Are you aware that you can return a game on Steam? It’s not uncommon for players to purchase a game only to find they aren’t as engaged as they anticipated. Fortunately, Steam offers a customer-centric return policy that allows for refunds on full games, downloadable content (DLC), in-game purchases, and even pre-orders, as long as specific criteria are met.
This article serves as a comprehensive resource detailing the eligibility requirements for returning a game on Steam, along with a step-by-step guide to navigate the process seamlessly. Continue reading to dive deeper into this topic.
Your Complete Guide to Returning a Game on Steam
You can successfully return a game on Steam and receive a refund if your request is made within 14 days from the date of purchase, and you have logged less than two hours of gameplay. Valve’s policy extends to DLC, pre-orders, and select in-game purchases, subject to particular stipulations.

Refund Eligibility Criteria
- Your purchase must be made via the Steam platform.
- Requests must be submitted within two weeks of making the purchase.
- For pre-orders, requests must be made within two weeks following the official release of the game.
- The game should not have over two hours of playtime recorded.
- In-game purchase refunds can be requested within 48 hours, although these are assessed individually.
How to Request a Refund
Follow these straightforward steps to initiate your refund request on Steam:
- Step 1: Visit Steam Help and log in using your account credentials.
- Step 2: Once logged in, select ‘Purchases’.
- Step 3: Locate the specific purchase you wish to refund and click on it. If you can’t find it listed, it’s likely outside the refund period.
- Step 4: Choose your reason for the refund request.

- Step 5: Click on ‘I’d like to request a refund’.
- Step 6: Complete the form and submit your request.
After submission, you’ll receive a confirmation email indicating that your refund request has been logged. Subsequently, another email will be sent once the refund process is finalized.
For more detailed instructions, you can check out the full guide on Sportskeeda.