Some PlayStation users who bought Civilization 7 are finding themselves eligible for refunds due to the game’s propensity to crash frequently. Surprisingly, these refunds are being granted even though they fall outside the typical PlayStation Store refund policy, which dictates no refunds for purchases older than 14 days or for games that have been downloaded.
Civilization 7 came out over three weeks ago, on February 11, 2025. Typically, the PlayStation Store has strict refund rules that don’t allow for returns if a purchase was made more than two weeks prior or if the game has been downloaded onto the console. But given the frequent crashing issues plaguing this game on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, it appears exceptions are being made.
One particular Reddit user, Garuff, posted a screenshot on March 5 that supposedly shows a conversation with PlayStation Support. The support staff agreed to refund nearly £115 for the Deluxe Edition and Founder’s Edition Upgrade of Civilization 7. This refund was arranged despite the game having been downloaded and played, and the request occurring 22 days after its launch. Garuff was especially frustrated with the game’s user interface and controls on the PS5, but it was the constant crashes that ultimately prompted the refund request.
Interestingly, other players reported similar refund experiences. This surprised many in the PlayStation community, given how the refund policy was updated in 2019 to be more stringent. Typically, once a game is downloaded or streaming content accessed, refunds aren’t allowed. However, if a product is deemed faulty, exceptions can be made, and this is evidently one such case. The initial Reddit poster detailed reaching out to Firaxis Games about crashes that occurred approximately every 40 minutes, candidly labeling the game as “unfinished” and “unfortunately a broken game.” PlayStation Support, after running through some troubleshooting steps, acknowledged that while the request was outside standard policy, they processed the refund acknowledging the issues as a goodwill gesture.
This situation highlights the ongoing troubles with Civilization 7, as the PlayStation Store seems to be allowing these refunds, underscoring consumer dissatisfaction. Even before its official release, the game had a mixed reception on Steam where early players voiced concerns over the lack of clarity in its user interface and the restricted gameplay options compared to its predecessors in the Civilization series.
