How to Refund a Game on Steam?

Steam is one of the biggest and most popular platforms for PC gamers, offering over 100k games and thousands of add-ons. The titles you can find there range from world-known legends like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 to indie masterpieces like Dave the Diver and Stardew Valley.

However, there is always a chance you won’t be satisfied with the purchase. Plus, you may have simply bought the wrong title by mistake. In both cases, you’ll surely want to know how to refund Steam games. Fortunately, our guide is here to help you!

Return Policy

Before we discuss how to refund games on Steam, we need to mention the return policy of this platform. Unlike other similar services, it’s relatively easy to buy games on Valve’s gaming store and, if you don’t like them, request a refund. However, the following rules still apply:

1. You can return money for the majority of preorders, video games, DLCs, and unredeemed gifts.
2. The game should be obtained through Steam.
3. It’s possible to submit the refund request only within 14 days of purchase.
4. The overall playtime spent in the game you want to return shouldn’t exceed two hours.
5. A refund for the majority of in-game subscriptions may be requested within 48 hours.

Obviously, you won’t gain anything by returning free-to-play titles like Counter-Strike 2. Also, you’re unlikely to get a refund for the purchase of digital items on the Steam community market.

Although Valve claims you can get a refund for the in-game objects in the titles where the company is a developer, the users say it's almost impossible to return the money. So, if you’ve bought armor for your Pudge, a skin for Techies’ sticky grenade, or a weapon in CS2, the only way to get your money back is to sell it to someone else.

Keep in mind the rules of the Return Policy if you don’t want to get your refund request denied. Any smart player should always check all the details before buying anything, even if you just want to test a title for a minute or two. In this case, the chance you’ll be dissatisfied with your purchase is way lower.

How to Get a Refund on Steam

Getting a refund on Steam is as easy as ABC. Simply follow the steps described below to get your money back.

Accessing Account Details

Open your Steam client, click on Settings, choose the Account section, and click Account Details.

Selecting the Purchase

Choose “View purchase history” to see all the games you’ve purchased. As soon as you find the necessary title, click on it (if you’ve just bought it, the game will appear at the top of the list).

Initiating the Refund Request

Choose “I would like a refund”. The app will take you to another window, where you, once again, have to confirm that you want to request a refund.

Submitting the Request

Steam will ask you to select the refund method. In case you want to spend this money on the purchase of another game, you can choose “Steam Wallet” and avoid possible fees. Other options include PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, and Discover. Finally, click the “Submit Request” button (you can also clarify the reason you want to request a refund, but nothing bad happens if you just ignore this feature).

What Happens After Requesting a Refund?

So, now you know how to request a refund on Steam, but what actually happens after sending the form to customer support? It may take up to seven days for your refund to be confirmed. During this period, it’ll stay under review. As soon as your issue is processed and approved, you’ll receive your money back. But be careful! If you send too many refund requests, your Steam account may be blocked. The service views this kind of activity as an attempt to get free games.

Also, Steam’s support team may have other concerns regarding your refund request. In this case, it may get denied. However, you can always get in touch with customer support to receive an update on your case. Plus, if you’ve bought a game bundle, you may get a part of your money because there may be titles that don’t meet the terms of the refund policy. Finally, you may always post a tweet on X to attract Valve’s attention to your problem.