Can you refund games on the PlayStation Store?

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One of the main consumer protections that we have is the ability to return faulty or substandard items for a full refund. It’s often a lifeline if buying online, when you don’t get to see the item before you purchase it. That’s even more important in the digital world, where you can’t even see the product you’re buying even if you could see a physical disk.

I mean if you bought a physical disk you could take it back to the store, so is it the same for digital versions of games? Can you refund a digital game bought on the PlayStation Store, like you can on the Microsoft Store or on Steam?

So, can you actually refund games once you’ve played them from the PlayStation Store?

Short answer: No

See, Sony is still sticking to its prehistoric refund policies. That means you can’t refund any game, DLC, season pass or pre-order if you’ve already played the content, or even downloaded it. If you haven’t started the download, then you have 14 days from the point of purchase to request a refund from Sony.

There is one exception to this policy, and that’s if the game content proves to be faulty. Yes, that’s why Sony has been giving refunds for Cyberpunk 2077, because that’s the only game in recent memory that Sony has given an exception and even removed from the storefront. Ouch.

If you think you’re eligible for a refund, you’ll have to talk to a support agent:

1. Sign in to your PlayStation account
2. Open the chatbox and answer the chatbot’s questions
3. You’ll get asked if the refund request is either regarding Cyberpunk 2077 or another title
4. Select Refund Request
5. Select I’m Ready
6. You’ll get asked if you’re the account holder, say Yes, I am
   1. You’ll also need the payment source owner around
7. Select the Payment type used to purchase the title you’re refunding
8. Choose the option that matches why you want a refund
9. The chatbot will ask if the purchased content has been downloaded or used. If you say Yes, you won’t be able to continue the refund request
10. You’ll then be asked if this is the first time you requested a refund; and a question about why you requested the previous refund if applicable
11. The last question will ask how long it has been since the purchase
12. The chatbot will give you a Support ID that you’ll want to write down, and give you the option to talk to a live agent

If you’re asking for a refund on Cyberpunk 2077, it’s even easier. Go to the refund portal page, sign in, and follow the instructions.

Go turn off the Automatic Downloads setting if you think you might want to refund a pre-order or other content based on reviews when they come out because just getting the data from the game on your console, even if it’s still encrypted before the release date will make it so you can’t get a refund.

What do you think? How do you feel about Sony’s refund policy? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.