Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 flies past 165,000 concurrent Steam players, instantly nearly tripling the original's all-time peak
The new GamesRadar+ logo on a dark background adorned with crosses in orange and grey
Games The next generation of GamesRadar+ is here
Wonderer heads to the Spire in a screenshot from Slay the Spire 2's animated reveal trailer
Roguelike Games "Slay the Spire but better": Slay the Spire 2 continues Steam domination with 6,000 Overwhelmingly Positive reviews
Best free Steam games - Doom Eternal image showing a large armored enemy with a gun for an arm
Action Games 25 Best free Steam games you can play in 2026
Steam sale: a screenshot of a collection games in a Steam library
Games Steam Sale dates 2026: When is the next Steam sale?
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 early access review: "Instantly familiar, but already bursting with new ideas"
Close up of Steam Machine front with blue LED light strip.
Desktop PCs Valve keeps doubling down on a Steam Machine 2026 release date, and I honestly respect that
Steam logo from Valve
Games Valve's AI measures taken one step further with a browser extension that adds an unavoidable gen AI warning to Steam
Steam Next Fest 2026 banner for February 23 - March 2 at 10am Pacific
Games Steam Next Fest 2026 and beyond: all the dates, details, and everything else you need to know
Counter-Strike 2 release trailer screenshot showing an old-style white desktop PC running the Counter-Strike menu atop a wooden desk
FPS Games Valve hit with new lawsuit over Steam market, with claims loot boxes "satisfy every element" of gambling by definition
Hands holding new Steam Controller in front of woodgrain surface with chess board in backdrop.
Desktop PCs Steam Machine delays are getting me down, but Valve could be extremely cool and release its controller right now
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 scares devs into early release after fearing losing fans to "an absolute juggernaut in our own genre"
In Inkonbini: One Store. Many Stories, protagonist Makoto stands in front of the convivence store she's working at for her auntie. GamesRadar+ Indie Spotlight logo can be seen in the top right-hand corner of the image.
Games I've been writing about new indie games for years, and these are the 10 best Steam Next Fest demos to play this weekend
The Virtual Desktop logo next to a reveal image of the Steam Frame, separated by an orange line
VR Virtual Desktop has just sniped one of the Steam Frame's coolest gaming features
Team Fortress 2 meet the spy trailer screenshot of medic
Games A terrifying 20,282 games were released on Steam in 2025, and just 608 managed to get 1,000 reviews, expert finds
  1. Platforms
  2. PC Gaming
  3. Steam

Steam changes its refund policy so that pre-order early access playtime now counts towards the 2 hour rule

News
By Hope Bellingham published 24 April 2024

You get 2 hours, whether the game is out or not

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Steam Deck
(Image credit: Valve)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

 Steam has added a new rule to its refund policy meaning the time you spend playing a game before release now counts toward its 2-hour playtime rule.

On April 24, Steam shared a brief post detailing an update about its Refund Policy. Before this update, the general rule was that users could request a refund for "nearly any purchase" for "any reason" so long as the game had been played for less than two hours. Following the changes, the period in which someone plays a game ahead of release now counts in this same two-hour window. 

"Today we have updated a portion of our Refund Policy regarding pre-purchased titles," the post reads. "This change covers titles that are in pre-purchase and offer 'Advanced Access.' Playtime acquired during the Advanced Access period will now count towards the Steam refund period." 

You may like
  • Steam logo from Valve Game devs have once again led Valve by the hand to a great Steam update: Official 1.0 Early Access release dates
  • Ashes of Creation cinematic trailer screenshot shows a character looking at a tall statue. Steam is giving some players refunds for Ashes of Creation after leadership resignation and mass layoffs
  • Hades 2 Hades 2 spent half as long in Steam Early Access because its devs already knew "what needed to be in" it

This means that if you pre-order a game and it offers a couple of days early access, the time you spend playing it before release now counts towards that refund window. The change probably won't affect many people as you're still getting the two-hour window, you can just decide if you like a game sooner than you would if you played it after release. The rest of Steam's refund policy stays the same. 

