For a long fourth dimension, digital videogame purchases lacked one of the basic expectations of physical copies: the ability to go a refund if you change your mind most a purchase.

Thankfully, that'due south slowly changing. Valve and Sony have offered digital refunds via purchases on Steam and the PlayStation Store for quite some fourth dimension, and Microsoft has followed suit.

The company offers refunds for digital copies of Xbox One and Windows x games and apps purchased through the Microsoft Shop, but information technology'due south not clear how gamers should go about getting a refund, and the criteria to be eligible for 1.

Don't worry, as here nosotros break down all you need to know almost getting a refund from the Microsoft Store, on Xbox One or Windows 10 PC.

Which games are eligible for refunds?

Microsoft's refund system applies to games and apps for Xbox 1 or Windows ten, only only if they're purchased through the digital Microsoft Store - you can't buy a game from another retailer and try and get a refund from Microsoft, unsurprisingly.

Merely even if you practise buy your game from the Microsoft Store, information technology's worth noting that y'all can't just go a refund for any purchase y'all make - at that place are a few requirements yous take to meet.

Most importantly, y'all can simply merits a refund if y'all have a legitimate reason to ask for one - either that you purchased the wrong thing past accident, that the game y'all bought doesn't piece of work, that someone else bought it using your account, that there's an mistake with your bill, or simply if you want to cancel a pre-guild. Y'all may need to talk to a customer service rep to explain or prove the situation, and you lot can't just merits a refund considering y'all decided you didn't similar a game as much as you expected.

Games and apps are only eligible for a refund inside xiv days of buy, and simply if y'all've played less than 2 hours beyond all accounts - y'all can't sink 40 hours into a massive RPG and then try and get your money back!

Downloadable content, season passes, and add-ons aren't eligible for refunds either, simply the base of operations games.

Finally, yous'll have to await at least one day subsequently the game's release date before you request a refund, and you have to accept downloaded and launched the game at least once - they want to make sure you've really tried it out first.

Almost of those restrictions are in identify to assistance finish abuse of the organization. That probably ways it's all-time not to care for this as an easy style to get ii-hour demos of any game y'all'd like to try.

How do you lot get a refund from the Microsoft Shop?

Thankfully, the process of challenge a refund from the Microsoft Store is relatively straightforward - for digital purchases, anyhow.

Just head straight to the Xbox Refund Request Solution (tricky name, we know) and piece of work through the checklist, making sure that you're signed into your Microsoft account and have the relevant society number ready.

You lot may get a refund immediately, but more likely Microsoft will want to verify the reason for the refund, and under these circumstances, you should be put in touch with a Microsoft rep within 72 hours of applying.