying Operating System and all things related to computers technology. I also love to make short films for YouTube as a producer. More at about me…
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