Getting a Refund on a Digital Game: Store by Store

Every store says refunds aren’t guaranteed, then offers wildly different odds. Knowing which store you bought from is most of the battle.

Short version

• Steam and Epic refund within 14 days of purchase if you’ve played less than 2 hours; GOG allows 30 days even after you’ve played.
• PlayStation refunds within 14 days only if you haven’t started downloading or streaming the game.
• Nintendo eShop purchases are generally final, including accidental ones.
• Chargebacks can get your account locked, so use the store’s own refund process first.

Bought a game that stutters on your hardware, isn’t what the trailer promised, or that your kid bought while you were making dinner? Whether you get your money back depends mostly on where you bought it.

The rules side by side

Store	Basic rule	What usually ends eligibility
Steam	Within 14 days of purchase, with under 2 hours of playtime	Going over either limit, though Valve will look at requests outside the rules
Epic Games Store	Within 14 days of purchase, with under 2 hours of playtime	Going over either limit, a ban in that game, or abuse
GOG	Within 30 days of purchase, even if you’ve downloaded and played	Requests GOG considers abusive
PlayStation Store	Within 14 days of purchase, if you haven’t started downloading or streaming	Starting the download or stream, unless the content is faulty
Xbox (Microsoft Store)	Requests reviewed case by case through Microsoft’s support site	Varies
Nintendo eShop	Purchases are generally final; Nintendo’s support says accidental purchases aren’t refunded	There’s no standard refund window to fall outside

Stores revise these policies, so check the current version on the store’s own help pages before you rely on one.

The fine print that catches people

• Pre-orders. On Steam, the 14-day clock for a pre-purchase starts on release day, still with the 2-hour limit. On Epic, you can cancel a pre-purchase for a full refund until the game launches.
• In-game items and currency. Steam refunds in-game purchases in Valve’s own games within 48 hours, as long as the item hasn’t been used up, changed or traded. Elsewhere, virtual currency and consumable items are hard or impossible to refund once they’re delivered.
• PlayStation’s download trap. Many consoles download purchases automatically. On PlayStation, once the download has started you generally can’t cancel, so think before you buy from your phone.
• Bans. If you’re banned in a game, don’t expect a refund for it.

How to ask

1. Use the store’s refund page, not your bank. Steam, Epic, PlayStation and Microsoft all have online forms.
2. Be specific. “Crashes at the title screen on my laptop after I verified the files and updated drivers” gets further than “doesn’t work.”
3. Move fast. Every clock runs from the purchase date, apart from Steam pre-purchases.
4. If you’re refused, ask once more politely, with details. Exceptions do happen, mostly for technical problems.

Prevent the next one

Turn on purchase approvals or a spending limit on any account a child uses; our guide to free-to-play games walks through the controls on each platform. Before buying, look for performance tests on hardware like yours, play the demo if there is one, and check the recommended specs, not just the minimum.

It also helps to remember what you’re buying. On most stores it’s a license, not a copy, and that has consequences of its own.

Quick questions

Does sitting in a menu count as playtime on Steam?
Yes. Steam counts playtime whenever the game is running, menus and launchers included. If you’re inside the refund window and unsure about a game, close it when you step away.

What about games bought on disc?
Physical games follow the retailer’s return policy. Many stores only exchange opened games for the same title, so check the receipt or the store’s policy.

What if a game turns out to be broken after the refund window closes?
Contact support anyway. Stores have made exceptions for games that were badly broken at launch. In 2020, Sony offered full refunds for Cyberpunk 2077 and pulled it from the PlayStation Store, but you can’t count on that.