About 8 years ago, Steam introduced a refund mechanism for purchased games. It was useful in cases where the game was not as interesting as it seemed or the computer did not provide a comfortable level of performance. To get a refund, you had to spend no more than 2 hours in the game and send a request for a refund within 14 days after the purchase.
Over time, Valve launched early access mechanisms for games. The «Early Access» and «Extended Access» programs allowed you to play games even before the official release – even in test versions. This created a certain loophole for players. People could play for many, many hours before the release and then still claim a refund after the game was released.
Now Valve has closed this loophole. Now, the time spent in the game within the «Early Access» and «Extended Access» programs is also taken into account when determining the 2-hour limit for refunds. The relevant changes are indicated in updated refund policy:
«REFUNDS FOR PRODUCTS PURCHASED BEFORE THE RELEASE DATE: Normally, if you purchase a product on Steam before the release date, there will be a two-hour time limit on play time for refunds, but the 14-day period will not start before the release date. For example, if you purchase an Early Access or Priority Access game, any play time will count toward the two-hour refund limit. If you pre-purchased a game that cannot be played before the release date, you can request a refund at any time before the release date, and the standard 14-day/two-hour period will apply from the date of release.»
Previously, the relevant clause of the rules was much shorter:
«A REFUND FOR A PRE-PURCHASE: If you purchase a product on Steam in advance of its release date (and pay for it in advance), you can request a refund at any time before the product’s release. The standard 14-day/two-hour refund period applies, starting from the game’s release date.»
Source: The Verge