If you frequent Steam, Valve’s leading PC gaming platform, you may have noticed a significant presence of adult-themed games. The sheer volume of such titles—ranging from the mediocre to the surprisingly well-crafted—can be overwhelming. However, recent updates to the Steamworks Documentation for developers have sparked a wave of delistings, particularly affecting extreme adult games. This development raises numerous questions about the future of adult content on the platform.
Shifting Standards and Content Guidelines
Steam’s homepage does a commendable job of curating content tailored to individual user preferences. For those who haven’t shown interest in adult-themed games, the sheer number available might come as a surprise. A casual scroll through the unfiltered New Releases page reveals a plethora of titles, some intriguing and others decidedly less so. Yet, the recent changes in Steam’s content guidelines have created a murky landscape for developers venturing into controversial themes.
Under the section titled “What you shouldn’t publish on Steam,” the updated guidance outlines 15 characteristics that are deemed unacceptable. Among these are “sexually explicit images of real people” and “applications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs.” The latest addition, which emerged just yesterday, states:
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. In particular, certain kinds of adult-only content.
This vague statement has left many developers puzzled, especially in light of similar restrictions imposed by Nexus Mods in response to the forthcoming UK Online Safety Act. The timing of these changes raises speculation about whether Valve is preemptively adjusting its policies to align with potentially stringent regulations.
In the past 24 hours, Steam has reportedly delisted hundreds of extreme adult games, as noted by SteamDB. Titles that delve into sensitive themes—such as incest and sexual violence—have been removed from the platform. Notable examples include Incest Tales: Webcam Daughter and Reincarnation in another world going to rape All NPCs VR. One particular franchise, Interactive Sex, has seen 54 of its games vanish, including Incest Daughters Episode 4 and Daddy Daughter Incest.
Interestingly, while some titles have been removed, the developer of Daddy Daughter Incest, EroticGamesClub, still has a substantial catalog of adult games available, including others that feature similar themes. This inconsistency leaves many questioning the criteria for delisting.
The majority of these adult games tend to be simplistic “visual novels,” often consisting of static images and minimal interactivity, primarily showcasing conventional adult content. Priced around , many of these titles receive little to no reviews or face harsh criticism, leading to a perception of them as low-quality offerings. Valve maintains that it is open to hosting adult content, provided it is appropriately labeled and age-gated, as emphasized in its guidelines.
The crux of the issue lies in the ambiguity surrounding the new rules. Developers are left to wonder how they can navigate the nebulous standards set forth by Steam’s payment processors and network providers. Should they reach out to companies like Mastercard or T-Mobile for approval on their adult-themed games? The uncertainty surrounding what constitutes “certain kinds” of adult content only adds to the confusion.
As the gaming community awaits further clarification from Valve regarding these changes and the expectations for developers, the implications of this policy shift continue to resonate across the industry. The evolving landscape of adult content on Steam is a topic that merits close attention as it unfolds.
