What is PlayStation’s games return policy?

It happens to the best of us — we buy the wrong PlayStation game by accident, or realize that rent, food, or the doctor is a better investment this month. Occasionally, a game may be so broken or terrible that we refuse to keep playing. Sony itself recently pulled Concord from the PlayStation Store rather than cope with the threat of player rejection.

If you’re ready to return a PlayStation game, what’s Sony’s refund policy? That’s going to depend on whether you downloaded a game or bought it in disc form, and in the latter case, whether you went through Sony or another company.

Sony’s PlayStation Store return policy (for downloads)

Always think twice before pulling the trigger

Unfortunately, Sony’s return policy for downloads is extremely strict. With both full games and add-on content, you can (normally) only request a refund within 14 days of purchase, and then only if the content hasn’t been downloaded or streamed. There’s no room for returning a game because you don’t like it, or even if it’s sitting on your console completely untouched.

We say “normally” because Sony occasionally makes exceptions for legal purposes, say if a game doesn’t function properly. It’s certainly worth trying a return in those circumstances — there’s no sense wasting money on something you can’t play. Just be aware that game developers regularly release patches, so a game that’s broken on day one could be perfectly fine within a matter of days.

You can also get a return on any pre-ordered game so long as you haven’t downloaded the “main part” of its content. Sony is a little vague on what that means, but assume that if a game isn’t playable or fully preloaded yet, you can probably get a refund.

You’ll have to contact PlayStation Support to initiate any download refund request.

Sony’s physical disc return policy

More generous, but not by much

Amazon/Pocket-lint

For disc games ordered via PlayStation Direct, you have 30 days after something ships to initiate a return. You’ll get a prepaid return label for the mail, but the bad news is that a game’s case must be unopened — you’re out of luck if the security seals have been broken, never mind actually installing anything on your PS5. Sony may also reject a return if a game was sold under an “As-Is,” “Clearance,” “Close Out,” or “Final Sale” condition. Assuming you do qualify, you can initiate a return by going to direct.playstation.com, mousing over the smiley face in the top-right, then clicking My Orders. Once you’ve found the correct order, click Return.

The good news is that Direct is hardly the only place you can buy PlayStation games. Third-party stores like Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy have separate policies that are potentially more flexible. Amazon, for example, will accept games that are activated or otherwise used, simply charging you a “restocking” fee. It’s better than getting nothing back.

If that’s not an option, you may just have to resort to selling the disc online or using it as a trade-in. You probably won’t get the full amount back unless it’s an exceedingly rare title.