Business Steam rules updated to prohibit content that violates rules set forth by payment processors and banks - Valve's rules regarding what developers "shouldn't publish on Steam" have a new clause regarding standards set forth by payment processors.


Valve's rules regarding what developers "shouldn't publish on Steam" have a new clause regarding standards set forth by payment processors.

2025-07-16 17:17
Amber V

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Valve has updated its rules regarding content that developers aren’t allowed to publish on Steam (as reported by Game*Spark [archive]). The “Rules and Guidelines” section of Steamworks Documentation now has an extra clause, and it suggests that publishers are required to comply with rules and standards set forth by various third parties involved in processing electronic payments. The rule seems to be predominantly related to adult content.

What you shouldn’t publish on Steam:
15. 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.
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Prior to the update, the list included 14 clauses, prohibiting things like hate speech, malware, sexual content depicting real people and any form of exploitation of children. The new 15th clause suggests that Steam may additionally have to crack down on specific types of adult content in response to the requirements of payment processors and banks. There are currently no specific examples of what this may entail.

Update (2025/07/15 at 18:30 JST): According to SteamDB [wayback], a large number of games has been removed from the platform in the past 16 hours. Judging rom the list, it appears “sex simulator” type games with keywords such as “incest” and “slavery” make up the majority. There are some confusing cases like the removal of the Ace Attorney-inspired investigation game Trails of Innocence, although this could be a coincidental deletion.
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On a related note, various video game and manga hosting platforms in Japan have in recent years run into trouble with payment processors and credit card networks. Due to certain content on the platforms going against the (often undisclosed) rules and standards of third parties handling payments, the platforms ended up without support for credit card payment. This has led to loss of revenue and even the closure of platforms like Manga Library Z. It is possible that Steam’s new rule is a means to prevent such complications from arising, however, as the specific “rules and standards” of the payment processors are also unclear, publishers might need to be extra cautious with releasing their games on the platform.

Related articles: “It’s a security hole that endangers democracy itself.” NieR creator speaks out against payment processors pressuring Japanese adult content platforms

Visa Japan’s CEO says disabling card payment for legal adult content is “necessary to protect the brand”


Niche Gamer: Steam updates rules to comply with payment processor censorship (archive)
Wccftech: Steam Publishing Guidelines Updated With Clause Prohibiting Content That Violates Payment Processor and Bank Rules (archive)

Rock Paper Shotgun: Valve change Steam's rules to let banks and credit card firms prohibit "certain kinds of adult only content" (archive)
In particular, this could lead to a stifling of games that are in any way non-conforming, particularly given the current climate of repression in Valve's home country, the USA. I know about the rule change thanks to Youtuber and self-described former game developer NoahFuel Gaming, who has posted on Bluesky about the potential fallout for projects the banks and financial corporations consider "adult" because they deviate from reactionary framings of sex and gender. As the Youtuber writes: "Queer content gets flagged as 'explicit' even when it's PG. A trans dev making a personal story? 'Too controversial.' A surreal queer VN? 'Sexualized.' Financial deplatforming in action."
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GamesRadar: Steam now prohibits games that violate the "rules and standards" of payment processors, banks, and more, and users are worried it might affect more than just "certain kinds of adult-only content" (archive)
"Yeah... this is something that looks innocuous at first glance but it's a trojan horse," another believes. "LGBTQ+ has a habit of being mysteriously flagged as 'adult only.'" On ResetEra, similar points are being shared, as one writes: "Today it's porn games, tomorrow any game with LGBTQ+ content because it ends up labelled as 'adult.'"
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Notebookcheck: Steam tightens adult content rules after pressure from payment giants (archive)
As spotted [archive] by TheGamer, this triggered a mini-purge according to the Steam Database, with many problematic games such as "Incest Tales", "Wolf on Rail", "Sex Village", "Slave of the Police Officer", and many more, being delisted from the storefront.
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GamingOnLinux: Valve gets pressured by payment processors with a new rule for game devs and various adult games removed (archive)
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rusty_von_shackleford said:
itch.io's owner has been pro-censorship for years and released this statement in response to Valve allowing Hatred to be on Steam:
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It turns out the leopards ate his face after all.

Also I wish faggots would stop naming alternative shop fronts on twitter in threads related to CS. JAST and MangaGamer are low-profile normie-repellant sites for a reason, stop telling normoids about them.
 
