Steam’s Updated Refund Policy Addresses Advanced Access Loophole

One of the good things about PC gaming is players have an online game store that is mostly partial to its customers. Steam offers cheaper prices, huge discounts, and easy refunds. Unfortunately, some players are exploiting certain policies, which is why Steam went ahead and revised it.

Refund Policy for Advanced Access

In case you don't know, there are certain video game titles that come with Advanced Access, which allows players to run a game before they are released when preordered. This makes it possible to play the game a few days or even a week before the release date.

What others recognize is that the playtime during Advanced Access is not counted in the clocked hours within Steam, which is an important parameter for the digital distribution service when issuing refunds for purchased games, as mentioned in Gizmodo.

With that said, gamers would play the game during Advance Access and immediately refund the game by the time it is officially released, granting them days of free gameplay. Steam has since changed its policy and the loophole can no longer be used.

"Today we have updated a portion of our Refund Policy regarding pre-purchased titles. 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," the update states.

Does It Affect Early Access Games?

It doesn't, considering that early access games already start the clock as soon as you play the game. Compared to Advanced Access, Early Access doesn't just last for days. Some games take years before the official release is launched.

Early Access is basically a way to play a game while it's still in development, instead of waiting for the finished product. This is usually done so that developers are encouraged to issue ongoing updates, as well as accept direct feedback from its player base.

Refund Policy on Standard Purchases

The refund policy for released games remains the same. The purchase must not exceed the two-week window for it to be eligible for a refund. If the player has downloaded and played the game, it must be under two hours or the refund will not be approved.

The same can be applied to DLCs purchased from the Steam store. In some cases, the purchase might not be eligible if the DLC affects the base game. For instance, irreversible level-ups will void the possibility of a refund for the DLC or add-on.

This is an appreciated feature, given that other online storefronts do not extend the lenient policy. In PlayStation, for instance, you can no longer refund the game once you've downloaded it, even without putting in a minute of gameplay. Streaming the game will also have the same effect.

The two-hour window can serve as a trial period for the game, especially since some games do not work well with certain devices depending on their specs. Players might not also like the game early on and could see the purchase as a waste.