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Steam’s new refund policy addresses a gap specifically related to early-access games. Valve has made a few changes with respect to how the company offers refunds on “pre-purchased titles.” The new policy aims to prevent players from getting a free trial through early access and then reclaiming their money after completing it.
However, the company will continue to maintain a lenient refund policy. No changes have been made regarding asking players why they may want to request their money back.
Valve has made small tweaks to its refund policy, and going forward, your playtime will be counted in advance-access titles as well. More details about the new policy can be found below.
How Steam’s new refund policy will prevent early access exploits
Steam is one of the largest and most lenient digital game retailers. It’s always been an easy sail to return a game and get a refund on this platform. However, there was a loophole.
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The standard return policy had a condition that as long as you didn't play a title for more than two hours within 14 days of purchase, you could get a refund, no questions asked. But this rule didn’t apply to early-access games, meaning you could play them for a long time.
The two-hour window or 14-day count only began once the game was fully released. This meant one could play the whole game and return it before it was even launched.
Early access helps developers take feedback and make improvements before the game hits the market. However, a title can remain in advanced access for a long time, giving players enough time to reach the end of a game.
Steam’s new refund policy will mark a closure to this loophole. Now, early access playtime will contribute towards the two-hour window. No refund will be issued if you play a game for longer, regardless of the amount of time left until the official launch.
It is also worth noting that this change does not apply to games in beta testing, and the 14-day period will also start only after the release of the title.
In short, the playtime accumulated during the advanced access period will henceforth contribute to the duration of the Steam refund window.
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