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Steam’s normal refund test has two parts: you must request the refund within 14 days of purchase and have less than two hours of playtime. Both conditions apply. If you miss either limit, you can still submit a request for Valve to review, but approval is not guaranteed.
Refund requests go through Steam Support. When Valve approves one, it says the full amount is normally returned within one week to the original payment method, or to your Steam Wallet if that method cannot receive the funds.
How the standard Steam refund rule works
The 14-day period is measured from the purchase date. The playtime limit is strictly less than two hours, so reaching two hours or more puts the purchase outside the automatic standard offer. You need to satisfy both limits, not just one.
Valve describes refunds as a way to remove purchase risk, not as a way to play games for free. It may stop offering refunds to an account if it considers the account’s refund activity abusive. There is no published approval-rate or usage-rate statistic in the policy.
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What happens when you are outside the limits
You may still send a request after 14 days or after two hours of play. Valve says those requests can be reviewed individually. The normal guarantee no longer applies, so explain the relevant circumstances accurately and do not assume that a request will be accepted.
When approved money arrives
Valve states that an approved refund is issued within one week. The refund goes to the payment method used for the purchase when that method supports refunds. If it cannot accept the money, Valve sends the amount to your Steam Wallet instead.
Where and how to request a refund
- Open help.steampowered.com and sign in to the Steam account that made the purchase.
- Open your purchase history and select the game, software application, DLC, subscription, Wallet transaction or other item involved.
- Choose the refund or purchase-support option presented for that transaction and submit the request.
- Describe the reason plainly, especially if the purchase is outside the normal time or play limits or involves a special category.
- Watch for the support decision and, if approved, allow up to one week for the payment to be returned.
The account that made the purchase must submit the request. Gift refunds have an additional rule described below.
Refund eligibility by purchase type
The limits differ by category. This table separates the purchase window, use restrictions, and who controls the decision.
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| Purchase type | Purchase window and use limit | Important conditions | Refund decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games and software | Within 14 days; less than two hours played | Both conditions are required for the standard offer | Valve |
| DLC | Within 14 days; the underlying game played less than two hours since the DLC purchase | DLC must not have been consumed, modified or transferred; some third-party DLC is marked non-refundable before purchase | Valve, subject to the DLC’s designation |
| In-game purchases | Up to 48 hours for qualifying purchases | The item must remain unused; third-party developers choose whether to enable the option | Valve or the participating developer’s configuration |
| Pre-purchases | If playable before release, the normal two-hour limit applies to pre-release play; if unplayable, a request can be made any time before release and the 14-day period starts at release | Early Access and Advanced Access playtime can count toward the two-hour limit | Valve |
| Steam Wallet funds | Within 14 days of purchase | No portion of the funds may have been used | Valve |
| Renewable subscriptions | Within 48 hours of the initial purchase or automatic renewal | The current billing cycle must be unused; playing included games or using subscription benefits counts as use | Valve |
| Bundles | Less than two hours of combined use and within the applicable period | No included items may have been transferred; non-refundable DLC or in-game items can make the bundle ineligible | Valve |
| Gifts | Unredeemed gifts follow the standard period | For a redeemed gift, the recipient starts the request and the money returns to the original purchaser | Valve |
| Hardware and accessories | Not covered by the software rules | A separate Steam Hardware Refund Policy applies | Valve under the hardware policy |
| Steam video | Generally non-refundable | An exception can apply when video is bundled with other refundable content | Valve |
| Third-party CD keys and Steam Wallet cards | Outside Valve’s Steam refund service | Steam Support cannot refund purchases made outside Steam’s refund system | The original seller, if any |
DLC, in-game items and bundles
DLC
DLC uses the broad 14-day and under-two-hour framework, but the clock is tied to the underlying game’s play since the DLC purchase. The downloadable content itself must still be intact: consuming it, modifying it or transferring it removes the normal eligibility. Some third-party DLC is permanently non-refundable, and Steam identifies that status before purchase. Read the item’s designation before checking out.
In-game purchases
Valve-developed games can offer refunds for in-game purchases made within 48 hours when the item remains unused. A third-party developer must opt in; Steam indicates at purchase whether that option is available. Using, opening, spending or otherwise consuming the item means it is no longer unused.
Bundles
A bundle refund is assessed as a package. The combined play or use must remain under two hours, no item can have been transferred, and a non-refundable DLC or in-game component can prevent a full bundle refund. If one component has already been used or cannot legally be returned, do not assume the rest of the package can be separated into a refundable portion.
