Steam’s New Adult Content Rules Have Forced Hundreds of Games to Be Deleted

A new provision added to Steam‘s developer guidelines has led to the sudden removal of many adult-themed games from the platform. While the titles and content of some games have sparked significant controversy, this change could directly impact both independent developers and the gaming community’s freedom of expression.

Steam Rules Change, Adult Games Removed

With the addition of the phrase “content that may violate payment providers’ rules” to Steam’s developer documentation, hundreds of adult-themed games have been removed from the platform. According to SteamDB data, numerous titles containing controversial themes have been removed from the store in the last 24 hours alone. In some cases, dozens of games from entire series have disappeared.

Many of the deleted games were low-quality visual novels containing erotic imagery. However, the removal of this content could affect not only these types of games but also indie developers seeking to explore complex and deep themes. Because the new rule doesn’t offer a clear definition, it’s unclear what content is considered risky, creating uncertainty for many studios.

Some developers used visual novels to tell stories about their traumas or personal experiences. However, the open-ended nature of the new rule suggests that this type of content could also be a target. Valve’s previous approach allowed for all types of adult content within ethical boundaries. Now, it’s unclear where that line is drawn.

The timing of the change is also noteworthy. Many are linking it to the Online Safety Act, which is about to come into effect in the UK and is putting significant pressure on content providers. It’s believed that Steam has implemented restrictive rules globally as a result of this law. However, Valve has yet to make an official statement.

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