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Request a Steam refund through Steam Support. Sign in, select the purchase, choose the refund option (or the closest support reason), explain what happened, and submit. For games and software, the normal rule is a request within 14 days of purchase with less than two hours of playtime. Requests outside those limits can still be sent, but approval is discretionary. If Valve approves the request, it says the refund is issued within a week to the original payment method when supported, or to Steam Wallet when that payment method cannot receive it.
Check the two standard conditions first
For a typical game or software purchase made directly on Steam, check these facts before opening the form:
- Purchase age: Is the request being made within 14 days of the purchase?
- Playtime: Has the title been played for less than two hours?
- Seller: Was the purchase completed on Steam rather than through a third-party key or gift-card seller?
- Use: Has the content been consumed, modified, transferred, or otherwise used in a way that has a special restriction?
The 14-day and under-two-hour test is Steam’s standard eligibility rule, not a promise that every purchase with those numbers will be refunded. Valve describes refunds as available for nearly any purchase when the request is made within the required period and, for games, the title has less than two hours of playtime. A request outside the standard rule is still worth submitting for review, but it is not automatically qualifying.
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How to submit a refund request
- Open Steam Support. Go to help.steampowered.com and sign in to the Steam account that made the purchase.
- Open your purchases. Choose the purchase or product that needs attention. If it is not shown, confirm that you are using the correct account and that the transaction was made through Steam.
- Choose the relevant problem. Select the refund choice when it appears. If Steam presents a more specific support category first, choose the option that most accurately describes the problem, such as an accidental purchase, a technical failure, or a purchase you no longer want.
- Choose where the money should return when offered. Steam may offer the original payment method or Steam Wallet, depending on the payment method and regional support. A refund to the original method can take longer to appear after Steam approves it.
- Explain the request accurately. State the purchase date if relevant, describe the problem, and include useful facts such as crashes, failure to launch, or hardware incompatibility. Do not claim that content was unused if it was played, consumed, modified, or transferred.
- Submit and save the confirmation. Keep the confirmation email or support-ticket number. It is useful if the request needs clarification or the payment provider has not posted the refund after approval.
Steam itself gives situations such as a computer not meeting a game’s hardware requirements or a faulty game as examples of reasons a customer may seek a refund. Those reasons do not override the eligibility rules; they help explain why you are asking.
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What happens after you submit
Review and decision
Steam evaluates the transaction, the purchase type, the time since purchase, and the recorded playtime or usage. A request that meets the standard rule is the clearest case. A late request or one with two hours or more of playtime can be reviewed, but approval is discretionary.
Where the refund is sent
Valve says an approved refund is issued within a week. When the original payment method supports refunds, the money is sent there. If it cannot receive the refund, Steam Wallet credit is used instead. The week is the stated issuance period after approval; your bank, card issuer, or other payment provider may take additional time to display the credit.
If the request is declined
Read the reason in the support response. If a factual detail was misunderstood, reply through the existing ticket with the missing information rather than opening several duplicate requests. A request outside the standard limits can be resubmitted only when you have a genuine additional fact; repeated submissions do not turn a discretionary case into an automatic entitlement.
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The familiar 14-day and two-hour shorthand applies most directly to games and software. Other Steam purchases have their own conditions.