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Pre-orders that cannot be played yet
For an unplayable pre-order, Valve allows a refund at any time before release. The standard 14-day period begins when the title releases, rather than when the pre-order was placed.
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Pre-orders with pre-release access
If you can play the title before release, that playtime is relevant immediately. Early Access and Advanced Access hours can count toward the two-hour threshold. Starting the game before release can therefore reduce or eliminate the standard refund eligibility even though the release date has not arrived.
Wallet funds and subscriptions
Steam Wallet funds
Steam-purchased Wallet funds can be refunded within 14 days only when none of the balance has been used. Spending even part of the funds means the normal unused-funds condition is no longer met. Wallet cards bought from another seller are different: they are outside Valve’s refund service.
Renewable subscriptions
An unused current subscription billing cycle can qualify within 48 hours of the initial charge or an automatic renewal. Launching a game included with the subscription or using another included benefit counts as use, so canceling a renewal does not by itself make the charge refundable.
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Unredeemed gifts
An unredeemed gift follows the standard refund window and playtime requirements. Because the recipient has not activated it, the gift has not accumulated use under the account receiving it.
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Redeemed gifts
Once a gift has been redeemed, the recipient must initiate the refund request. If Valve approves it, the money returns to the original purchaser rather than becoming a balance for the recipient.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Purchases Steam does not refund through its service
Third-party keys and Wallet cards
Steam cannot refund a CD key purchased from an outside seller or a Steam Wallet card bought elsewhere. Those transactions were not processed through Valve’s Steam refund service, so any remedy must come from the seller that took the payment.
VAC-banned games
A Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) ban removes the right to refund that game. A refund request cannot be used to reverse the financial result of a game after a VAC ban.
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Hardware and video
Hardware and accessories use a separate Steam Hardware Refund Policy rather than the software limits explained here. Steam video content is generally non-refundable unless it was bundled with other refundable content.
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Practical timing examples
Purchased 10 days ago and played 90 minutes
This purchase meets the standard time and play conditions. Submit the request through Steam Support while both limits remain satisfied.
Purchased 10 days ago and played 2 hours 5 minutes
The purchase is still inside 14 days, but it exceeds the less-than-two-hour condition. You can request a review, but the standard offer no longer applies.
Purchased 20 days ago and played 30 minutes
The playtime is low, but the 14-day period has passed. A request can still be submitted for individual review without a guaranteed approval.
Unreleased game bought six months ago with no pre-release access
If the game remains unplayable, a refund can be requested before release. Once it releases, the normal 14-day period begins.
Early Access game played for 90 minutes before release
Those Early Access minutes can count toward the two-hour limit. The release date does not reset that playtime.
DLC bought yesterday and immediately consumed
The purchase is within 14 days, but consumption breaks the DLC condition for the standard refund path.
How to improve a request that falls outside the normal rule
- Submit through the account and transaction that actually made the purchase.
- State the purchase date, playtime, release or access status, and what happened to any DLC or in-game item.
- Explain the specific circumstance that places the request outside the normal limits rather than disguising the timing.
- Do not repeatedly buy, play and refund titles as a routine; Valve says it can restrict refunds when it considers activity abusive.
- For a third-party key, Wallet card or other external transaction, contact the seller that processed the payment instead of Steam Support.
Common mistakes that cause rejected requests
- Counting only the purchase date and overlooking the separate playtime test.
- Assuming two hours is allowed; the standard wording is less than two hours.
- Forgetting that Early Access or Advanced Access hours can count.
- Trying to return DLC after consuming, modifying or transferring it.
- Using a subscription benefit and then treating the billing cycle as unused.
- Requesting a redeemed gift as the recipient while expecting the money to stay with that recipient.
- Expecting Steam to refund a key or Wallet card purchased outside Steam.
- Ignoring a non-refundable label on third-party DLC or an in-game purchase that the developer did not enable for refunds.
What to remember
For ordinary Steam games and software, submit within 14 days and keep playtime below two hours. Special categories add their own conditions: DLC must remain unused and untransferred, qualifying in-game purchases have a 48-hour unused-item window, pre-order timing depends on whether the title was playable, Wallet funds must remain untouched, and subscriptions must be unused within 48 hours of purchase or renewal. Requests outside the normal rules are still possible for review, but Valve does not promise approval.
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