Steam Refund Policy Explained: How to Get Your Money Back

Short answer: under the Steam refund policy, Valve refunds a game for any reason if you ask within 14 days of buying it and you have played it for less than 2 hours. It covers most games and software on the store. If you miss either limit you can still ask, but approval is not guaranteed. Valve's policy page was last updated on 23 April 2024.

What is Steam's refund policy?

Valve's official Steam refunds page says you can request a refund for nearly any purchase on Steam, for any reason. You do not have to say the game is broken. For games and software the rule is a request made within two weeks of purchase and with less than two hours of playtime. If Valve approves the request, it says you get a full refund within about a week, paid to the original payment method or to your Steam Wallet. Other items, such as DLC, in-game purchases and subscriptions, have their own limits, which are listed below.

How to refund a Steam game (step by step)

Valve says refund requests go through Steam Support at help.steampowered.com. The menu names below are how the Steam Support site appears to us, so check them against your own screen.

1. Go to help.steampowered.com and sign in with the account that bought the game.
2. Open "Purchases" to see your recent purchases. Find the game in the list.
3. Select the game and choose the option that says you would like a refund.
4. Pick the reason that best fits. Valve refunds "for any reason", so you do not have to say the game is broken.
5. Choose where the money goes: your original payment method or Steam Wallet funds, if both are offered.
6. Submit the request and wait for Valve's decision.

How many hours can you play before asking for a refund?

Less than two hours. Valve's rule is "within two weeks of purchase and with less than two hours of playtime". The 14 days run from the day you bought the game, or from release day if you pre-purchased a game that was not yet playable. If you pre-purchase a game that is already playable, such as an Early Access title, any playtime before release counts toward the same limit.

Can you refund a Steam game after 2 hours?

You can ask, but Valve does not promise to say yes. Its policy says that even if you fall outside the refund rules you can still ask and it will "take a look". Valve does not publish how often it approves requests that go over the playtime limit, so treat a yes as a bonus, not something to rely on.

Can you refund a Steam game after 14 days?

The same applies to time. Once the two weeks have passed the standard offer no longer covers you, but you can still send a request. If the game is faulty, you may also have extra consumer rights in some countries, which Valve says in its policy. Any late request is more likely to work with a clear reason, such as a game that will not run on your PC.

How many times can you request a Steam refund?

Valve gives no fixed number of refunds, or of games you can refund on Steam. Its policy says refunds exist "to remove the risk from purchasing titles on Steam, not as a way to get free games", and that it may stop offering them to an account that appears to abuse the system. Buying a game just before a sale and rebuying it at the sale price is not counted as abuse.

Steam refund conditions: what is covered and what is not

The 14-day, 2-hour rule applies to games and software. Other items follow different rules:

• DLC: refundable within 14 days if the base game has under two hours of playtime since you bought the DLC, and the DLC has not been consumed, modified or transferred. Some third-party DLC is marked non-refundable before you buy it.
• In-game purchases: in Valve's own games, unused items can be refunded within 48 hours. In other developers' games, they are not refundable through Steam unless the developer opts in.
• Pre-purchases: if the game is not playable yet, you can ask for a refund any time before release, and the 14-day window starts on release day.
• Bundles: refundable if no items were transferred and total playtime across all items is under two hours. Steam shows at checkout if a bundle contains non-refundable items.
• Subscriptions: requests must be made within 48 hours of purchase or renewal, and only if you have not used content in the current billing cycle.
• Gifts: an unredeemed gift follows the standard rule. A redeemed gift can be refunded only if the person who received it asks, and the money goes back to the buyer.
• Steam Wallet funds: refundable within 14 days of purchase if you have not spent any of them.

Not eligible: keys or Wallet cards bought outside Steam, video content (unless bundled with refundable items), and any game where you were banned by VAC.

How long until the money comes back?

Valve says it issues the full refund within a week of approval. The money goes back to the original payment method or to Steam Wallet funds. Some payment methods cannot receive refunds directly, and if Steam cannot refund the original method, the full amount goes to your Steam Wallet instead. Your bank may need extra days to show the payment, which is outside Steam's control.

Can you refund a Steam Wallet purchase?

There are two cases. If you bought Steam Wallet funds, you can ask for a refund within 14 days of the purchase, as long as you have not spent any of those funds. If you bought a game with Wallet funds, a refund of that game follows the normal 14-day, 2-hour rule, and Valve says the money can come back as Steam Wallet funds. Wallet cards bought outside Steam, from a third-party seller, cannot be refunded by Valve.

How to check your Steam refund status

Valve's refund policy does not describe a status screen. You made the request through Steam Support at help.steampowered.com, so start with your Purchases history there. Valve says approved refunds are paid out within about a week, so check your original payment method or your Steam Wallet balance after that. If nothing has arrived and more than a week has passed since approval, contact Steam Support.

What if Steam denies your refund?

Check the rules first: playtime over two hours, more than 14 days, a non-refundable item, a key bought outside Steam, or a VAC ban are the usual reasons a request fails. Valve also says it may stop offering refunds to people who appear to abuse the system. If none of those fits and you think the decision is wrong, reply to the request through Steam Support and explain why. Valve does not publish an appeals process, so we cannot promise a second review.

Steam refund FAQ

Can you cancel a Steam refund request?

Valve's refund policy does not say. Check the request on the Steam Support site, and contact Support if you change your mind before it is approved.

Do refunds work for pre-orders?

Yes. If the game is not playable yet, you can ask any time before release. Once it releases, the 14-day, 2-hour rule starts from release day. See our GTA 6 launch week checklist if you are weighing a big pre-order.

What we could not confirm

Valve's page does not give the exact Support menu steps, where to see the status of a request, how often it approves requests that go over the limits, or what counts as "abuse" beyond the examples above. We have not tested the refund process ourselves, and Valve can change its policy, so check the official page before you buy.

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