Update 12/3/2025 1:14pm PT: Humble has reinstated the game Horses on its platform. Despite reaching out for clarification, the company opted not to comment on the matter. Developer Santa Ragione provided insight into the recent delisting and subsequent relisting:
In short, their team saw the press coverage and temporarily delisted Horses to reevaluate it. After a full review, they determined that while the content is heavy, nothing in the game warrants removal from their store.
We are grateful to Humble for having reconsidered and for taking the time to check out the game, although I wish they had informed us that this process was ongoing! We are happy that it has been resolved with the game being back on the store, and we wish Steam and Epic would also reconsider their stance based on the actual game contents.
Update 12/3/2025: Following the publication of this story, Humble has made the decision to delist Horses from its storefront once again. This article has been updated to reflect this latest development. IGN has reached out to Humble for further comment. It is noteworthy that both Humble and IGN fall under the umbrella of IGN Entertainment, a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc.
Original story continues below:
Last week, we reported the unsettling news that the horror game Horses had been banned from Steam. Developer Santa Ragione expressed frustration over Valve’s lack of clarity regarding the ban, stating that no specific reasons were provided. As the game was poised for a wider release across other PC storefronts, Epic Games Store also opted to ban Horses at the last moment.
This decision was communicated to Santa Ragione via a press release, indicating that Epic informed them just 24 hours before the scheduled release that it would not distribute Horses, despite prior approval of the game’s build weeks earlier. The developer reported that no details were shared regarding the content in question, only vague claims suggesting violations of their content guidelines. An Epic Games Store representative confirmed the accuracy of the email sent to Santa Ragione, which outlined the reasons for the ban:
We are unable to distribute Horses on the Epic Games Store because our review found violations of the Epic Games Store Content Guidelines, specifically the ‘Inappropriate Content’ and ‘Hateful or Abusive Content’ policies. The ‘Inappropriate Content’ policy prohibits content which contains explicit or frequent depictions of sexual behavior or not appropriately labeled, rated, or age-gated. The ‘Hateful or Abusive Content’ policy prohibits content that promotes abuse and animal abuse. This content is prohibited by our Guidelines and cannot be distributed on the Epic Games Store. Additionally, when we [Epic] filled out the IARC Questionnaire based on the content that we reviewed, it received an Adult Only (AO) rating. Products with AO ratings cannot be distributed on the Epic Games Store (the only exception is for products in cases where an AO rating was applied solely due to the usage of blockchain or NFT technology). You have some options on how to move forward: 1. You can make updates to your product to ensure compliance and resubmit it for review. 2. If you believe we made a mistake, you also have the ability to appeal this decision. You can appeal by replying to this email or creating a private discussion on our Developer Support site. Select “Epic Games Store” as the topic. 3. You cannot change the title or content to repurpose it for another game. If you choose not to move forward, we’ll refund your submission fee for this product.
When Santa Ragione appealed the decision, they were met with a denial just 12 hours later, without any further explanation. The studio noted that their own IARC Questionnaire submission had returned a rating of “M” for “Mature,” rather than “AO,” leaving them puzzled over the discrepancy.
As Santa Ragione elaborated on the situation:
Epic’s decision comes after the overwhelming support Santa Ragione received last week upon the disclosure of Steam’s ban, including the public announcement by Epic’s and Steam’s competitor GOG that they would promote and support the game. We do not know what triggered Epic’s sudden decision. Following the announcement of Steam’s ban, Horses became highly visible online, with strong support and a small but vocal opposition. It is difficult not to wonder whether this visibility played a greater role in Epic’s choice than any newly discovered issue with the game itself.
In response to inquiries from IGN, Epic Games communications director Jake Jones stated, “We set clear guidelines for the content that can be distributed on the Epic Games Store and found violations of those guidelines during our extensive review.” As of the publication of this article, Horses remains listed as “Coming Soon” on the Epic Games Store.
Horses, which was initially revealed several years ago, has made appearances in showcases such as The Indie Horror Showcase and Day of the Devs. The game has garnered attention for its deeply unsettling premise: a young man travels to a remote horse farm for a summer job, only to discover that the farmer’s “horses” are actually enslaved humans wearing horse masks. Santa Ragione has stated that the game aims to provoke discomfort, serving as a commentary on the morally horrifying things people may accept or engage in without question. This theme was explored in a review where the game received a score of 7/10.
Despite its artistic intentions, the game has faced bans from both Steam and Epic. Last week, Santa Ragione reported that their submission to Steam was rejected after they provided an unfinished but playable build to create a store page, a request that Valve deemed necessary. Valve subsequently rejected Horses, citing its Steam Onboarding Documentation and a statement indicating that they would not distribute content that appears to depict sexual conduct involving a minor.
