Valve Closes Advanced Access Refund Loophole

Valve Closes Advanced Access Refund Loophole
[Apr 24, 2024, 11:41 am ET] – 14 Comments

Valve announces a Steam Refund Policy Update. Customers can still request and receive automatic refunds on games they've owned for under 14 days and played for under two hours. The two-hour limit does not include beta testing, and for advance purchases, the 14-day refund window does not start until the game is playable. A recent trend is to offer Advanced Access to pre-purchase customers, sometimes for pricier editions, giving access a few days before the standard launch. The change closes a loophole that did not count this play against the two-hour limit. Now playing a game in Advanced Access has the same two-hour limit as Early Access and officially released games. Here's how the relevant section in the Steam Refunds FAQ now reads:

REFUNDS ON TITLES PURCHASED PRIOR TO RELEASE DATE
When you purchase a title on Steam 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. For example, if you purchase a game that is in Early Access or Advanced Access, any playtime will count against the two-hour refund limit. If you pre-purchase a title which is not playable prior to the release date, you can request a refund at any time prior to release of that title, and the standard 14-day/two-hour refund period will apply starting on the game’s release date.

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