| Purchase type | When a refund may qualify | Important limits |
|---|---|---|
| Games and software | Request within 14 days and less than two hours of playtime under the standard rule. | Requests outside either limit may be reviewed, but are discretionary. |
| Downloadable content (DLC) | Usually within 14 days, with less than two hours played in the underlying title since the DLC was purchased. | The DLC must not have been consumed, modified, or transferred. Some third-party DLC is marked nonrefundable on its store page before purchase. |
| In-game purchases | Valve-game items may be refundable within 48 hours. | The item must not have been consumed, modified, or transferred. A third-party developer must opt in, and Steam indicates eligibility at the time of purchase. |
| Pre-orders | For a title that cannot be played before release, a refund can be requested any time before release. After release, the normal 14-day/two-hour period starts. | If Advance Access or Early Access was available, that playtime counts toward the two-hour limit. |
| Steam Wallet funds | Unused funds bought on Steam may be refundable within 14 days. | This applies to funds purchased on Steam, not cards or codes bought elsewhere. |
| Renewable subscriptions | An unused current billing cycle may be refundable within 48 hours of the initial purchase or an automatic renewal. | Playing included games or using subscription benefits counts as use. |
| Bundles | A full bundle refund may be possible when no item was transferred and combined use is under two hours. | Checkout identifies nonrefundable included DLC or items; those exclusions affect what can be returned. |
| Gifts | An unredeemed gift can be refunded within the standard 14-day/two-hour window. A redeemed gift can also be refunded under the same conditions when the recipient initiates the request. | Money from a redeemed-gift refund returns to the original purchaser. |
| Steam hardware and accessories | Use the separate Steam Hardware Refund Policy and its process. | Hardware has its own time frame and return procedure; do not apply the game rule to a physical device. |
| Video | Movies, shorts, series, episodes, and tutorials are generally not refundable. | An exception may apply when the video was included with other refundable content. |
How to evaluate each special case
DLC
Check both clocks: the DLC purchase date and the playtime in the base game since that DLC purchase. Then ask whether the DLC was consumed, modified, or transferred. A DLC store page can also state that a particular third-party add-on is nonrefundable, so read that notice before buying.
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In-game items and currency
For items in a Valve game, the relevant window is 48 hours, provided the item has not been consumed, modified, or transferred. Third-party games are different: the developer has to opt in, and Steam shows whether the item is eligible at purchase. Once an item has been spent, altered, or moved, the normal in-game-item route may no longer apply.
Pre-orders and Early Access
A pre-ordered game that is not playable before release can be refunded up to release. Once the game releases, the standard 14-day period begins. Any Advance Access or Early Access time is counted as playtime, so playing before launch can use part or all of the two-hour allowance.
Subscriptions
For a renewable subscription, the 48-hour rule concerns the current billing cycle after the initial purchase or automatic renewal. “Unused” includes not launching included games and not using the subscription’s benefits. Using either can make the cycle ineligible.
Bundles
Steam assesses the bundle as a set. A full refund generally requires that no component was transferred and that combined use remains under two hours. Review the checkout screen for components labelled nonrefundable; those items are excluded even when the rest of the bundle is eligible.
Gifts
An unredeemed gift follows the standard 14-day/two-hour conditions. If the recipient redeemed it, the recipient must initiate the refund request, and the payment returns to the person who bought the gift. Confirm who is signed in before starting the request.
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Hardware
Steam hardware and accessories are not software downloads. Use the separate Hardware Refund Policy, including its stated process and time frame, and follow the physical-return instructions Steam provides.
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Purchases made outside Steam
Valve cannot refund third-party CD keys or Steam Wallet cards purchased outside Steam. The seller that processed the payment is the party that must handle any return or dispute. Steam Support can confirm that a code was not sold through Steam, but it cannot reverse an outside transaction.
Videos
Steam generally does not refund movies, shorts, series, episodes, or tutorials. The main qualification noted in Steam’s policy is when a video was included with other refundable content, in which case the surrounding purchase rules determine what can be returned.
VAC bans
A Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) ban removes the right to refund that game. A technical complaint or unused time does not restore that right after a VAC ban has been applied.
EU and UK customers: statutory withdrawal versus Steam’s refund policy
Do not treat the EU/UK legal explanation as identical to Steam’s voluntary game-refund rule. Steam’s explanation says the statutory withdrawal right generally ends 14 days after purchase or when downloading starts, whichever is sooner. Steam may still provide its own game-refund route after that statutory right has ended, subject to the normal Steam conditions.
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For hardware, the withdrawal period is measured from the date you or a designated third party obtains physical possession. The exact statutory position depends on the customer’s country and the transaction, so identify the country before relying on withdrawal-rights advice. If you are invoking a legal right rather than Steam’s ordinary refund process, keep the order record and state clearly which right you are asking Steam to apply.
