Diagnose the cause before spending on a fix
Refund reasons cluster tightly: performance problems, a game shorter than the refund window, mismatch between the store page and the actual experience, or a difficulty spike in the first hour. Each has a very different fix cost, and this model only pays out if you target the right one.
Cheap interventions that usually move the number
Before budgeting a major patch, try these.
- • Fix first-hour performance on minimum-spec hardware — the single biggest driver.
- • Make the store page honest about length and genre; mismatched expectations refund at multiples of the norm.
- • Front-load the hook so the first 30 minutes represent the game.
- • Publish a demo — it converts refund-prone buyers into informed ones before they pay.
Refunds and reviews compound
A player who refunds often reviews first. Because store conversion is driven heavily by review score, a high refund rate quietly suppresses gross sales for the rest of the game's life — which is why the review-sensitivity term here usually dwarfs the direct loss.
Related guides
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Read the guideFAQ
What refund rate should worry me?
Above 15% something structural is wrong — performance, length, or expectation mismatch. Between 5% and 12% is normal for PC and rarely worth a large fix budget.
How do I estimate review sensitivity?
Look at your conversion rate before and after review score shifts, or benchmark against similar titles. Under a point of lost sales per point of refund rate is a conservative default.
Do refunds return the store's cut?
Generally the whole transaction reverses, so you lose your net share rather than the gross. This model uses net, which is the conservative and accurate view.
Does a demo increase or decrease refunds?
Almost always decreases the rate, because self-selection happens before payment. Total units may dip slightly while net revenue improves.
How this calculator is built
Independently maintained
Written by Sam Doshi and the RevenueLab editorial team. We don't sell the data feeds this tool is built on.
Sourced from primary data
Benchmarks come from public AdSense / Stripe / IRS disclosures and reader-submitted data — never third-party "$X per view" claims. Full methodology.
Last editorial review
Reviewed on a rolling quarterly cycle. Dated reviews are published on the methodology record for each calculator.
Editorial standards
See our editorial policy and disclaimer. Results are estimates, not advice.