Santa Ragione speculated that this decision was related to a scene in the game featuring a fully clothed child “riding” on one of the horses’ shoulders. The studio has since altered that scene to involve an adult, ensuring that all characters are clearly adults in their 20s and older. They maintain that this fact holds true in the final version of the game that IGN reviewed, ironically, on the Epic Games Store. Santa Ragione expressed frustration over not being given the opportunity to resubmit a build for reconsideration by Valve, leaving them uncertain about whether the scene was indeed the trigger for the ban. The studio has indicated that without access to Steam’s larger audience, they may face the difficult decision of shutting down following the launch of Horses.
In response, Valve stated that they provided feedback to the developer regarding the reasons for not shipping the game on Steam, consistent with their onboarding rules and guidelines. They also mentioned that their internal content review team had discussed a re-review extensively but ultimately decided against it.
At present, Horses is available on Humble, itch.io, and GOG, which has publicly expressed support for the game in light of recent events.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Horses, the Upsetting Horror Game Previously Banned on Steam, Gets Last Minute Ban From Epic Games Store Too
Update 12/3/2025 1:14pm PT: Humble has reinstated the game Horses on its platform. Despite reaching out for clarification, the company opted not to comment on the matter. Developer Santa Ragione provided insight into the recent delisting and subsequent relisting:
Update 12/3/2025: Following the publication of this story, Humble has made the decision to delist Horses from its storefront once again. This article has been updated to reflect this latest development. IGN has reached out to Humble for further comment. It is noteworthy that both Humble and IGN fall under the umbrella of IGN Entertainment, a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc.
Original story continues below:
Last week, we reported the unsettling news that the horror game Horses had been banned from Steam. Developer Santa Ragione expressed frustration over Valve’s lack of clarity regarding the ban, stating that no specific reasons were provided. As the game was poised for a wider release across other PC storefronts, Epic Games Store also opted to ban Horses at the last moment.
This decision was communicated to Santa Ragione via a press release, indicating that Epic informed them just 24 hours before the scheduled release that it would not distribute Horses, despite prior approval of the game’s build weeks earlier. The developer reported that no details were shared regarding the content in question, only vague claims suggesting violations of their content guidelines. An Epic Games Store representative confirmed the accuracy of the email sent to Santa Ragione, which outlined the reasons for the ban:
When Santa Ragione appealed the decision, they were met with a denial just 12 hours later, without any further explanation. The studio noted that their own IARC Questionnaire submission had returned a rating of “M” for “Mature,” rather than “AO,” leaving them puzzled over the discrepancy.
As Santa Ragione elaborated on the situation:
In response to inquiries from IGN, Epic Games communications director Jake Jones stated, “We set clear guidelines for the content that can be distributed on the Epic Games Store and found violations of those guidelines during our extensive review.” As of the publication of this article, Horses remains listed as “Coming Soon” on the Epic Games Store.
Horses, which was initially revealed several years ago, has made appearances in showcases such as The Indie Horror Showcase and Day of the Devs. The game has garnered attention for its deeply unsettling premise: a young man travels to a remote horse farm for a summer job, only to discover that the farmer’s “horses” are actually enslaved humans wearing horse masks. Santa Ragione has stated that the game aims to provoke discomfort, serving as a commentary on the morally horrifying things people may accept or engage in without question. This theme was explored in a review where the game received a score of 7/10.
Despite its artistic intentions, the game has faced bans from both Steam and Epic. Last week, Santa Ragione reported that their submission to Steam was rejected after they provided an unfinished but playable build to create a store page, a request that Valve deemed necessary. Valve subsequently rejected Horses, citing its Steam Onboarding Documentation and a statement indicating that they would not distribute content that appears to depict sexual conduct involving a minor.
Santa Ragione speculated that this decision was related to a scene in the game featuring a fully clothed child “riding” on one of the horses’ shoulders. The studio has since altered that scene to involve an adult, ensuring that all characters are clearly adults in their 20s and older. They maintain that this fact holds true in the final version of the game that IGN reviewed, ironically, on the Epic Games Store. Santa Ragione expressed frustration over not being given the opportunity to resubmit a build for reconsideration by Valve, leaving them uncertain about whether the scene was indeed the trigger for the ban. The studio has indicated that without access to Steam’s larger audience, they may face the difficult decision of shutting down following the launch of Horses.
In response, Valve stated that they provided feedback to the developer regarding the reasons for not shipping the game on Steam, consistent with their onboarding rules and guidelines. They also mentioned that their internal content review team had discussed a re-review extensively but ultimately decided against it.
At present, Horses is available on Humble, itch.io, and GOG, which has publicly expressed support for the game in light of recent events.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.