This is just one of the changes Steam has made this year. In January, it was revealed that a new Steam policy will allow the "vast majority" of AI games to release - but it will require a two-stage disclosure from the developer to be allowed on the storefront. Following this, Steam's family plan was upgraded so that kids can ping their parents to pay for their shopping cart and other interesting new features. 

Find out what we've got to look forward to this year with our upcoming PC games list. 

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
Social Links Navigation
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.  

Read more
Steam logo from Valve
Game devs have once again led Valve by the hand to a great Steam update: Official 1.0 Early Access release dates
 
 
Ashes of Creation cinematic trailer screenshot shows a character looking at a tall statue.
Steam is giving some players refunds for Ashes of Creation after leadership resignation and mass layoffs
 
 
Hades 2
Hades 2 spent half as long in Steam Early Access because its devs already knew "what needed to be in" it
 
 
Slay the Spire 2 character in a skull mask looking shocked
Slay the Spire 2 Steam early access release date set for March 5 as the king of roguelike deckbuilders returns
 
 
Steam logo from Valve
Valve softens Steam AI rules to separate "efficiency gains" from "the use of AI in creating content" that ships in-game
 
 
Team Fortress 2 Scout in a hat and headset smiling
Valve trials new Steam reviews option including your hardware specs so everyone knows if performance is a you problem
 
 
Latest in PC Gaming
Elsa Bloodshot in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals devs felt "panic" at the thought of going into the live-service graveyard that just claimed Highguard
 
 
Palworld Pal with shocked expression
"I wouldn't rule out a Palworld 2.0," says Pocketpair publishing head, but don't expect a "No Man's Sky situation"
 
 
Peak mesa biome
Peak came about after a bet between Content Warning and Another Crab's Treasure leads to see whose game would sell more
 
 
Key art for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred showing Mephisto, a spiky and angular demon, against a red, lightning backdrop, arm and claw raised menancingly, cropped to show more of him
Diablo 4's Lord of Hatred expansion will be "really f*cking hard" at its highest difficulty, dev threatens
 
 
A lady looks shocked.
55-year industry vet made the first CRPG, got laid off, went bankrupt, but "I don't care": "Business does not love you"
 
 
Dragon Quest 11
Dragon Quest creator says English is "a simple language," so "the flavor tends to get lost" when translating games
 
 
Latest in News
Elsa Bloodshot in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals devs felt "panic" at the thought of going into the live-service graveyard that just claimed Highguard
 
 
Palworld Pal with shocked expression
"I wouldn't rule out a Palworld 2.0," says Pocketpair publishing head, but don't expect a "No Man's Sky situation"
 
 
Dafne Keen brandishing her claws as Laura/X-23 in Deadpool and Wolverine
Marvel fans are debating whether Dafne Keen should become Wolverine or stay as X-23, and I've already chosen a side
 
 
Peak mesa biome
Peak came about after a bet between Content Warning and Another Crab's Treasure leads to see whose game would sell more
 
 
Key art for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred showing Mephisto, a spiky and angular demon, against a red, lightning backdrop, arm and claw raised menancingly, cropped to show more of him
Diablo 4's Lord of Hatred expansion will be "really f*cking hard" at its highest difficulty, dev threatens
 
 
Jin, Mugen, and Fuu standing in a row
Samurai Champloo is getting a live-action Netflix series from One Piece studio, and the original creator is on board
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Elsa Bloodshot in Marvel Rivals
    1
    Marvel Rivals devs felt "panic" at the thought of going into the live-service graveyard that just claimed Highguard
  2. 2
    Diablo 4's Lord of Hatred expansion will be "really f*cking hard" at its highest difficulty, dev threatens
  3. 3
    Marvel fans are debating whether Dafne Keen should become Wolverine or stay as X-23, and I've already chosen a side
  4. 4
    "I wouldn't rule out a Palworld 2.0," says Pocketpair publishing head, but don't expect a "No Man's Sky situation"
  5. 5
    Peak came about after a bet between Content Warning and Another Crab's Treasure leads to see whose game would sell more

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...