Valve has up to date the Steam refund coverage to basically shut a loophole which allowed gamers to accrue a number of hours of playtime by means of superior entry then obtain a full refund at launch.
The refund coverage now features a revised “refunds on titles bought previous to launch date” part, which provides an official Advanced Access label and basically applies Valve’s regular two hour time restrict to those video games. Advanced Access refers to video games which might be performed forward of their official launch, normally by buying a particular version at further price.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, for instance, launched on February 2, 2024 however those that paid an extra $30 for the Deluxe Edition might play it three days earlier. Its this three-day interval Steam now manufacturers Advanced Access. 2K’s TopSpin 2K25, whose costlier Deluxe Edition and Grand Slam Edition let homeowners play forward of the official April 25 launch date, carries this new Advanced Access label.
Previously, those that performed a recreation in Advanced Access might accomplish that for dozens of hours and even full it, then request a refund from Steam and get all their a refund so long as they did not play for greater than two hours after launch. Steam’s replace addresses this loophole as Advanced Access video games grow to be increasingly well-liked.
“When you buy a title on Steam previous to the discharge date, the 2 hour playtime restrict for refunds will apply (apart from beta testing), however the 14-day interval for refunds won’t begin till the discharge date,” Valve stated.
“For instance, if you are going to buy a recreation that’s in Early Access or Advanced Access, any playtime will rely towards the two-hour refund restrict. If you pre-purchase a title which isn’t playable previous to the discharge date, you possibly can request a refund at any time previous to launch of that title, and the usual 14-day/two-hour refund interval will apply beginning on the sport’s launch date.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll discuss The Witcher all day.
