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Start by checking the receipt to identify the seller that took your payment, then read that seller’s current refund rules and submit a request promptly. Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG each use different deadlines and conditions. A game that crashes, stutters, or runs acceptably below its advertised performance does not automatically qualify, but a clear technical explanation can support your request. The seller’s published policy, your country’s consumer law, and the facts of your purchase all matter.
Identify who can actually refund the purchase
The company that processed the payment controls the refund. Open the purchase receipt, bank statement, payment-service record, or launcher transaction history and look for the merchant name. A game key bought from a reseller is not the same transaction as a game bought directly from Steam, Epic Games Store, or GOG.
- Direct storefront purchase: use that storefront’s account and refund process.
- Third-party key or bundle: contact the seller named on the receipt. Steam says Valve cannot refund purchases made outside Steam, and Epic says purchases made outside its checkout are governed by the point-of-purchase policy.
- Pre-order: check whether the game has released. Pre-release transactions can have separate treatment from ordinary purchases.
- Gift or family purchase: use the account and payment record associated with the transaction; do not assume the person playing the game is the person who can request the money back.
Do this identification step before spending hours reinstalling drivers or changing settings. Refund windows are measured from the purchase or release date, so extensive troubleshooting can reduce your options.
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Refund rules at a glance
| Storefront | Published standard for PC games | Technical-problem handling | Where to start | Processing information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | Request within 14 days of purchase and with less than two hours of playtime. Early Access playtime counts. | You may still ask outside the standard rule; Valve says it will review the request but does not promise approval. | Steam Support, selecting the purchase. | Approved refunds are issued within a week, to Steam Wallet or the original payment method depending on the payment method. |
| Epic Games Store | For PC and Mac games marked refundable or self-refundable: within 14 days and under two hours of runtime. Non-refundable items and some virtual currency or consumables are treated differently. | Use the refund action for a self-refundable purchase; contact Player Support when the purchase is marked refundable. | Account > Transactions for self-service, or Player Support for a support request. | Epic’s support information says processing can take up to 30 days depending on the payment method; an account-balance refund may be available in some regions. |
| GOG | Request within 30 days of purchase, including after the product has been downloaded, launched, and played. | For a technical problem, contact Tech Support. If GOG cannot solve the issue within the 30-day period, its support policy says a full refund will be offered. | Account > Order History, then Ask for a refund. | The cited policy does not state a separate payment-processing time. |
These are voluntary storefront policies, not a complete statement of consumer law. Steam notes that some jurisdictions may provide additional rights for faulty products, and Epic says its policy does not limit statutory rights. The current policy page and the terms shown on your transaction take priority over this summary.
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How to request a Steam refund
Use the purchase-specific support route
- Sign in at help.steampowered.com with the account that owns the game.
- Open the purchase or product list and select the game that is crashing or performing badly.
- Choose the refund option and the payment destination offered for that transaction.
- Describe the failure plainly: identify the game, state when you bought it, explain what happens when you launch or play, and say that it is not working acceptably on your PC.
- Submit the request and keep the confirmation or support-ticket details.
Steam’s standard test is the 14-day purchase window and less than two hours of playtime shown in the table. The Steam refund page was updated April 23, 2024, so check the live policy before submitting. Playtime accumulated during Early Access counts toward the limit. Unreleased pre-orders have separate timing: for an unreleased game, the ordinary period begins at release rather than simply at the date you placed the pre-order.
If you are outside the normal Steam limits
Submit a request anyway if the game became unusable because of crashes, severe stuttering, or another technical failure. Valve explicitly says customers outside the stated rules can ask and the request will be reviewed. That is a promise of consideration, not an approval guarantee. Explain the technical failure and any relevant timing, such as a problem appearing immediately after launch or after a game update, without exaggerating your playtime or claiming tests you did not perform.
What happens after approval
Steam says an approved refund is issued within a week. Depending on the payment method, the money goes to the original payment method or Steam Wallet. A wallet credit is not the same as a card or bank refund, so check the destination selected during the request.
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How to request an Epic Games Store refund
Check the purchase label first
Epic distinguishes games marked self-refundable from games marked refundable. A PC or Mac game generally follows the standard test in the table only when the purchase has one of those labels. Items marked non-refundable, certain virtual currency or consumables, and purchases completed outside Epic checkout may not qualify under that process.
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Self-refundable purchase
- Sign in to your Epic account.
- Open Account, then Transactions.
- Select the game purchase.
- Use the available refund action and follow the confirmation screens.
- Save the confirmation for your records.
Purchase marked refundable
- Open Epic Player Support while signed in to the purchasing account.
- Provide the transaction details and explain the crash, freezing, stuttering, or unacceptable performance.
- State that you are requesting a refund under the purchase’s refundable status.
- Respond to any follow-up request from support and retain the case number.
Epic’s support article says a refund can take up to 30 days depending on the payment method. In some regions, Epic may offer a refund to the account balance instead of the original payment method. A pre-order that has not been released may be refundable before release; after release, the ordinary eligibility rules apply.
Keep the request accurate
Epic may deny a refund when an account was banned, the terms were violated, or the refund policy was abused. Describe the actual technical problem and your real usage. Do not create multiple contradictory requests or claim that a support interaction occurred when it did not.
