Valve Closes Steam Refund Loophole, Provides New Superior Entry Label

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 way 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 Superior Entry label and basically applies Valve’s regular two hour time restrict to those video games. Superior Entry refers to video games which may be performed forward of their official launch, often by buying a particular version at further value.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, for instance, launched on February 2, 2024 however those that paid an extra $30 for the Deluxe Version may play it three days earlier. Its this three-day interval Steam now manufacturers Superior Entry. 2K’s TopSpin 2K25, whose costlier Deluxe Version and Grand Slam Version let house owners play forward of the official April 25 launch date, carries this new Superior Entry label.

Beforehand, those that performed a recreation in Superior Entry may achieve this 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 Superior Entry video games turn into increasingly well-liked.

“While 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 is not going to begin till the discharge date,” Valve mentioned.

“For instance, if you buy a recreation that’s in Early Entry or Superior Entry, any playtime will depend towards the two-hour refund restrict. Should you pre-purchase a title which isn’t playable previous to the discharge date, you’ll be able to 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.