How to get a refund on Google Stadia games

Ben Schoon | Nov 27 2019 - 10:45 am PT

Google Stadia’s library of games isn’t huge, but if you purchased one that you’re not happy with, you can get a refund. Here’s how to request a refund on Google Stadia and the qualifications you’ll need to meet.

How to get a refund on Google Stadia games

Check Stadia’s return policy
Request a refund through Google Play
Check if your refund was approved

– Are you under Stadia’s return policy?

As previously detailed, Stadia has a fairly generous return policy. Stadia games are eligible for a refund within 14 days from the point of purchase as long as those games have not been played for more than 2 hours. After the return has been approved, the game will be removed from your library.

Notably, though, this is a one-and-done return. If you buy the game again it will not be eligible for another return even if it meets Google’s aforementioned criteria.

– Request a refund through Google Play

To get a refund on Stadia games, you can do so through the Google Play Store. Using play.google.com on a computer or on your mobile phone through its browser you can access the Account section to see all of your previous purchases. A tab will appear at the top of the page that says Order History and you can then see any purchases made on Stadia or the Play Store in general.

From this page, there’s a three-dot overflow menu on each item which expands for Report a Problem. Here, you can select the option I no longer want this purchase to start the process of getting a refund. After you’ve filled out a reason and hit Submit, Google will check on your request and grant you a refund within 48 hours.

– Check to see if your refund was approved

To see if your refund has been approved you can simply keep an eye on your email. Google will send a confirmation email when the refund is approved and shortly after you should see the money refunded through the original payment method.

What if a game I purchased is going to be free w/ Pro?

Generally speaking, if you purchased a game and you’re outside of Google’s normal return policy, you’re out of luck. However, there is a precedent for the company giving leeway when it comes to games that are free with Stadia Pro. Just a couple of weeks after Stadia’s launch, both Tomb Raider and Farming Simulator 19 went free with Pro. Google quickly confirmed that it would give refunds to customers even outside of the normal return policy.

We can’t know for certain whether or not Google will continue doing this in the future, but it’s worth a shot. You can use the same process outlined above to try or directly contact Stadia support.