Big Change to Steam’s Return Policy Closes this Unfair Loophole

Steam has just made a big update to its return policy. Now, if you buy a game before it’s fully released and play it early, that time will count if you decide you want to return the game.

The change, detailed on the Steam Community news page, addresses a loophole in the refund policy that previously did not count hours played during a prepurchase’s early access period towards the standard two-hour gameplay limit for refund eligibility. This adjustment is balanced to significantly influence consumer rights and publisher responsibilities on the platform.

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Looking at the early reactions I can see gamers are really happy about this news. Therefore making all of us wonder this is how it should have always been. This change was prompted by significant titles offering extensive early access periods, which consumers could exploit by playing the game and then requesting a refund before the official launch.

Honestly, with this policy in place, games with early access periods, particularly those offering 72 hours of advance playtime, were troubled by technical issues that could consume a significant portion of the refund eligibility window.

We hope that this policy update will encourage publishers to release games with fewer bugs and better overall quality, knowing that early access playtime will now be carefully examined under the new refund eligibility rules.

This update is a big deal because it shows Steam cares about ensuring people have a fair chance to return games. It will be crucial to observe its impacts on pre-purchase behaviors, early access offerings, and the overall quality of games at launch.

Source: Steam Refund Policy Update