How To Refund A Game On Xbox Series X|S

With many Xbox Series X|S games jumping up in price to $70, it can be a real bummer to buy one only to then find out you're not a fan. PC gamers have long had the option to refund a game on Steam if they've had it in their library for less than two weeks and have under two hours of total playtime.

As it turns out, there's a similar refund method for Xbox players, as well. If you picked up the latest game and feel burned by it — or it just doesn't run well at all — you can get a refund in many cases. There are a few steps you have to take, but it doesn't require a lot of time, and there's a chance you'll be able to get your money back to then use on a different game you like better, perhaps even something that's on sale.

Starting the refund process for an Xbox game is rather simple, but you won't be able to do it from your console itself. You have to instead head over to the official Xbox website.

1. Go to the Xbox Support website.
2. Sign in with your Xbox account.
3. Select the game you want to refund from the drop-down menu.
4. Submit your refund request.

Microsoft lays out the criteria to be eligible for a refund, and they are similar to the ones you'll find on Steam. The company says requests are usually made within 14 days of the purchase date, and they are typically for games that you haven't played for very long. Though a specific duration isn't provided, the chances of getting a refund for a game you've dumped hundreds of hours into and have owned for months are slim to none.

Back in the day, demos used to be released for major games that let players catch a glimpse of what they were getting into before purchase, but that's largely not the case anymore. With many games being released in broken or buggy states, having the ability to refund is a lifesaver.

Meeting the refund criteria doesn't guarantee it'll happen. If you do meet the listed requirements, you should be good to go, but Microsoft does warn potential refunders they could be denied. A reason for this could be that you're abusing the system by requesting refunds too often. It's not meant to be used as a way of renting a game, and you could lose refunding privileges if Microsoft finds that to be the case. 

The refund system should be something used sparingly instead of on every game you don't like. However, there are special circumstances like "Cyberpunk 2077" where refunds were granted for both digital and physical copies due to the issues plaguing the game regardless of play time and how long you've owned it.

If the request does get approved, you'll see it being processed in your Microsoft account, and you'll lose access to the game in your library. It can take several days before the funds are back in your account. You can check the status on the same support website by looking in the refund status tab.