Steam Accepting The Last of Us Part 1 Refunds Regardless of Playtime

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Shaheer Zahid

Currently serving as a News Reporter at Tech4Gamers, I have the privilege of combining my love for gaming with the art of storytelling. My role involves crafting engaging narratives that keep our audience abreast of the latest developments in the gaming world.

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The Last of Us Part 1 suffered a disastrous launch on PC, with various bugs, glitches, and performance issues. It is also being review bombed on Steam, with most reviews being less than stellar on the platform.

However, Steam appears to be offering refunds on the game regardless of the playtime users have. A Reddit user claimed Steam refunded his purchase despite having a 3.7-hour playtime.

One reason for Steam’s refund could be the long shader compilations times reported with The Last of Us Part 1. At release, the game took up to 2 hours to compile shaders for mid-range PC builds, which already exceeded Steam’s refund time limit.

Looking at these reports, Valve may have extended the time limit for The Last of Us Part 1. Since there have not been too many reports of such refunds yet, it remains to be seen if Naughty Dog and Valve will issue wide-scale refunds for Steam users.

Interestingly, this would not be the first time something like this has happened. Cyberpunk 2077 faced similar issues at launch, and CD Projekt Red had to issue around 30,000 refunds.

The Last of Us Part 1 was initially planned to release on March 3 but was delayed to March 28 to polish the game further. This suggests that the PC port was not yet ready for launch and may have been rushed out to coincide with the buzz around the highly-rated TV series based on the franchise.

Naughty Dog has also assured fans that they know the issues and are constantly working on patches to fix them. The developer recently released a new patch for the game that addresses memory, performance, and other issues.

Nonetheless, it looks like Steam refunds may be the best option for any unsatisfied customers. Users can refund their purchase and wait for future patches to play the critically acclaimed PlayStation title in the best possible state.

Shaheer Zahid

[News Reporter]

Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.

Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com