Steam's refund policy for games has been streamlined: Customers now have a two-hour window after purchasing a game to decide whether to keep it. However, as with any system, there were individuals exploiting a loophole, prompting Valve to implement changes to address this issue.
The alteration primarily concerns "Advance Access," a feature granting early access to those who preorder a game, allowing them to play it before its official release. This period typically spans a few days to a week before the scheduled launch, a common practice in major game releases like last year's Starfield.
The loophole exploited the fact that the refund timer wouldn't commence until the game's official release. Consequently, those with advance access could play the game before its launch and then request a refund on the official release day.