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.

https://automaton-media.com/en/news/steam-rules-updated-to-prohibit-content-that-violates-rules-set-forth-by-payment-processors-and-banks/

https://archive.ph/NXq04

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



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.

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.

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”

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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."

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.'"

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.

GamingOnLinux: Valve gets pressured by payment processors with a new rule for game devs and various adult games removed (archive)

 

[Strangolapreti]

Funnily enough, its women the ones with the rape/powerplay fetishes collective shout wants removed, just think of 50 shades and other shitty erotic novels. The only other group of people that tends to like that is jeets.

 

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https://80.lv/articles/itch-io-follows-steam-in-caving-to-payment-processors

https://archive.ph/wip/0HsXW

Update on NSFW content​

July 24, 2025 · by leafo (@moonscript)
Update on NSFW content
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We have “deindexed” all adult NSFW content from our browse and search pages. We understand this action is sudden and disruptive, and we are truly sorry for the frustration and confusion caused by this change.

Recently, we came under scrutiny from our payment processors regarding the nature of some content hosted on itch.io. Due to a game titled No Mercy, which was temporarily available on itch.io before being banned back in April, the organization Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and itch.io, directing concerns to our payment processors about the nature of certain content found on both platforms.

Our ability to process payments is critical for every creator on our platform. To ensure that we can continue to operate and provide a marketplace for all developers, we must prioritize our relationship with our payment partners and take immediate steps towards compliance.

This is a time critical moment for itch.io. The situation developed rapidly, and we had to act urgently to protect the platform’s core payment infrastructure. Unfortunately, this meant it was not realistic to provide creators with advance notice before making this change. We know this is not ideal, and we apologize for the abruptness of this change.

We are currently conducting a comprehensive audit of content to ensure we can meet the requirements of our payment processors. Pages will remain deindexed as we complete our review. Once this review is complete, we will introduce new compliance measures. For NSFW pages, this will include a new step where creators must confirm that their content is allowable under the policies of the respective payment processors linked to their account.

Part of this review will see some pages being permanently removed from itch.io. Affected accounts will be notified via their account’s email address from our support address. You can reply to that email if you have any follow up questions.

We ask for your patience and understanding as we navigate this challenging period. I’m sorry we can not share more at this time as we are still getting a full understanding of the situation ourselves. We will post a follow up on our blog if the situation changes.

Thank you.

https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content

https://archive.ph/QXd7k

Either the cunts from Australia went after Itch, or the Steam crackdown gave the Payment Processors the clout they needed to go after other platforms, or the payment processors are doing a systemic review of everyone now. Either way, LGBTQPBBQ friendly "indie" platform Itch.io has done a Tumblr tier pornageddon purge. Beyond just Steam's polite nuke of anything that specifically would be against their masters at Visa/Mastercard's rules, Itch.io removed EVERYTHING flagged NSFW.

Accelerate, Jews, Accelerate! Clearly nothing bad can happen from you getting a position of strength over people and attempting to crush all businesses online everywhere under your heel.

 

[4090 Chad]

I’m kind of glad these things keep happening so this payment processor issue can remain in the zeitgeist longer and hopefully get the ball rolling on fucking Visa and Mastercard.

 

[OtherLastTrainHome]

when patreon goes, then it's over. once it does, OnlyFans logically follows. but that's probably too optimistic. either way, patreon can't not be bent because many of its top earning projects are financial tugboat furry porn games that more than fit the criteria of obscenity, as well as bestiality and hypnosis.

 

[Mr. Bobby Brown]

TOTAL PAYMENT PROCESSOR DEATH

TOTAL SHITTY MORALFAGGING FEMINIST DEATH

 

[Whoopsie Daisy]

OF won't be affected because it gives the normies too much to talk about. Once OF shutting down hits the ears of the plebs, they will talk about it, the reasons why it shut down and what happens next.
You can't have herds of cattle stampeding in fear to whatever alternative narrative, or piracy site, exists.

I can only imagine what OF getting axed due to payment processors, would mean for the popularity of 'free' porn sites and piracy numbers.
The again, the west is run by Islamic fundamentalists, so blasphemy laws and banning porn makes sense.

 

[The Ugly One]

Funnily enough, its women the ones with the rape/powerplay fetishes collective shout wants removed, just think of 50 shades and other shitty erotic novels. The only other group of people that tends to like that is jeets.

The only way this ends is if somebody gets the payment processors to force Amazon to delist female-oriented rape goonerfiction. You want something to end, make it hurt women. It's like how the tranny thing didn't run into any obstacles when they were molesting kids, but beating a woman in a sport? Now it's fightin' time.

