- Steam offers refunds for games, DLCs, etc. that are eligible after a few days of purchase.
- To check eligibility for refunding a game, go to the Steam help website -> 'View Complete Purchasing History' section.
- Once a game is eligible, go to Purchases -> Select the game and reason for refund -> click I’d like to request a refund -> select the refund method and submit a request.
As a gamer, you will definitely have an account on Steam. However, as it is with any store, there are always times when you accidentally make a purchase and would like to get your money back. If that resonates with you, here is how to refund a game on Steam.
How to Apply for a Refund on Steam
First, let’s take a look at how you can ask Steam for a refund on a purchase you made on the Steam store. Simply follow the steps below and you will be on your way to getting your money back in no time:
- Head over to the Steam Help website and log in with your Steam account.
- From the options displayed, click on Purchases.
- Choose the game (or DLC, etc) for which you would like to request a refund.
- Next up, choose the reason you want a refund. (ex: I would like a refund)
- After that, click on the I’d like to request a refund option.
- Choose whether you’d like the refund in your original method of payment, or whether you’d like funds to be put into your Steam wallet.
- Once done, click on the Submit Request button.
You will receive an email informing you that your refund request has been received. Once that is done, Steam will take a look at your request and approve it, after which you will get your money credited back into your account within 7 working days.
How to See If Your Steam Purchase Is Eligible for a Refund?
If you’re wondering whether a Steam purchase you made is eligible for a refund, just follow the steps for submitting a refund request. If your purchase is ineligible, it will not show up in the list of purchases on the Steam Help website.
That said, if you want to submit a refund request for an item that’s not eligible as per the rules, but you still want to raise a request, you can do so. All you need to do is click on ‘View Complete Purchasing History‘ to see all your purchases on Steam and then select the item that you want to submit the request for.
Steam Refund Rules
Even though Steam is usually very understanding about genuine refund requests, there are certain rules that it’s best to abide by. In this section, we will inform you of some key rules in brief.
- Games can be refunded as long as you file the refund within 14 days of purchasing the game, and as long as your total playtime for the game is less than 2 hours.
- DLCs can also be refunded within 14 days as long as you haven’t played the game over 2 hours since the purchase of the DLC. Also, in the case of DLCs that perform irreversible actions (such as leveling up a character), refunds will not be provided.
- In-game purchases for Valve games are refundable within 48 hours as long as they have not been used, modified, or transferred. For third-party titles, the refund policy depends on the developers, but Steam will mention non-refundable items on their store page.
- If you have received a VAC Ban within a game, you will not be able to refund your purchase of that game.
If you want to know all the rules, we suggest reading them on the Steam refund rules website. Well, that is how you can apply for a refund on a game you purchased on Steam. The process is slightly time-consuming, but Steam mostly offers refunds pretty easily.
Even if your game doesn’t strictly fall under the refund rules, Steam encourages users to apply for a refund if needed and ensures that they will consider it properly.
So, next time you complete an accidental purchase or don’t like a game, apply for a Steam refund easily. What was your most accidental game or DLC purchase on Steam? Tell us in the comments below.
