How To Refund Games On Steam

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Buying games on Steam is designed to be as quick and easy as possible, providing minimal friction between your desired content and your wallet. It’s helped by a catalog of tens of thousands of games, with just about every PC game you’d ever want – barring a few exclusives on other storefronts – available to play and download on Steam.

But what if a game just doesn’t quite land? Maybe it’s buggy or broken, maybe your PC can’t run it for some reason, or maybe you just don’t like it. That’s where refunds come in, and thankfully Steam is pretty generous with its refund policy.

Refunding a game on Steam isn’t always the most straightforward process, however, which is why we’ve put together this guide that will tell you everything you need to know about how to refund games on Steam.

How To Refund Games On Steam

There are a few requirements that generally have to be met in order to guarantee a refund on Steam is successful. The first requirement is that the game has to have been purchased within the last 14 days — if you bought it more than two weeks ago you’re gambling. The second requirement is that you’ve spent less than two full hours playing the game. You can’t spend 60 hours on a game and then decide you don’t want to pay for it.

Exceptions can be made if a game is broken through an update or at a particular point in time that would put you past the two-hour or 14 days mark, but if you want to maximize your chances of getting a refund, both of those requirements should be met.

In order to actually get a refund, you’ll first have to navigate to the purchase history page in Steam. You can do it in a web browser using this purchase history page link, or navigate in the desktop app using the following steps:

1. Click on the Manage Account button that bears your username and icon in the top right of the app.

2. Click "Account Details".

3. Click the “View purchase history” link under the Store & Purchase History banner.

From here, you’ll be presented with a list of your purchases. Click on the purchase that you wish to refund, then click the “I would like a refund” button. From here, you can choose to get help with gameplay or technical issues, or simply request a refund.

Select a reason for your refund from the drop-down box, optionally add a note, and click the “Submit request” button. You’ll get an email confirming the refund request, and then it’s just a matter of waiting.

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How Long Does It Take To Process A Refund On Steam?

In our experience, refunds on Steam will typically be processed in less than three business days, and quite often will only take a day or so to be approved — provided the refund requirements are met. More complex issues, and issues that caused you to go past the 14 day purchase and 2-hour playtime thresholds may take more time, and Steam Support may contact you to request more information.

It may take longer for your money to be returned to you, too, depending on the payment method used. We’ve found that PayPal transactions on Steam usually take about 3-5 business days to be returned once a refund has been granted, while payments made with credit or debit cards will depend entirely on the issuing financial institution, but is usually within a day or so.

This process also works for the Steam Deck, where many of the same steps and restrictions apply.

Related: Steam Deck OLED: How To Order The Upgraded Steam Deck