Steam is revising its refund policy for Early Access games

Valve’s game distribution platform, Steam, will review how it will compensate players in the future.

Steam serves the propeller. Valve, the company behind the popular video game distribution platform, has just made an announcement that may not please gamers. Until now, if you purchased an Early Access game whose versions are currently in development and whose content may change in a few months or even years, you could get a refund thanks to a slightly more flexible policy than what applies to games. “officially” released.

For games available in Early Access, it was very easy to get a refund on the game based on its status, regardless of the number of hours of play or time spent from the moment of purchase, and this is before its “official” release.

Steam revises refund policy

The detail is that Steam is changing radically today, because to prevent smart people from enjoying a game for long before getting rid of it after a few months, the platform explains that you must not play more than two hours in total to qualify. Refunds.

In this area, Valve aligns its policy with “official” games, where there is a two-hour limit and a maximum of 15 days after purchase to request a refund. But 15 days does not apply to expected games, but only to the two-hour duration of the game, which begins from the moment of launch on Steam:

“If you purchase an Early Access or Preview game, your total play time will be counted, including up to the release date. If you pre-purchase a game that cannot be played before its release date, you can request a refund at any time before release, and once the game is available, the usual 14-day or 2-hour game limits apply,” the platform explains on its official website.

Please also note that this new policy may be subject to change depending on the context. For example, in December, shortly after the chaotic exit The day beforeSteam has issued refunds without restrictions.