Valve has updated its Steam Refund Policy, closing a loophole in which the refund period for Advanced Access titles (e.g., pre-purchased games that could be played prior to the game’s official release as a part of Deluxe Edition bonus) could be exploited by customers, with playtime during the Advanced Access period not counting toward the Steam refund period. Playtime acquired during Advanced Access will now count toward the Steam refund period, Valve has confirmed.
Steam’s refund rules now include:
- Games (and apps) with less than two hours of playtime can be refunded within two weeks of purchase and two hours of playtime
- DLC purchased from the Steam store is refundable within fourteen days of purchase
- Steam will offer refund for in-game purchases within any Valve-developed games within forty-eight hours of purchase
- If you purchase a game that is in Early Access or Advanced Access, any playtime will count against the two-hour refund limit
- For titles purchased prior to the release date, the two-hour playtime limit for refunds will apply (except for beta testing), but the 14-day period for refunds will not start until the release date
The word from Valve:
Today we have updated a portion of our Refund Policy regarding pre-purchased titles. This change covers titles that are in pre-purchase and offer “Advanced Access”. Playtime acquired during the Advanced Access period will now count towards the Steam refund period. You can find our more information regarding Steam Refunds here.