Apr 25, 2024 10:50:00

Steam has updated its refund policy and Advanced Access refunds can be requested within 2 hours of play time as normal.

Steam, a game sales platform,

has a policy of refunding games or software applications within 14 days of purchase and for less than two hours of playtime. However, this policy does not cover ' Advanced Access ,' which allows users who pre-purchase a game to play the game before its official release, which has created a problem of users playing the game for a long time and requesting a refund at the time of the game's launch. In response to this, Steam updated the policy on April 23, 2024.

Steam :: Steam News :: Steam Refund Policy Update
https://steamcommunity.com/games/593110/announcements/detail/4195741362094579141

No more refunds after 100 hours: Steam closes Early Access playtime loophole | Ars Technica

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/04/no-more-refunds-after-100-hours-steam-closes-early-access-playtime-loophole/

Steam Refund Policy Update for Advanced Access Games

https://xpgained.co.uk/pc/steam-refund-policy-update-for-advanced-access-games/

Advanced Access is generally offered by major publishers as a 'Deluxe Edition' of a particular game. Until now, the time played during Advanced Access was not included in the '2 hours' stipulated in the refund policy, and there were many so-called 'freeloaders' who played the game for hours and then asked for a refund at the time of release.

Therefore, Valve, the operator of Steam, updated its refund policy on April 23, 2024. The following words were added: 'Playtime during Advanced Access now counts toward Steam's refund period' and 'Purchases that include Advanced Access are eligible for refunds according to Steam's standard refund policy.' Steam also states that 'If you purchase a title on Steam before the release date, the refund will be subject to a two-hour playtime limit, but the 14-day refund acceptance period will not begin until the game's release date.'

As an example, foreign media XP Gained explains that 'if you play a game that offers Advanced Access for one hour, you will have one hour of playtime left after the official release before you are no longer eligible for a refund.'

This closes a loophole that allowed players to play the game in Advanced Access for more than two hours and still get a refund at launch.

Please note that playtime prior to the official release will not be counted towards the beta test.