Indie developer Zoroarts has called on Valve to change Steam‘s refund policy after claiming more than 55,000 copies of Paddle Paddle Paddle were refunded despite the game holding a Very Positive review rating.
As of writing, the co-op title, which tasks players with rowing either solo or co-op through obstacle courses, is discounted to $3 as part of the Steam Summer Sale.
Valve’s platform allows players to request a refund within 14 days of purchase, provided they have played for less than two hours, a policy intended to protect buyers from games that don’t meet expectations.
Dev says speedrunners finished game within Steam refund window
Posting on X, Zoroarts claimed the current system leaves shorter games vulnerable, saying: “This should not be possible.”
“Would be cool if you could finally do something about your refund policy,” they wrote. “Got dozens of reviews like that and 21% refund rate even though the Reviews are 90% Very Positive. That’s over 55,000 Refunds btw…”
This should not be possible @Steam
Would be cool if you could finally do something about your refund policy… Got dozens of reviews like that and 21% refund rate even though the Reviews are 90% very positive…
Thats over 55,000 Refunds btw… pic.twitter.com/fSiuHjGRnD
— Zoroarts 🦈 Paddle Paddle Paddle OUT NOW (@Zoroarts) July 5, 2026
In a follow-up post, the developer explained Paddle Paddle Paddle had originally been designed to take players around four hours to complete, combining roughly 40 minutes of gameplay from the free demo with an additional three and a half hours in the full release.
According to Zoroarts, many players spent far longer with the game, with reviews showing playtimes of five hours or even more than 20 hours. However, they claimed speedrunners and experienced players were able to finish it in one to two hours, making them eligible for Steam refunds.
The developer also said they had received comments telling them to “Make a Game longer than 2 hours.”
A handful of reviews stated they had refunded Paddle Paddle Paddle before surpassing Steam’s refund playtime limit, leaving positive reviews.
As a possible solution, Zoroarts suggested Steam should display an expected completion time on every store page alongside the price, allowing players to judge whether a game’s length represents good value before buying it.
Valve sends free Steam Deck case to a dad after baby pukes on it
IndieGameJoe offers to buy gamer new Steam Deck after console accidentally run over by car
While the developer pointed to reviews from players who praised the game after completing it within the refund window, not every refund was related to playtime. Other reviews cited issues such as unreliable online netcode, while some players simply said they did not enjoy the game.
Elsewhere, Valve has been grabbing headlines for the official unveiling of its Steam Machine, and its price. In June, the company explained why it didn’t make the device cheaper than a console.
