Steam’s robust refund policy is definitely one of the best in the video game industry. Players are treated not as mere customers but as actual people, with Valve, though having clearly defined policies, usually treating its refund cases on a case-by-case basis. But that doesn’t mean folks don’t abuse the system.
The schtick is as follows: if you have less than two hours in a game and it hasn’t been more than 14 days since you bought it, you’re eligible for a full refund, more or less no questions asked. Now the problem starts when you’re an indie developer making a short game, or one meant to be replayed several times, with people easily beating it under two hours and refunding the purchase.
Zoroarts, an indie developer behind the game Paddle Paddle Paddle, spoke out on X about how people are actively refunding their game after completing it in an hour and a half or so and then proceed to publicly brag about it in the refunds. “This should not be possible,” the dev wrote, imploring Valve to revisit its refund policy to prevent beaten games from being eligible.
