How to Refund Games on PS4

Games for the PlayStation 4 — more commonly referred to as the PS4 — are incredibly popular, and many people consider them quite entertaining and worth the money. However, you may occasionally want refunds of games after purchasing them. Perhaps you got two of the same title for your birthday or bought a game on impulse before thinking about things more thoroughly and deciding you don’t need or want it. Here’s a breakdown of how to refund games on PS4.

How to Refund Games on PS4 Through a Third-Party Retailer

Some people buy PS4 games from third-party merchants, such as electronics stores. If you took that approach, each retailer will have specific refund policies for PS4 games. 

For example, Best Buy allows anyone to return products within 15 days, but the time frame goes to 60 days if you are a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total member. However, if you purchased your PS4 game as a digital product rather than a physical one, the retailer treats it as a non-returnable item. 

Once you verify the return eligibility for your PS4 game, Best Buy allows you to return it to a store or send it back for free by printing a return label from your online account. Since processes vary depending on where you purchased your game, you’ll need to check the details for other sellers. Often, the easiest thing to do is to refer to the back of your receipt since many retailers put their return policies there. You’ll almost certainly need the receipt when making your return anyway. 

Refunding Games Purchased From the PlayStation Store 

Even though you can still buy physical games for your PlayStation 4, many people prefer to download digital content from the PlayStation Store. One of the main benefits is that you can get the game sent straight to your console. Plus, when you’re only dealing with digital content, there are no discs to break or lose. 

The PlayStation Store has different refund eligibility specifics depending on what you want to return.  We’ll cover pre-ordered games and already released ones here. 

Determining Refund Eligibility for Pre-Orders

If you pre-ordered the game more than two weeks before its release date, you must request your refund before the release occurs and not have downloaded or pre-loaded the main part of the content. You’re eligible for a refund if both of those things apply. Keep in mind that if your pre-order came with immediately available bonus content, it will stop working once you cancel the pre-order with the refund request. 

The criteria for pre-orders made less than 14 days before a game’s release date is the same as above, except that you have 14 days from purchase to request the refund. 

Establishing Your Ability to Get a Refund for Already Released Games 

If you want a refund for a non-pre-ordered game, the 14-day time frame still applies. Additionally, you cannot request a refund after downloading or streaming the game unless it’s due to a fault. 

How to Refund Games on PS4: Making the Request

PlayStation recommends you make your refund request with the Refund Assistant. It’s a chatbot available in the bottom-right corner of the PlayStation site. You can also use that tool to get details about previously requested refunds. 

Other Things to Know About Requesting Refunds From the PlayStation Store

Most people want to know how long it could take for them to see the results of requesting a refund. PlayStation’s site says it’ll take 30 to 60 days. Contact your payment card provider if you have received a refund confirmation from PlayStation but haven’t seen the refund after at least 60 days. Alternatively, get in touch with PlayStation if you expect the refund to get credited to your PlayStation wallet. 

In most cases, you’ll see the refund credited back to the original payment method. However, that’s occasionally impossible based on how you paid. In such cases, the refund appears as a credit in your PlayStation wallet. 

Alternatives to Getting Refunds for Your PS4 Games 

Only some people who want to request refunds for PS4 games can. However, you’re not necessarily out of luck, even if your situation is outside the eligible circumstances described above. Is the unwanted game a physical version? If so, you can sell or trade it. However, if you opted for a digital game, your right to play it is just a license and not a sellable item. 

First, consider why you no longer want the PS4 game. Perhaps it’s because you want to upgrade to a newer system and are getting rid of the PS4 and most or all associated titles you own. 

In that case, consider factory resetting the PS4 to resell it safely. You might even offer the console and some unwanted games as a bundle, potentially increasing how much you can get for it and making more people interested.

If you just want to sell a single unwanted game, the internet has plenty of places that will take them for cash. Another less common but creative idea is to see if friends will pay you for time spent playing the game on your console. That enables a potential income stream even if you only have the digital version.

Reducing the Need for PS4 Game Refunds

You can also make it much less likely you’ll need to request refunds for PS4 games by following a few smart tips. If anyone asks which game titles you’d like for your birthday or another gift-associated event, give yourself the most flexibility by asking for a PlayStation Store gift card rather than specific games. 

If you’ve previously wanted refunds after making impulsive purchases, challenge yourself to wait so there are at least several days between when you first decided you wanted a game and when you’ll purchase it. That extra time will allow you to consider whether you can afford the title, if you have enough time to play it and other factors. If you still want the game as much or more after the waiting period has passed, that’s a good sign you will enjoy the purchase and not regret it. 

Finally, if you’re new to the PS4 system, learn about common user mistakes that you may initially believe are game faults. It’ll then be easier to tell when your title has a problem that warrants a refund. 

PlayStation 4 games can bring you hours of enjoyment, but you might need or want to get your money back for them. Now that you know how to refund games on PS4, you can look forward to all the fun times, resting assured you have this information to use in the future.