If you've purchased something from the PlayStation Store, a PS4 or PS5 game, and you need the money back due to an issue beyond your control, all hope is not lost. In some circumstances a refund is possible, and different rules are dependent on the type of content.

Pre-Orders

This refers to any order that has been made on a product that has been purchased before its release, i.e. if a game is scheduled for release on June 30th, and you purchase it for pre-order on May 20th, this would be considered a pre-order.

There are two categories within pre-orders that you need to be aware of regarding PS4 and PS5 refunds. These are:

• Pre-orders made over 14 days before the release date of the order.
• Pre-orders made less than 14 days before the release date of the order.

For orders that are made over 14 days before the release date, you qualify to request a refund at any time, though this is up until the release date.

For orders made less than 14 days before the release date, you are permitted to request a refund up to 14 days after you purchased the content.

However if you have not begun to download the release, and the pre-order also comes with any extra content made available, you will not be allowed to access the extra content with the cancellation of the pre-order.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions are any purchase that incurs a recurring fee directly from the PlayStation store. These could be in-game subscriptions or PlayStation®Plus.

Once a purchase has been made for a subscription, you will have 14 days to request a PS refund, although a full refund is going to depend on how much you have used that particular content.

For example, if you purchase a 12-month subscription for PlayStation Plus, and you request a refund 12 days after making the purchase, then a reduction of your full purchase will be implemented if you have been using PlayStation®Plus for things like downloading, using storage, and playing games.

Games and Add-Ons

This category is a broad term for a multitude of different purchases, and we would include things like full games, DLC (downloadable content), in-game add-ons like skins and maps, and season passes.

Similar to subscriptions, you will have 14 days from when you purchased to request a refund as long as the content hasn't been downloaded, or streamed. If this is the case, then you will not qualify for a refund, unless the content you have purchased is faulty.

How To Request A Playstation Store Refund

All refund requests are now carried out via a chatbot system, which changed in 2019 when they used to have refund forms.

Before you begin to go down the chatbot route, make sure you have some details to hand to help make the process easier to navigate.

Having your date of birth, the email address in which you made the purchase, your PSN ID, and the full name of the item you are refunding will expedite the process.

Final Thoughts

Requesting a PS refund is not a difficult task, as long as your request is applicable. Use the guide above to determine if you can request a refund. Happy gaming!

About the Author

Kevin Pocock

Kevin has a broad interest and enthusiasm for consumer electronics, PCs, and all things consumer tech. And more than 17 years experience in tech journalism.