![[Nintendo Switch] The Hungry Lamb: A Journey Through the Late Ming Dynasty – Review](https://www.pixbulletin.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Nintendo-Switch-The-Hungry-Lamb-A-Journey-Through-the-Late-360x180.jpg)
Several Civilization 7 players who purchased the game on PlayStation consoles are reporting that they’re receiving refunds, which is quite unusual given the typical PlayStation Store refund policy. Typically, the store doesn’t permit refunds if more than two weeks have passed since the purchase or if the game has already been downloaded. However, these exceptions are being made due to frequent crashes on both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions, causing significant frustration among players.
Civilization 7 was released on February 11, 2025, over three weeks before this article was written. According to normal refund guidelines, players wouldn’t qualify for a refund after such a time period, especially if they had already downloaded the game. Despite this, several players have managed to secure refunds.
On March 5, a Reddit user named Garuff shared a conversation they had with PlayStation Support. In it, a support representative agreed to a full refund of nearly £115 for the user’s pre-order purchase of Civilization 7’s Deluxe and Founder’s Edition Upgrade. This occurred despite the customer having downloaded and played the game, with the refund happening 22 days post-launch. This player’s frustration with crashes, alongside interface and control issues on the PS5, led them to seek a refund.
Other players have also reported similar successes in obtaining refunds, to the surprise of many PlayStation users. Sony’s refund policy, tightened in 2019, generally denies refunds if a game has been downloaded or if streaming content has been accessed. Nonetheless, exceptions are possible if the purchased product is faulty. As shared by the original Reddit poster, they had contacted Firaxis Games concerning crashes occurring every 40 minutes, describing Civilization 7 as “unfinished” and “broken.” Following some troubleshooting steps, PlayStation Support recognized that while their request fell outside the typical refund policy, they processed it as a gesture of goodwill.
The ongoing refund situation underscores the technical issues afflicting this 4X strategy game. Even prior to its official launch, Civilization 7 faced mixed reviews on Steam. Early access players were largely critical of its user interface and perceived lack of depth compared to prior installments.
In conclusion, while PlayStation’s decision to issue refunds for Civilization 7 is an exception rather than the norm, it highlights significant dissatisfaction among players. These technical hitches and game-related grievances have cast a shadow over what many anticipated to be a groundbreaking entry in the franchise.
