Last week, Sony started a program that allows PlayStation owners to play select games for free for a limited amount of time as soon as the game starts downloading, essentially serving as something of a free trial for video games. The test is running until the end of October for console owners in the UK and Canada offering free trials of three relatively new titles: Death Stranding: Director's Cut, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Biomutant.

It's currently unclear what this means for the future of PlayStation game sales and if all games will allow players to test them out before purchasing. If that's the case, however, it could open the door to fix a lot of the issues with Sony's refund policy when it comes to digital purchases from the PlayStation Store. It's no secret that fans have been wanting Sony to rethink its digital storefront in a number of ways, and the free game trials might be the first major step in the company addressing a lot of those concerns.

RELATED: Sony Patent Suggests Big Change on the Way for PlayStation Store

The Issues with PlayStation's Refund Policy

cyberpunk 2077 playstation store refunds

To be blunt: PlayStation's refund policy isn't particularly helpful to consumers as there aren't a lot of instances when the company will actually give someone their money back. Essentially, if a piece of content has been purchased and downloaded, then it cannot be refunded. This means that accidental purchases that are caught before a buyer has actually installed the game are the only times when Sony will give refunds. While managing the returns of digital content can be tricky, this isn't a great solution as it means that almost nobody can get their money back, no matter the reason.

PlayStation was put in a tough position regarding refunds last December when Cyberpunk 2077 was released as essentially an unfinished product. Most other retailers were taking returns of the game and, due to the exponential increase in digital game sales over the last several years, many PlayStation owners had purchased the game via the PlayStation Store. As a one-time exception, the company offered refunds for the game and delisted it for several months until it had been patched to a serviceable level. Following Cyberpunk's release, however, it was clear that Sony needed to make a change in the way that it presents games on its digital storefront, otherwise, it might lose money again the next time a major title launches in a broken state.

How Game Trials Can Fix the PlayStation Store

playstation-store-logo

Free trials of video games seem to be a great solution for the company's refund policy if implemented for all PlayStation owners properly. It could allow Sony to retain its current policies while also giving players a better look at what any given game is actually like before making a purchase. If the game trials were around for the release of Cyberpunk 2077 as an example, players would have been able to see how poorly optimized the game was for anyone trying it on the PS4 and then they would have had been able to make a much more informed purchase, negating the need for refunds on Sony's end at all.

This isn't a perfect solution as the trials only last several hours and the countdown begins as soon as a player begins their download meaning that those with poor internet connections could lose a lot of their play window during the download. That said, it seems like Sony is on the right track for improving its refund policy, even if it means keeping the actual rules the same but implementing a brand new preview function. It's still to be seen exactly what's to come of the game trials as it's still in its early phases, but, hopefully, it serves as a major upgrade to the PlayStation services Sony is offering now.

MORE: Every Gaming Subscription with Free Games, and How They Work