STEAM is locking out the refund option once players have played two hours of any game before its official launch. This was revealed by owner Valve in the platform’s updated refund policy on April 24.
“If you purchase a game that is in Early Access or Advanced Access, any playtime will count against the two-hour refund limit. If you pre-purchase a title which is not playable prior to the release date, you can request a refund at any time prior to release of that title, and the standard 14-day/two-hour refund period will apply starting on the game’s release date,” the new policy reads.
This move comes eight years after Valve allowed players to get refunds for any of the games bought on Steam. This policy only came with two caveats, where the refund needs to be requested within the first 14 days of the game’s purchase where players did not play more than two hours of it.
After Steam began allowing users to play games before release through its Early Access and Advanced Access programmes, players quickly discovered a loophole where they could play the games for a long time before the official launch and still ask for a refund.
The updated policy has officially closed the door for refund abuse on the platform.
