Valve has announced a Steam refund policy change that fixes a loophole that has been exploited for a long time. The updated policy now counts Steam Early Access and Advanced Access playtime towards the standard two-hour limitation. Buyers will not get a refund after playing a game for hours during the early access period, as was the case earlier.
Steam Refund Policy: What Has Changed?
Steam has one of the most generous refund policies among digital video game stores. It allows players to get a full refund within 14 days of purchasing a game. However, you should not have played it for more than two hours. The reason for the refund does not matter as long as you meet the two conditions mentioned above.
However, the original policy did not include ‘early access’ and was undoubtedly good for genuine customers. If you had early access to a game, you could play it for as long as you want and get a refund once it launched officially. This allowed players to get refunds despite spending hours or even after completing the game. Steam used to count the two-hour gameplay limit only after the game’s release. However, with the policy change, the two-hour limit now applies to ‘early access’.
So now, if you get early or advanced access to a game, be mindful of how many hours you put in. You cannot claim a refund after the game’s launch if you exceed two hours. The only exception here are the titles available for beta testing.
Here is the updated Steam refund policy wording:
“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.”
It adds, “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.”
Steam Advanced Access Games
Steam has introduced a new “Advanced Access” label for games that offer early access as part of the pre-order perk. It will be visible next to only those titles offering more expensive editions (Premium, Deluxe, etc.) featuring early access before the launch.
Advanced Access for a game is different from Early Access. The latter is meant for unfinished games and is used by developers to collect feedback. Advanced Access is for games that the developer team has finished. It allows players to play ahead of others by paying more.
