Steam Just Fixed a Major Refund Loophole
Steam’s refund policy has been a big hit with players since it was introduced in 2015. You can request a refund for any game within two weeks of purchase if you haven’t played it for more than two hours. This policy is so famous that many speedrunners try to finish the game during this two-hour window and get a refund. Until now, there was a loophole in this policy: playing time was not counted for some preliminary games. This meant you could play any Advanced Access game for as long as you wanted and then get your money back, as long as you didn’t accumulate more than two hours of extra playtime after launch.
What is Advanced Access on Steam?
Steam defines Expanded Access as the ability to play the final version of a game before it’s released. Think of it as an opportunity to pay extra to get into Disney World an hour before everyone else. Many games include extended access for a few days or even a week in their deluxe purchase packages, and to make this clearer, Steam has added a new label for extended access games on the store page.
Expanded Access is different from Early Access, where developers release games that are still in development and use Steam sales as a means of funding. While Early Access games were not vulnerable to this loophole, some players abused the refund policies of Advanced Access games to get dozens of hours of play before the game’s official release, only to return them and get all that playtime for free.
Steam fixed refund loophole in Advanced Access
On the Steam refund page , the company has changed its policy to prevent players from exploiting this loophole. The updated wording is as follows:
REFUNDS FOR EDITIONS PURCHASED BEFORE THE RELEASE DATE
If you purchase a game on Steam before the release date, a two-hour playtime limit will apply for refunds (excluding beta testing), but the 14-day refund period will not begin until the release date. For example, if you purchase a game that is in Early Access or Advanced Access, any play time will count toward the two-hour refund limit. If you pre-purchased a game that is unplayable prior to its release date, you may request a refund at any time prior to that game’s release, subject to the standard refund period of 14 days or two hours from the game’s release date. Date of issue.
Previously, the 14 day/two hour countdown only started after the game’s official release date. Now you’ll have to be careful if you impulsively buy games that look promising. At the time of writing , TopSpin 2K25 is in extended access, so if you start playing it now, know that your return clock will be ticking.