How to request a GOG refund for a technical problem
Start from Order History
- Sign in to the GOG account used for the purchase.
- Open Order History and locate the game.
- Select Ask for a refund and complete the form.
- If the problem is technical, open a Tech Support case as directed by GOG and include the refund request or order reference.
- Keep the support correspondence and case details.
GOG’s published voluntary policy allows a request within 30 days even when the game has been downloaded, launched, and played. For a technical issue, GOG asks customers to contact Tech Support; its support article says that if the issue cannot be solved within the 30-day period, a full refund will be offered.
GOG also says it monitors use of the policy and may refuse an individual case if it believes the policy is being used to harm developers. Use the process for a genuine problem and explain what prevents you from using the game.
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Prepare a strong, concise request
A refund agent needs to identify the transaction and understand why the product is unusable. Include the following in one factual message:
- Game and edition: include the exact title, edition, and platform if several versions exist.
- Purchase details: give the purchase date, order number if available, and the account email or username associated with the transaction.
- Symptoms: state whether the game crashes before launch, crashes during play, freezes, stutters continuously, shows severe graphical corruption, or fails to maintain an acceptable frame rate.
- Reproducibility: say how often the failure occurs and what action triggers it, such as launching a saved game or entering a particular menu.
- Impact: explain whether you can reach the main menu, start a session, or play for a meaningful period.
- Usage: give your approximate playtime honestly. The storefront can verify it.
- Request: ask directly for a refund and identify the original payment method or other option you prefer when the store offers a choice.
Keep the explanation short enough to scan. A useful format is:
Game: [game title and edition]
Purchase date: [date]
Problem: The game [crashes/freezes/stutters] when [specific action].
Frequency: [how often it happens].
Impact: I cannot [launch/play for a usable session].
Request: Please refund this purchase.Replace each bracketed item with your actual information before sending. Do not include a diagnosis you cannot support, and do not imply that a developer or support team confirmed a fault unless that happened.
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The transaction record and a precise description are the essentials. If the support form permits attachments, a short crash log, error message, or brief video can make the symptom easier to understand. Do not delay the refund request while collecting a complete diagnostic package.
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- Record the exact error text rather than paraphrasing it when possible.
- Note the date and approximate time of a crash if the game produces a report.
- Include your operating-system version and graphics hardware only when the form requests technical details or they explain the failure.
- Keep copies of screenshots and support replies, but remove unrelated personal data.
A crash report does not establish that a refund must be approved. It simply gives the seller more context for its individual review.
Should you troubleshoot before requesting the refund?
Only perform quick checks that will not endanger your eligibility. If the game is within a short refund window, file the request first and troubleshoot afterward if you want to keep investigating. You can tell support that you submitted promptly and are willing to provide additional information.
Reasonable low-risk checks include restarting the game and PC, verifying the game files through the launcher, installing a pending game update, and recording the exact point of failure. These actions are optional; none is a universal prerequisite in the storefront rules summarized here. Avoid repeatedly launching the game merely to test it when playtime limits may apply.
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Read the reason before appealing
Check whether the rejection cites purchase age, playtime, product status, payment method, account restrictions, or an outside seller. Correct a factual error with the order number and a concise explanation. If the game was bought from a key reseller, a storefront cannot redirect the money to you; the reseller must handle the request.
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Submit one clear follow-up
If the policy allows individual review, explain why the technical failure is unusual or severe and attach the relevant case number. Do not flood support with duplicate tickets. A second request should add accurate information, not simply repeat the first message.
Consider local consumer rights
The storefront policies are not the whole legal picture. Depending on your country or region, statutory rights for digital goods that are faulty, not fit for purpose, or materially different from their description may apply. Those rights can have different deadlines and remedies. Check an official consumer-protection authority or qualified legal adviser in your jurisdiction rather than assuming that a storefront’s voluntary 14-day or 30-day rule is the legal limit.
Common mistakes that reduce the chance of a useful review
- Contacting the wrong company: a key seller, bundle provider, or payment intermediary may be the actual merchant.
- Waiting for a perfect diagnosis: a refund request can be filed while technical support investigates.
- Using vague wording: “It is bad” gives less actionable information than “it crashes to desktop every time I load a saved game.”
- Inflating or hiding playtime: the seller can verify account activity, and inaccurate claims undermine credibility.
- Ignoring the product label: Epic’s refundable and self-refundable designations determine which route is available.
- Assuming a crash guarantees approval: each request is evaluated under the seller’s rules and circumstances.
- Disputing a payment too early: a bank or payment dispute can create account complications; use the seller’s process first unless you have a separate reason to contact the payment provider.
A decision path you can follow today
- Find the receipt and name the merchant that took payment.
- Open that merchant’s current refund policy and record the applicable purchase, release, playtime, and product-status conditions.
- Check your actual purchase date, release date where relevant, and approximate playtime.
- Submit the storefront request immediately if the game is still within the ordinary window.
- Use the technical-support route when the policy directs technical cases there, especially for GOG.
- Write a factual description of the failure and retain the confirmation or case number.
- If the request is denied, review the stated reason, send one evidence-based follow-up when appropriate, and investigate local statutory rights if the product is genuinely faulty.
The practical goal is not to prove that every crash deserves a refund. It is to put the request with the correct seller, within the applicable window, with enough precise information for an individual decision.
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