A practical decision checklist before you submit
- Identify the item: game, software, DLC, in-game purchase, subscription, bundle, gift, hardware, video, or Wallet funds.
- Confirm the seller: Steam purchase or an outside seller. Outside CD keys and Wallet cards cannot be refunded by Valve.
- Calculate the relevant deadline: 14 days for the standard game rule and several other categories, 48 hours for qualifying in-game purchases and renewable subscriptions, or the pre-release deadline for an unplayable pre-order.
- Check use: record playtime, whether DLC or items were consumed, modified, or transferred, whether a subscription benefit was used, and whether a gift was redeemed.
- Check exclusions: nonrefundable third-party DLC, nonrefundable bundle components, videos, hardware-specific rules, or a VAC ban.
- Submit promptly: even if one condition is missed, request a review and explain the facts accurately. Steam can exercise discretion outside the standard rule.
Common problems and how to handle them
The game has more than two hours
Submit the request if there is a meaningful reason, such as a serious fault that required repeated troubleshooting, but describe the timeline honestly. Approval is discretionary once playtime reaches two hours.
The purchase is more than 14 days old
The standard automatic-style qualification no longer applies. You can still send a request for review, explain why the issue could not reasonably be identified sooner, and include any relevant dates. Do not present the request as guaranteed.
The refund option is missing
Check that you are signed in to the purchasing account, that the transaction appears in Steam Support, and that you selected the correct product. A third-party code, outside Wallet card, video, or hardware order may route to a different policy. For hardware, use the hardware process rather than the software purchase path.
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First verify that Steam marked the request approved and note the approval date. Valve’s stated issuance target is within a week; after issuance, allow additional processing time for the bank or payment provider. If the original method cannot receive the refund, check Steam Wallet instead.
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A gift was redeemed by someone else
The recipient must initiate the refund request when the redeemed gift meets the applicable conditions. The approved money goes back to the original purchaser, not to the recipient’s payment account.
A DLC or item was used
Consumption, modification, or transfer can remove eligibility even when the purchase is recent. Explain exactly what happened in the request; do not rely only on the purchase date.
What to include in your explanation
A concise, factual explanation helps Steam match your request to the transaction. Include the product name, the problem, when it occurred, and any relevant usage detail. For example, explain that the game repeatedly failed to launch, that the computer does not meet the listed requirements, or that an accidental purchase was made. If you are outside 14 days or over two hours, acknowledge that and explain the exceptional circumstance instead of implying that the standard rule was met.
Keep screenshots, crash messages, order emails, and the support confirmation until the refund has arrived. Those records do not create eligibility, but they make it easier to answer a follow-up question or resolve a payment-posting delay.
Key numbers and policy date
| Figure | Meaning | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 14 days | Standard request window for games and software, and a condition used in several other categories. | Valve/Steam policy information last updated April 23, 2024; category-specific rules and exclusions still apply. |
| Less than 2 hours | Standard playtime threshold for a game or software refund. | Advance Access and Early Access playtime counts. |
| 48 hours | Window cited for qualifying Valve-game in-game purchases and unused current cycles of renewable subscriptions. | Items or benefits must not have been consumed or used, and third-party games must opt in for item refunds. |
| Within a week of approval | Valve’s stated time to issue an approved refund. | Payment providers may take additional time to post the credit; unsupported original methods receive Steam Wallet credit. |
Bottom line for your situation
Start with the exact purchase type and its usage history, not just the 14-day/two-hour slogan. A directly purchased game under 14 days and under two hours is the clearest standard case. DLC, items, subscriptions, bundles, gifts, pre-orders, hardware, videos, and Wallet funds each have additional conditions. If you miss a standard limit, submit an honest request anyway because Steam says it may review exceptions, but treat approval as discretionary. Use Steam Support, retain the confirmation, and allow up to a week after approval for issuance plus any payment-provider processing time.
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