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The Saltening said:
apparently Collective Shout is behind this. Some retarded feminist activist group. I fucking hate these people so fucking much.

This change to steam and ichio does not effect me personally... BUT its about the principle of it. What is next? It never ends here. They will keep pushing further and further.
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Oh it's not just porn, GTA (Every game in the series) and Detroit: Become Human were mentioned, as games they want removed.
In other news, 4chan has started "Operation Fight Fire With Fire" they've listed email addresses, and phone numbers to call to complain to Visa and MasterCard. Hilariously one of the phone numbers apparently (I cannot confirm this) charges Visa per use.
 
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LGTV said:
In other news, 4chan has started "Operation Fight Fire With Fire" they've listed email addresses, and phone numbers to call to complain to Visa and MasterCard. Hilariously one of the phone numbers apparently (I cannot confirm this) charges Visa per use.
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Visa probably going to turn off the line & report any that waste time.
 
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X Prime said:
Wait. They're engaging in Total Furry Death?

This is horseshoe theory in action. I am being held down like in that one Japanese meme, trying not to scream "BASED, BASED, BASED!"
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alot of it is know info but, good find some who list what triggers an audit.
 
We need legal protections on these services just like water, power and phone.

We need neutrality spelled out and enforced in law! A 'financial services neutrality act' When it comes right down to it.. They already provide a fundamental basic public service, just as important as water or power. (two things we already legally guarantee such neutrality on) As digital currency becomes more and more normalized, such a law becomes even more imperative. (With digital money, no bank/CC/PP = no money) To say nothing of the advent of digital shopping takeover.. beginning even with food now too. A government run end-to-end PP system would be a good idea as well.

And before anyone shouts about government overreach.. The gov already regulates, dictates, backs (with our money) and covers the banks, even bailing out them in emergencies. If a private university is subject to things like title IX solely based on the fact that only a SINGLE student gets so much as gov financial help, independent of the school entirely.. (and they are, as the SC ruled years ago) Then there is no fucking way in hell someone is going to tell me that legally forcing financial service neutrality is a bridge too far!
 
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youtube alg for now (algo going change again in 16days with youtube kids 2.0)
being chatable to anita when the accountability monster came.
Pretty much she wins either way she just not being paid/ended her service when this started.
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later 10:45 does silence.exe meme point
 
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This happened on July 28, wasn't in this thread I guess:

Niche Gamer: Itch.io is ‘actively seeking’ alternative payment processors to counter censorship (archive) (ghost) (mega) (wayback)

by Brandon Lyttle on July 31, 2025

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Itch.io has released an addendum to their previous announcement, answering questions about their hasty response to pressure from payment processors to censor their platform.

As previously reported, Itch deindexed nearly all of their “adult” games. This happened shortly after Steam was pressured to add a rule deferring to payment processors to determine what’s considered appropriate content.

The situation is evolving as we await final determinations from our current payment processors, Stripe and PayPal. There are still unknowns that prevent us from providing a fixed timeline.

In the meantime, we are actively reaching out to other payment processors that are more willing to work with this kind of content. We have suspended the ability to pay with Stripe for 18+ content for the foreseeable future.
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Firstly, Itch has clarified that they’re not removing games from individuals account. This is despite some users claiming that after Itch deindexed adult games, they lost access to games they already paid for. However Niche Gamer has been unable to verify these claims.

Secondly, Itch has clarified that it’s never their intent to withhold funds from NSFW content creators. They go on to clarify that they have existing rules which are used to counter scammers and shovelware, but not to punish good faith content creators.

Some have noted a rule in our adult content policy about not processing payouts for infringing accounts. This rule has been in place for a long time to address bad-actor situations where a user joins the site and blatantly violates our terms to make sales before being banned.
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Lastly, Itch goes on to name Stripe and Paypal as the offenders causing them grief. While Visa and Mastercard have been the target of protests by gamers and free speech advocates, it’s clear that Paypal and Stripe are no better.

Online censorship has quickly become a hot button topic, with payment processor censorship entering public discourse just as the UK has introduced their draconian Online Safety Act, requiring users in the UK to verify their identities and ages for services ranging from Discord to Spotify. Despite being labeled as a law to “protect children”, critics have quickly pointed out that it appears to be a weak excuse for increased government surveillance.
 
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