A progressive guide to Steam’s repayment policy: how the rules work and what you essential to know about game refunds.
When Valve introduced Steam’s cashback system in 2015, it promised to make buying digital games as easy as buying any corporal product. Steam refunds would let you buy with self-confidence: if a game didn’t work, wasn’t as promoted, or was just plain wrong, you could get your money back quickly and easily without exchanging equivalent emails with the customer service.
For two years, Steam refunds have struggled to deliver on that promise. Much of the refund process is either poorly explained or wholly hidden from the average Steam user, making it difficult to understand why the system works the way it does. Even Valve’s Steam Refund FAQ only offers the most basic explanations of what you can and can’t refund, leaving out several important questions that Steam users deserve answers.
We’ve put together this Steam Refund Manual – an advanced FAQ. It tackles the most confusing aspects of Steam’s refund system, demystifying them using information from Valve’s fragmented FAQ, responses from the official Steam support forum, and discussions we’ve had with developers. . Games. Your following Steam refund should be much easier with this manual in hand.
How Steam Refunds Work, In A Nutshell:
Go to the Steam support page, click on “Purchases, ” and click on the game you want to refund.
You can then select your Strengthening wallet or payment method through which you would like to receive your repayment.
If it’s indoors 14 days of purchase and you’ve played less than two hours, the refund request is automatically approved.
Is it possible to request a game outside of the 14 day/2 hour window?
Yes, and Valve will review it on a case-by-case basis. However, it will be rejected if the refund exceeds the 14-day limit.
Can You Appeal The Decision?
Yes. If you believe denied in error, you can submit another request, and another Valve employee will review it. A new look can be enough to get you approved.
How Long Does It Take For Money To Appear After A Refund Is Approved?
Most refunds are within seven days of approval, but refunds for purchases made with international payment methods may take longer. Steam publishes public refund statistics.
How Automated Is The Refund Process?
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According to Valve, any repayment made within 14 days of purchasing a game with less than two hours of gameplay will automatically approve. If you recently requested several refunds, or if your refund falls outside the 14-day/two-hour window, it will not be automatically approved. It will be manually reviewed by a Valve employee instead.
How Does The Financial Aspect Of Repayments Work For The Regulator And The Developer?
When you buy a game on Condensation, the money doesn’t go directly to the designer. Valve doesn’t distribute sales revenue to designers until the end of the chart month after the sales developers don’t see money from January sales until the end of February. Since Steam’s refund window is usually only 14 days, developers aren’t technically losing money on refunds; they never see the sale in the first place.
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Can You Get A Warning If You Refund Too Many Games?
Yes. If you issue multiple refund requests in a short period, Valve will send you a warning with your refund ticket stating that the repayment system should not use as a means of testing games. While there’s no authorized number on how many games you can refund before you get the warning, it seems to kick in after issuing around five refunds in six months. The standard warning message is:
“A lot of refunds have been requested recently. Please note that repayments are not a method of trying games. If we believe the refund system misused, we will refuse to provide refunds in the future.”
Can People Farm Games For Attainments/Cards And Then Return Them?
The first change prevents cards from falling until you spend at least two hours in a game. At which point you will no longer be eligible for a programmed refund. This restraint initially applied to all Steam users. But Regulator has since limited it to new accounts and books that have requested refunds in the past few months.
Valve’s second chance at the collectible card system prevents games from dropping cards when they launch on Steam. Instead, a deck must accumulate a certain number of owners and players before its cards begin to fall. This threshold, what Valve calls its “trust measure,” varies from game to game. And is envisioned to stalk the tide of “fake” games released. Solely to make money by farming collectible cards. It may mean the cards won’t start dropping for less popular games until the 14-day refund window is also approved.
It’s also worth noticing that while you can request a refund outside of the two-hour/14-day repayment window. Valve may see if you abuse it to mine cards and prevent you from requesting refunds in the future.