Steam refunds are available within 14 days of purchase and two hours of playtime, whichever comes first

Steam allows you to request a refund on most games through your purchase history. You do not need a reason, and Valve does not ask you to explain why. The window is strict: you have 14 calendar days from the purchase date and you must have played the game for fewer than two hours total. Both conditions must be true. If you bought a game 10 days ago but have played it for three hours, you cannot get a refund. If you bought it 20 days ago but have only played it for 30 minutes, you also cannot get a refund.

Refunds go back to your original payment method — the credit card, PayPal account, or Steam Wallet balance you used to buy the game. If you paid with a gift card, the money returns to your Steam Wallet as store credit, not back to the card. Processing takes three to five business days after Valve approves your request, though the approval itself usually happens within 24 hours.

Key Takeaways

  • You have 14 days from purchase and two hours of playtime to request a refund, and both limits must be unmet.
  • Refunds return to the payment method you used, or to your Steam Wallet if you paid with a gift card.
  • You request a refund through your purchase history in the Steam client or on the Steam website — there is no phone line or support ticket required.
  • Some games, DLC, and in-game purchases cannot be refunded even within the window, including games you own through Steam Family Library sharing.
  • Repeatedly requesting refunds on games you have played extensively may result in Steam declining future requests without explanation.

How to request a refund through Steam

Open Steam on your computer or go to steampowered.com in a web browser. Log in to your account. On the website, click your account name in the top right corner and select "Purchase History". In the Steam client, click "Steam" in the top left, then "View Account Details", then "Purchase History".

Find the game you want to refund. Click on it. A window will open showing the purchase date, price, and playtime. Look for a link that says "I would like a refund for this product" — it appears below the game details. Click it. Steam will ask you to select a reason from a dropdown menu: "I would like a refund for this product" is the only option you need to select. You do not have to write an explanation. Click "Next" and then "Submit Request".

Steam will show you a confirmation that your request was received. You will also receive an email confirming the request. Most refunds are approved within 24 hours. You can check the status by going back to your purchase history and looking at that game's entry — it will show "Refund in Progress" or "Refund Approved". Once approved, the money takes three to five business days to appear in your original payment method.

Games and purchases that cannot be refunded

Some games are excluded from Steam's refund policy even if you are within the 14-day, two-hour window. Games marked as "non-refundable" in their store page cannot be refunded. These are rare, but they exist. DLC (downloadable content), cosmetics, season passes, and in-game currency also cannot be refunded once purchased, even if you have not used them.

Games you received through Steam Family Library sharing cannot be refunded by you, even if you are the account owner. The person who purchased the game must request the refund on their own account. If you own a game through a Steam bundle, you cannot refund the bundle or individual games within it — you can only refund the entire bundle if you meet the time and day limits, and you will lose access to all games in that bundle.

Pre-orders can be refunded up until two weeks after the game's release date, with the same two-hour playtime limit. If you pre-ordered a game, played it for one hour after release, and then requested a refund within 14 days of release, you will receive the refund.

What happens if Steam declines your refund request

Steam rarely declines refund requests that fall within the 14-day, two-hour window. If your request is declined, the most common reason is that you have exceeded the playtime limit — Steam's system may show more playtime than you remember. Check your playtime by going to your library, right-clicking the game, selecting "Properties", and looking at the "Playtime" section.

If you have requested many refunds in a short period, particularly on games with high playtime, Steam may decline future requests without explanation. This is not a permanent ban, but it signals to Steam's system that your account may be using refunds as a rental service rather than a consumer protection. Spacing out refund requests and staying well under the two-hour limit reduces the chance of this happening.

If a refund is declined and you believe it was an error, you can contact Steam Support through the Help section of your account. However, Steam Support rarely overrides declined refunds. Your best option is to wait several weeks before requesting another refund, as the system resets over time.

Refunds for games purchased outside Steam

Steam's refund policy applies only to games bought directly through the Steam store. If you purchased a game key from a third-party seller — a website, a physical retailer, or a reseller — and activated it on Steam, you cannot get a refund through Steam. You must contact the seller or retailer where you bought the key.

Many third-party sellers have their own refund policies, which vary widely. Some offer refunds within 30 days, others do not offer refunds at all. Check the seller's website for their policy before you buy. If you bought a key from an unauthorized reseller and it was revoked by the publisher, Steam will not refund you — the refund policy does not cover keys that were obtained fraudulently or sold against the publisher's terms.

How Steam calculates playtime

Steam tracks playtime from the moment you launch the game until you close it. If you launch a game, leave it running in the background for eight hours, and then close it, Steam counts all eight hours as playtime. Playtime is not paused when you pause the game or switch to another window — it only stops when you fully close the process.

You can see your exact playtime before requesting a refund. In your Steam library, right-click the game and select "Properties". On the "General" tab, look for "Playtime". This is the number Steam will use to determine your refund may be able to access. If you are close to two hours, you may want to wait and see if your refund is approved before playing more, since playtime continues to accumulate even after you request a refund.

Refunds for games with major problems

If a game is unplayable due to bugs, crashes, or compatibility issues, you may still request a refund even if you have played it for more than two hours or it has been more than 14 days since purchase. Steam does not have a formal exception process for this, but you can contact Steam Support and explain the problem. Include details about what is broken, what error messages you see, and what troubleshooting you have already tried.

Steam Support may approve a refund outside the normal window if the game is genuinely unplayable. However, this is not may provide. If you encounter a major problem, report it to the developer first — many developers will offer a refund or a fix before you need to involve Steam Support. Check the game's community forum or support page for known issues and workarounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I refund a game if I have played it for exactly two hours?

No. The limit is fewer than two hours, which means you must have played it for one hour and 59 minutes or less. If your playtime is exactly two hours or more, you do not meet the requirement. Steam's system rounds to the nearest minute, so if you have played for 1 hour 59 minutes and 30 seconds, it may show as 2 hours and decline your refund.

Do I lose my game forever after a refund is approved?

Yes. Once a refund is approved, you lose access to the game when ready. You cannot play it, and you cannot reinstall it. If you want to play the game again later, you must purchase it again at full price. You cannot use the refunded money to buy the game again if it was refunded to your original payment method — it goes back to that card or account, not to Steam Wallet.

What if I bought a game on sale and want to refund it to buy it again at a lower price?

You can request a refund and then purchase the game again at whatever price it is currently listed for. However, Steam does not price-match or offer partial refunds if a game goes on sale after you buy it. If you bought a game for $30 and it goes on sale for $15 the next day, you receive the full $30 refund, not a $15 credit.

Can I refund a game if my account was hacked and someone else played it?

Contact Steam Support when ready if your account was compromised. Explain what happened and provide details about the unauthorized playtime. Steam Support may approve a refund or reset your playtime counter, but this is handled case by case. Do not request a refund through the normal process — go directly to Steam Support so they can investigate the account activity.

If I refund a game, can I still play it if I own it through Family Library sharing?

No. Refunding a game removes it from your library entirely. If another account was sharing it with you through Family Library, that access is also removed. The person who owned the game must request the refund, and they will lose access. You cannot refund a game that someone else purchased and shared with you.