Although in recent years Steam has opened the door to many games with adult and pornographic content The days of greater flexibility seem to be numbered. A significant change in the platform's policies, implemented recently, has generated intense debate and concern among developers and players. The decision could directly impact the availability of certain types of games, especially those with content considered "sensitive" or "controversial".
But, after all, what prompted this sudden change in the guidelines and what will be the consequences for the gaming scene? diversity of titles on Steam what about artistic freedom?
Recently, Valve, the giant behind Steam, updated its rules to give it the right to prevent the distribution of content that "violates the rules and standards established by Steam's payment processors and related card and bank networks, or internet service providers". This change, although general in its wording, raises many questions about which content guidelines specific ones are being targeted.
It's no coincidence that this strategy has already been observed on other digital platforms. O OnlyFans and Patreonfor example, adopted similar measures to remove content deemed "unsafe for the workplace" or that conflicted with the policies of their own financial partners. Therefore, this new platform policy Valve's move follows a pattern already known in the online universe, where pressure from financial intermediaries can dictate content curation.
Steam has added a new rule disallowing games that violate the rules and standards set forth by payment processors and card networks, or internet network providers. At the same time, many incest themed games were removed from the store.
- SteamDB (@steamdb.info) July 16, 2025
As a direct result of these new policies, Steam has already started removing some titles from its catalog. Games with adult themes considered controversial, such as "Sex Adventures - Incest Family" and "Slave of the Police Officer", were the first to be removed, marking the beginning of the restrictions. It's important to note that this wave of removals quickly provoked a strong reaction in the gamer community.
On Reddit, for example, the players' revolt is palpable, especially given the lack of clarity in the new rules. User Farvnir expressed his indignation, stating: "A payment provider shouldn't have the power to arbitrarily dictate how other companies run their business just because they have a monopoly". This statement resonates with the sentiment of many who see the action as a form of censorship in games by indirect means.
In response to the growing controversy, Valve, in a statement sent to Eurogamer, explained that the measure was necessary to avoid the "loss of means of payment". According to the company, this loss would "prevent consumers from being able to purchase other titles and content on Steam", adopting a stance that shows itself to be submissive to the wishes of its financial partners. This justification, however, has not appeased the community.
In addition to the discussion about explicitly adult content, Valve's decision has generated a new layer of controversy, especially among independent developers and creators of marginalized content. In his post on BlueSky, NoahFuel_Gaming warned of what he called the "silent normalization of financial censorship". In this light, he argues that the measure could have a disproportionate impact on games with LGBTQ+ themesby wrongly labeling them as "explicit" or "controversial" even when they are not.
Consequently, the developer detailed:
"Queer content is marked as 'explicit' even when it's light. A trans developer creating a personal story? 'Too controversial'. A surreal queer visual novel? 'Sexualized'. Financial deplatforming in action"
NoahFuel_Gaming also emphasized that other platforms have gone down similar paths, using "moral codes of their own" to remove "non-traditional" content without clear justification. For many, this is a form of cultural erasurewhere artistic freedom is curtailed not by laws or direct prohibitions, but by the interruption of the means of subsistence.
"This is how cultural erasure happens in the digital age: not with a ban hammer, but with a denial payment processor. With a vague rule. With silence"
continued Noah. So far, the store's new policies have had few massive effects, but the outlook is that more games should be removed her as a consequence of the decision in the coming weeks and months, which will aggravate the issue of the diversity in games on the platform and the impact on games industry as a whole.
In short, Steam's new policies represent a turning point for the platform and the games industry. The growing dependence on payment processors and the vagueness of the rules open the door to wide-ranging discussions about freedom of expression, censorship and the role of technology companies in curating digital content. The future of diversity, creativity and the availability of certain types of games on Steam seems uncertain in the face of these changes. The community and developers will continue to be attentive to the next developments, seeking clarity and defending the plurality of artistic expressions.
What do you think about Valve's new policies? Leave your comment and join the discussion about the future of content on the platform!
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