Steam's refund policy is a separate document incorporated by reference into this agreement, meaning the refund terms are binding on you but are not reproduced in full here.
This analysis describes what Steam's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
Refund eligibility for digital games is limited by Steam's external refund policy, which generally requires a request within 14 days of purchase and less than 2 hours of playtime, so purchases outside those parameters are typically non-refundable.
Interpretive note: The full refund policy is contained in a separate incorporated document not reproduced here; the precise refund eligibility conditions depend on the external Steam Refund Policy as it exists at the time of purchase.
The updated agreement no longer explicitly discloses that Steam Wallet funds held by Japanese users will expire six months after being added, or that expiration dates can be reviewed in the Steam Wallet. The removal of this disclosure eliminates the transparency mechanism previously available to Japanese subscribers regarding fund expiration timelines and monitoring options. Japanese law may still impose expiration requirements on stored funds regardless of contractual disclosure, but the agreement no longer notifies users of this expiration mechanism.
View change record →This provision establishes that refund policies and online conduct rules are binding terms and incorporates external documents by reference into the agreement.
View full change record →Digital content purchases on Steam are generally non-refundable unless they meet the conditions in Steam's separate Refund Policy, which imposes time and usage restrictions; purchases that exceed those thresholds result in no refund for the subscriber.
How other platforms handle this
For subscribers residing in Germany: You may terminate your subscription after it has renewed with a notice period of one month. Your right to terminate for cause remains unaffected.
If our mobile application fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple and Apple will refund the purchase price of the mobile application to you.
The cancellation will take effect at the end of the billing period. You can see when your subscription will end on the "Account" page.
"Rules of Use include the Steam Online Conduct Rules http://steampowered.com/index.php?area=online_conduct and the Steam Refund Policy http://store.steampowered.com/steam_refunds. The Subscription Terms, the Rules of Use, and the Valve Privacy Policy (which can be found at http://www.valvesoftware.com/privacy.htm) are binding on you once you indicate your acceptance of them or of this Agreement, or otherwise become bound by them as described in Section 8 (Amendments to this Agreement).Excerpt from Steam's Subscriber Agreement
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The incorporation of the refund policy by reference rather than in-document disclosure engages consumer protection disclosure requirements in the EU (Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU), which mandates clear pre-contractual information about refund and withdrawal …
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Refund eligibility for digital games is limited by Steam's external refund policy, which generally requires a request within 14 days of purchase and less than 2 hours of playtime, so purchases outside those parameters are typically non-refundable.
Digital content purchases on Steam are generally non-refundable unless they meet the conditions in Steam's separate Refund Policy, which imposes time and usage restrictions; purchases that exceed those thresholds result in no refund for the subscriber.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 178 platforms. See the full comparison.
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