Steam’s new policy allows you to return almost any game

Here’s some good news for impulsive Steam shoppers who buy games while they’re on sale only to never play them, or buy a game only to immediately hate it. Valve has just announced Steam’s new return policy, which allows you to return almost any content purchased via the Steam Store for a full refund.

There are only two conditions that you need to meet if you want your full refund. First, you must have less than two hours’ gaming time on the game or DLC, and second, it must be within fourteen days of purchase. It’s as simple as that. Other restrictions on the policy are on DLCs and in-game items that affect your character’s “levelling up”, and decisions for this are left to the discretion of the specialist handling your particular case. Refunds are only guaranteed by Steam for in-game transaction items for Valve games.

This new feature is highly suitable for those who prefer to try the game before you buy. Despite the restrictions and clauses, this is still a good move by Valve to continually set a strong foothold on computer gaming.

Some developers may not be fans of the move though. One indie dev on Twitter suggested that the two-hour rule meant that her “small vignette games” were likely to be bought, played through then sent back for refund by gamers. Perhaps the policy should measure the percentage of a game completed, rather than simply the time it has been played?

[Source: Digital Trends]