A Steam game priced at $199.99 recorded about $1.38 million in sales, but its creator says almost every buyer asked for a refund. The game is called This Game Costs 200 Dollars, and the unusual price was part of its identity from the beginning. It launched on January 30, 2026, from developer and publisher Stolen Valor Studios.
Creator Michael Major shared figures showing 6,717 purchases and 6,707 refunds. If those dashboard numbers are accurate, only 10 copies remained sold at that point. He said the account showed about $2,045 after the refunds. Valve has not independently confirmed the private sales figures, so they should be treated as numbers reported by the developer.
How 6,717 Sales Became 6,707 Refunds
The game's price and strange presentation helped it spread online. Players bought it to see what a $200 indie game contained, then used Steam's refund system after a short visit. The store page describes an open-world action experience, while screenshots show simple environments, animals, vehicles, and intentionally odd scenes. Curiosity appears to have driven far more purchases than long-term interest.
Steam normally allows a refund request when a game was purchased within the last 14 days and played for less than two hours. Valve says it may still review requests outside those limits, but approval is not guaranteed. A short game can therefore attract buyers who know they can look around and request their money back before crossing the standard playtime limit.
Major told WMUR that he made the game while working a regular job and did not expect the response to become this large. The story became even stranger when the sales total passed one million dollars on the dashboard. That number looked like a major success in screenshots, but it did not represent money the developer could keep.
The reported refund rate was about 99.9 percent. That is not a normal result for a commercial release, and it explains why the purchase total is more useful as a measure of online curiosity than customer demand. Ten retained sales at $199.99 also line up closely with the amount Major said remained, before any final fees, taxes, or later changes.
