How to refund a game on steam that was gifted

Steam is a very polished gaming platform, though some options are slightly out of sight. Game refunds are among them.

You can refund the Steam games you’ve purchased for yourself, as well as ones that you bought as a gift. A step by step tutorial on how to refund any gifted games on Steam is right ahead.

Refunding any game on Steam is simple, but gifts are a little trickier to refund. The general Steam rules for refunds are that you can only refund a game within 14 days of the purchase if you have played it for less than two hours.

The same goes for gifted games, but in that case, the person who received them must initiate the refund process. Here is what the recipient needs to do:

1. Visit the following support page and sign in.
2. Then, choose the Games and Software tab.
3. Locate and select the gifted game from the game list.
4. Select the issue with the game.
5. Then, select I’d Like to Request a Refund.
6. Finally, allow the original Steam game purchaser to receive a refund.

After that, the person who purchased the gift can refund it on their Steam account.

Refund Any Eligible Steam Game

Now, the purchaser of the gift can continue with the usual refund process. Here is how to refund any eligible game on Steam:

1. Go to the same Steam support page (Steam Help) and sign in.
2. Select Purchases.
3. Locate the game you want to refund and select it. If the game is not visible here, sadly, you can’t get a refund (it’s not eligible).
4. Choose a reason you want to refund the game (e.g., purchased by accident).
   
   
5. Then, choose I’d Like to Request a Refund.
   
   
6. Add more information about your request in the Notes section. Then, select the refund method (the payment method you used previously or transfer the funds to your Steam Wallet).
7. Steam will email you about receiving your request.

Note that it can take Steam support up to two weeks to process your request. If they decide to refund your game, it may take up to a week until you get your money back.

Additional Relevant Gift Refund Info

Many players ask whether or not you can get the difference refunded when your gifted game is on sale, i.e., costs less than you paid for it. The answer is no, but you can initiate the refund process as explained above.

If you are eligible, you will get your money back, and you can purchase the game at the reduced price, saving the leftover funds in your Steam Wallet.

You can even cancel a Steam gift if nobody redeemed it. A canceled gift will return to your Steam account. Here is how to cancel a Steam gift:

1. Sign in to your Steam account.
2. Select the Games tab at the top of the screen.
3. Then, choose Manage Gifts and Guest Passes.
4. Choose the gift from the inventory.
5. Click Send Gift and then choose Return the Gift to Your Account.
6. Finally, confirm with Next.

Even You Can Redeem the Gift

If you change your mind, you can keep your Steam gift and activate it yourself. Follow the steps:

1. Launch the Steam app and sign in.
2. Select the Games option at the top of the Home screen.
3. Press Manage Gifts and Guest Passes.
4. Then, choose your Steam gift.
5. Finally, select Add to My Library and redeem the gift yourself.

Gift Returned

Steam support usually allows gift refunds. However, if you don’t meet the requirements mentioned above, you most likely won’t get a refund. Your Steam friend also needs to be considerate, because if they don’t allow you to get a refund, you’re out of luck.

Is there anything else you’d like to know about this topic? What is your experience with Steam game refunding? Post your responses in the comments section below.

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Send To Someone

Missing Device

You can request a refund for nearly any purchase on Steam—for any reason. Maybe your PC doesn't meet the hardware requirements; maybe you bought a game by mistake; maybe you played the title for an hour and just didn't like it.

It doesn't matter. Valve will, upon request via help.steampowered.com, issue a refund for any reason, if the request is made within the required return period, and, in the case of games, if the title has been played for less than two hours. There are more details below, but even if you fall outside of the refund rules we’ve described, you can ask for a refund anyway and we’ll take a look.

You will be issued a full refund of your purchase within a week of approval. You will receive the refund in Steam Wallet funds or through the same payment method you used to make the purchase. If, for any reason, Steam is unable to issue a refund via your initial payment method, your Steam Wallet will be credited the full amount. (Some payment methods available through Steam in your country may not support refunding a purchase back to the original payment method. Click here for a full list.)

Where Refunds Apply

The Steam refund offer, within two weeks of purchase and with less than two hours of playtime, applies to games and software applications on the Steam store. Here is an overview of how refunds work with other types of purchases.

Refunds on Downloadable Content(Steam store content usable within another game or software application, "DLC")

DLC purchased from the Steam store is refundable within fourteen days of purchase, and if the underlying title has been played for less than two hours since the DLC was purchased, so long as the DLC has not been consumed, modified or transferred. Please note that in some cases, Steam will be unable to give refunds for some third party DLC (for example, if the DLC irreversibly levels up a game character). These exceptions will be clearly marked as nonrefundable on the Store page prior to purchase.

Refunds on In-game Purchases

Steam will offer refund for in-game purchases within any Valve-developed games within forty-eight hours of purchase, so long as the in-game item has not been consumed, modified or transferred. Third-party developers will have the option to enable refunds for in-game items on these terms. Steam will tell you at the time of purchase if the game developer has opted to offer refunds on the in-game item you are buying. Otherwise, in-game purchases in non-Valve games are not refundable through Steam.

Refunds on Pre-Purchased Titles

When you pre-purchase a title on Steam (and have paid for the title in advance), you can request a refund at any time prior to release of that title. The standard 14-day/two-hour refund period also applies, starting on the game’s release date.

Steam Wallet Refunds

You may request a refund for Steam Wallet funds within fourteen days of purchase if they were purchased on Steam and if you have not used any of those funds.

Renewable Subscriptions

For some content and services, Steam offers periodic (e.g. monthly, yearly) access that you pay for on a recurring basis. If a renewable subscription has not been used during the current billing cycle, you may request a refund within 48 hours of the initial purchase or within 48 hours of any automatic renewal. Content is considered used if any games within the subscription have been played during the current billing cycle or if any benefits or discounts included with the subscription have been used, consumed, modified or transferred.

Please note that you can cancel an active subscription at any time by going to your account details. Once cancelled, your subscription will no longer automatically renew but you will retain access to the content and benefits of the subscription through the end of your current billing cycle.

Steam Hardware

Within the applicable time frame and process identified in the Hardware Refund Policy, you may request a refund for Steam hardware and accessories purchased via Steam.

Refunds on Bundles

You can receive a full refund for any bundle purchased on the Steam Store, so long as none of the items in the bundle have been transferred, and if the combined usage time for all items in the bundle is less than two hours. If a bundle includes an in-game item or DLC that is not refundable, Steam will tell you if the whole bundle is refundable during check-out.

Purchases Made Outside of Steam

Valve cannot provide refunds for purchases made outside of Steam (for example, CD keys or Steam wallet cards purchased from third parties).

VAC Bans

If you have been banned by VAC (the Valve Anti-Cheat system) on a game, you lose the right to refund that game.

Video Content

We are unable to offer refunds for video content on Steam (e.g. movies, shorts, series, episodes, and tutorials), unless the video is in a bundle with other (non-video) refundable content.

Refunds on Gifts

Unredeemed gifts may be refunded within the standard 14-day/two-hour refund period. Redeemed gifts may be refunded under the same conditions if the gift recipient initiates the refund. Funds used to purchase the gift will be returned to the original purchaser.

EU Right of Withdrawal

For an explanation of how the EU right of withdrawal works for Steam customers, click here.

Abuse

Refunds are designed to remove the risk from purchasing titles on Steam—not as a way to get free games. If it appears to us that you are abusing refunds, we may stop offering them to you. We do not consider it abuse to request a refund on a title that was purchased just before a sale and then immediately rebuying that title for the sale price.

How to Request a Refund

You can request a refund or get other assistance with your Steam purchases at help.steampowered.com.

Last updated 10 November, 2020