How to Fish refunds: the Steam rules and the numbers
Contents
How to Fish costs $7.99. If it does not work out, Steam will refund you — but only if two conditions hold at the same time.
The two conditions
| Condition | Value |
|---|---|
| Time since purchase | under 2 weeks |
| Playtime | under 2 hours |
Both must hold together. One hour of playtime a month after purchase no longer qualifies, and neither do three hours on day two.
You do not have to explain why: within those two limits Valve refunds for any reason — did not like it, changed your mind, bought it by accident.
If you fall outside the rule
You can still file the request. The policy states plainly that Valve will look at requests outside the rules too — just with no guarantee. It separately notes that some jurisdictions grant extra rights if the game is faulty.
How long it takes and where the money goes
Once approved, refunds are processed within a week. The money goes back to the original payment method, or to your Steam Wallet if returning it to the card is not technically possible.
Gifts
- Unredeemed gift — refundable under the same rule: 14 days and under 2 hours.
- Redeemed gift — only the recipient can request it. The money still goes back to whoever paid.
What Valve counts as abuse
The policy has an abuse clause: if it looks like you are overusing refunds, Valve may stop offering them to you. But the same page states outright that buying a game right before a sale and rebuying it at the sale price is not abuse.
How long people actually play before panning the game
We pulled the 100 most recent negative reviews of How to Fish and read the playtime recorded at the moment each was written:
| Metric | Negative reviews | Positive reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Median | 4.5 h | 6.4 h |
| Mean | 5.1 h | 7.9 h |
| Under 2 hours | 19 of 100 | 2 of 100 |
| Minimum | 7 minutes | — |
| Maximum | 21.9 h | — |
The practical takeaway: most people leaving a negative review are already past the refund window. The median is 4.5 hours, double the limit. Only 19 of 100 could still have refunded at the moment they wrote.
If you are unsure about the game, decide inside the first two hours, not after. That is a cheaper strategy than playing five hours and then regretting it.
What we are not claiming
We do not know how many people actually filed refund requests or how many were approved: Steam publishes no such statistics, for this game or in general.
The playtime figures are a sample of the 100 most recent negative and 100 most recent positive reviews, not the full base of 43,902. It is a slice, not a census.
Frequently asked questions
Can I refund How to Fish?
Yes, if under two weeks have passed since purchase and you have under two hours of playtime. Both conditions must hold together.
How long does a refund take?
Once approved, Steam processes it within a week. The money returns to your payment method or to your Steam Wallet.
What if I have more than two hours?
You can still file the request — Valve does look at requests outside the rules, but with no guarantee.
Can a gift be refunded?
An unredeemed gift, yes, under the same rule. A redeemed gift only if the recipient requests it, and the money goes back to the buyer.
How many hours do negative reviewers have?
The median is 4.5 hours. Only 19 of the 100 most recent negative reviews were written inside the two-hour limit.