Steam quietly begins removing adult games over new rule

Steam is removing adult-only games from its storefront, following a policy change tied to payment processor restrictions.

In mid-April 2025, Valve updated its developer guidelines to prohibit “certain kinds of adult-only content” that could violate the “rules and standards” of payment processors like Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal. The change was not publicly announced, but removals began shortly afterward.

The update was first spotted by SteamDB, a third-party platform that monitors changes to Valve’s developer documentation. The new rule appeared under the “What you shouldn’t publish on Steam” section and went into effect without a formal announcement.

After the change, Polygon reported that at least 22 titles were removed from the storefront. While Valve has not provided an official list of affected games, many of the delisted titles reportedly included mature themes that are frequently flagged by financial institutions.

Steam is banning “certain kinds” of adult games

The updated Steamworks documentation now states that developers may not publish:

“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.”

The policy does not provide further details on what constitutes a violation, and Valve has not issued direct guidance or clarified how the rule is being enforced.

This marks a shift from Valve’s past stance on adult content. Back in 2018, the company adopted a more permissive approach, allowing developers to publish mature games as long as the content was legal and properly labeled.

That policy remained in place for years, allowing a wide range of adult titles to remain on the platform under age-gated conditions. Now, Valve appears to be aligning its enforcement with the standards of third-party financial services, and without clear communication or an appeal process, developers are left uncertain about which types of content may be affected.

As of July, the full extent of removals remains unclear, and enforcement appears to be ongoing. Valve has not commented publicly on the changes.