Cash Back on Steam

Almost everything you buy on Steam is subject to a 30-day money-back guarantee. Maybe your computer isn't powerful enough; maybe you got the wrong game; maybe you tried it out for an hour and decided you didn't like it.

It is irrelevant. If the game has been played for less than two hours and a refund is requested through help.steampowered.com within the specified return period, Valve will issue a refund for any reason.

More specifics are provided below, but know that you can always ask for a refund even if you don't meet the criteria we've outlined. In the event that the game is defective, consumers in some countries may have further redress rights.

Within a week of approval, you will receive a full refund of your purchase. You can get your money back through your original payment method or through your Steam Wallet. Steam will credit your Steam Wallet with the full amount if a refund cannot be issued via your original payment method. (Steam may not be able to issue a refund to the original payment method used in your country for some payment methods. A complete index can be found here. )

All purchases made on the Steam store are eligible for a refund within two weeks, provided they have been played for less than two hours. Here is a rundown of how refunds work for various non-food items:

Cancellation of Downloads
(Steam store content usable within another game or software application, "DLC")

As long as the downloadable content has not been used, modified, or transferred after purchase from the Steam store, the developer offers a fourteen-day money-back guarantee. It's important to keep in mind that Steam may not be able to issue a refund for certain downloadable content created by third parties. You can tell which items are nonrefundable because they're labeled that way on the Store page.

In-Game Items That Can Be Refunded

Within forty-eight hours of purchase, Steam will refund any in-game purchases made in any Valve-developed game as long as the item has not been used, modified, or traded. In-game item refunds are an optional feature that can be enabled by third-party developers. If the developer of the game you are purchasing an item from offers refunds, Steam will let you know before you complete the purchase. Otherwise, Steam does not offer refunds for in-game purchases made outside of the Valve store.

Preorder Cancellation and Full Refund

You may request a refund at any time prior to the game's release if you pre-purchased it on Steam and paid in advance. In addition, the standard 14-day/two-hour refund window begins on the day the game is made available for purchase.

Refunds for the Steam Wallet

If you haven't used Steam Wallet funds that you've purchased on Steam, you have 14 days from the date of purchase to request a refund.

Subscription Renewals

In some cases, Steam provides recurring (e.g. g access that you pay for on a periodic basis (e.g., monthly, annually) A refund is available for a renewable subscription within 48 hours of purchase or within 48 hours of any automatic renewal if the subscription has not been used during the current billing cycle. If any of the subscription's games have been played during the current billing cycle, or if any of the subscription's benefits or discounts have been used, consumed, modified, or transferred, then the content has been "used."

A subscription can be terminated at any time from the user's account settings. Cancelling a subscription prevents future renewals, but current subscribers have access to all subscription features and content until the end of their current billing cycle.

Industrial Machinery that Uses Steam

Hardware and accessories purchased through Steam can be returned for a refund within the time limit and following the procedure outlined in the Hardware Refund Policy.

Bundle Refunds

If you buy a bundle from the Steam Store and you haven't transferred any of the included content and you haven't used any of the included content for more than two hours, you can get a full refund. Steam will notify you during checkout if the entire bundle is refundable even if it contains a non-refundable in-game item or downloadable content.

Transactions Not Processed Through Steam

Valve does not offer refunds for CD keys or Steam Wallet Cards bought from sources other than Steam.

VAC Bans

You forfeit your right to a refund on a game once you have been banned by VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat).

Media Files

Videos purchased through Steam (e.g., games) are non-refundable. g except when packaged with other (non-video) refundable content (e.g., a collection of movies, shorts, series, episodes, and tutorials)

Gift Returns

Within the standard 14 day/two hour refund period, unredeemed gifts can be refunded. If the recipient of a redeemed gift requests a refund, they will be subject to the same terms and conditions. The giver will receive a refund of the money used to buy the present.

The EU Withdrawal Clause

How the European Union's (EU) right of withdrawal applies to Steam users is explained in detail here.

Abuse

Steam refunds are intended to mitigate risk, not as a means of acquiring free content. We reserve the right to discontinue refunds if we determine that they are being misused. If you buy a title right before a sale, get a refund, and then buy the same title again at the sale price, we don't see that as abusive.

Visit help.steampowered.com if you need a refund or any other kind of help with your Steam purchases.

As of the 10th of January, 2023