 

[WuTangClan2299]

Either the cunts from Australia went after Itch, or the Steam crackdown gave the Payment Processors the clout they needed to go after other platforms, or the payment processors are doing a systemic review of everyone now

Iirc they said around the same time the stream shit happened they were also going after GoG and Itch next. GoG bent the knee the day steam did and will no longer publish adult games



Is the this the start of the great Troon, Furry and Chud Alliance?

 

[Necrosan]

So why does OnlyFans get to continue to exist?

Silly goy, they are only banning porn they can't control. That's why they get so uppity at nippons.

It will be interesting to see what they'll do about things like gachas and the nuclear warfare they'll trigger by denying weebs' access to their jpegs.

As someone mentioned before, I'm glad this is happening and that everytime it does you can see the words "PAYMENT PROCESSORS" in bold and centered.

 

[Strangolapreti]

Is the this the start of the great Troon, Furry and Chud Alliance?

I doubt it, I don't even know if there will be traction on this when compared to something like SKG, mainly because most people do not like rape and incest hentai nor the games that were censored in general, despite this whole thing being potentially more dangerous in the long term than people expect.

 

[reactionary]

I think that banning porn games is a good thing.

 

[Strangolapreti]

I think that banning porn games is a good thing.
View attachment 7685179

It's less about what is getting banned but rather how they got banned.
If you genuinley think steam/itch are a worse place without "Futnari incest goylsop collection part 2, totally not AI generated" then you are a massive fucking retard.
Rather you should question yourself this: if a bunch of retard femminist managed push payment processors into censoring that shit, then what will stop them to removed other stuff later?

 

[Chapalapachapa]

if a bunch of retard femminist managed push payment processors into censoring that shit, then what will stop them to removed other stuff later?

what stuff you fucking gooner, gta 6?, booze and fags from the supermarket? the strip club on fridays?

 

[reactionary]

It's less about what is getting banned but rather how they got banned.

Heartbreaking: the worst people you know (payment processors) just made a good point.

Null is already used to their bullshit. Now it's time for porn-brained troons to suffer.

 

[Spud]

Imagine going through the process to get T&H and still think that payment processors should have the authority to dictate what legal content a law abiding citizen can and cannot buy.

what are you going to do about !!

I'm going to report the women's "romance" books, the vast majority are published through amazon so it wouldn't take that long for Visa/MC and Amazon to come to an agreement and ban them.

 

[Terrifik]

Either the cunts from Australia went after Itch, or the Steam crackdown gave the Payment Processors the clout they needed to go after other platforms, or the payment processors are doing a systemic review of everyone now. Either way, LGBTQPBBQ friendly "indie" platform Itch.io has done a Tumblr tier pornageddon purge. Beyond just Steam's polite nuke of anything that specifically would be against their masters at Visa/Mastercard's rules, Itch.io removed EVERYTHING flagged NSFW.

Accelerate, Jews, Accelerate! Clearly nothing bad can happen from you getting a position of strength over people and attempting to crush all businesses online everywhere under your heel.

Pretty much !
its good old end game.
down last part of what are you going to do about !!

 

[Do Not Touch Me Pls]

Either the cunts from Australia went after Itch, or the Steam crackdown gave the Payment Processors the clout they needed to go after other platforms, or the payment processors are doing a systemic review of everyone now. Either way, LGBTQPBBQ friendly "indie" platform Itch.io has done a Tumblr tier pornageddon purge. Beyond just Steam's polite nuke of anything that specifically would be against their masters at Visa/Mastercard's rules, Itch.io removed EVERYTHING flagged NSFW.

They did go after itch, trust me.

And it will get worse.

It won't be slop next, it will be a long list of borderline porn games that the Australian Government banned. Or the same sort.

Stellar Blade doesn't count, but a mass removal on Compile Heart games is a win for the Australian government.

 

[Fcret]

All they need to do now is target BookTok slop and we might actually see some real fire and brimstone.

 

[reactionary]

Imagine going through the process to get T&H and still think that payment processors should have the authority to dictate what legal content a law abiding citizen can and cannot buy.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I've had first-hand experience of their bullshit. They essentially debanked my entire country and I hate their fucking guts.

However, them forcing Steam and Itch to do something with their porn game problem is absolutely fucking based and I will stand by it.

 

[Spud]

absolutely fucking based and I will stand by it.

I think them debanking your country is absolutely based and I will stand by it. If you were a real country you'd be able to make your own payment processor.