A quiet Steam policy update leaves adult game devs guessing, as vague new rules and sudden removals spark confusion.
Valve has made changes to its Steamworks onboarding guidelines, introducing a new restriction on the types of content developers are allowed to publish on Steam. The update was made quietly and appears on the official Steam onboarding page, under the section outlining prohibited material.
In addition to longstanding rules banning “nude or sexually explicit images of real people” and “adult content that isn’t appropriately labelled and age-gated,” a new clause has been added. It now states that developers must avoid submitting “content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by [Steam’s] payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers.”
No examples or further context are provided to help developers understand what material might fall under this category.
Developers face uncertainty as Steam removes multiple adult games
The change was first flagged by SteamDB in mid-July 2025. Shortly after the clause appeared in Valve’s documentation, around 22 adult games were removed from the Steam store. Most of the titles affected were noted to contain incest-related themes, though Valve has not issued a statement explaining the reason for their removal or whether the decisions were directly linked to the updated policy.
Reports from Polygon highlight that payment service providers such as Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal have previously played a role in shaping online platform policies. These companies have a history of placing restrictions on adult content—even when such material is legal or educational.
The concern among observers is that enforcement of these vague rules may not be led by Valve itself, but by financial institutions and network partners whose internal standards can be difficult to define and are not always made public. Developers are now left to navigate unclear boundaries while submitting content, particularly in adult-only genres.
As of now, Valve has not responded to media queries about the guideline change or the recent removals. It remains uncertain whether more titles will be affected or if further clarification will be issued for publishers.
