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)

 

[SITHRAK!]

prohibiting things like hate speech

I hate this bullshit so much. There is no clear definitive standard for what constitutes ‘hate speech’, meaning it eventually devolves into authoritarians in charge defining anything they don’t like as ‘hate speech’. It’s an open ticket to censorship.

Weird how ‘Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque’ has been banned as ‘hate speech’ in many countries while those countries also support Israel’s ongoing slaughter in Gaza.

 

[Fount of BadSpeak]

I know anti porn people are shortsighted retards, but surely even they can see that letting some unnamed corpo Jews decide how you are allowed to spend your money is fucking insane, right? I would say that we need Trump to put a stop to this, but obviously he won't do shit about it. They already tried this garbage with guns before and thankfully mostly failed, but I guarantee they won't stop with porn by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[The Mass Shooter Ron Soye]

This is the thing for me, were any actual games effected, or just these copypaste visual novel/puzzle/low effort porn games? It reminds of the last "Valve Censorship!!" Scandal where the games that were removed were basically AI/asset flips shat out at a pace of three per day, and actual games with gameplay and a point were unaffected?

Like I literally do not care that Hentai Puzzle 53 got censored even if it was malicious because they aren't games. They are not intended to be games. They shouldn't be on Steam. It's literally just spam. If a Sextroidvania gets censored, I'll care.

It's only the first 24 hours since this rule change was spotted. I don't care what specific games are being taken down, I care about the text of the rule that admits that payment processors and banks control what Steam can host. Maybe this was already the case and putting it in writing was a plea for help.

 

[Bâtard Consanguine]

I know anti porn people are shortsighted retards, but surely even they can see that letting some unnamed corpo Jews decide how you are allowed to spend your money is fucking insane, right? I would say that we need Trump to put a stop to this, but obviously he won't do shit about it. They already tried this garbage with guns before and thankfully mostly failed, but I guarantee they won't stop with porn by any stretch of the imagination.

Last time I bought a gun with my debit card the payment was frozen, I got a text message asking me if I was the one making the purchase, and when I replied 'yes' the payment was allowed to go through. I've never gotten anything like that for other purchases, not even when I went on a road trip and bought shit in a state I've never been to before.

 

[indomitable snowman]

Someone please do a little trolling and nuke Mastercard and Visa's HQ (in Minecraft). They deserve to be griefed into nothingness.

Anyways, what is your opinion in crypto as an alternative for payment processing? Because fuck credit/debit cards.

Valve doesn't accept it directly as of yet but there are various sites where you can buy Steam gift cards with crypto.

Valve used to take crypto.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/593110/announcements/detail/1464096684955433613

This is why I hate the people who keep the block size stuck at 1mb. It artificially limits Bitcoin's potential with slow confirm times and wildly high transaction fees.

 

[Jex]

Doesn’t steam already have a soft policy against porn games? I remember like a year or two ago there was something about a guy getting his loli dating sim taken down, he was trying to rules lawyer with Valve and he was having a meltdown because he was relying on money coming in from it. If anything Valve is just using the payment processors to hand wave away decisions that they wanted to make themselves.

 

[Oilspill Battery]

drawings

I've never seen a non pedophile use the "its just a drawing" excuse. At this point to me just its just as inciminating as "cute and funny" and "UOH".

 

[neger psykolog]

I’m more worried about the payment processors banning political incorrectness than anime degeneracy. They would never allow GTA 4 to be released today.

I don't think their red zone when it comes to porn and adult content has ever actually changed or narrowed in years. They've been exactly like this since the eBay and PayPal days.

 

[COME ON OUT YOU RAPIST]

I've never seen a non pedophile use the "its just a drawing" excuse.

Yes you have, you're one of the people who tried arguing with me ages ago. You just seem to believe everyone defends art (any of it) from legislation is a pedo.

 

[Elite Kipchak]

>the heckin evil payment processors forced steam to remove
>checks notes
>Interactive Sex - Futanari Incest - Episode 4
an incredible loss and a devastating blow to artistic freedom. You will be missed, Incest Tales: Sister and Mom.

 

[Oilspill Battery]

You just seem to believe everyone defends art (any of it) from legislation is a pedo.

What is the art in question depicting?

 

[COME ON OUT YOU RAPIST]

What is the art in question depicting?

We're well past this being a reasonable stance when payment processors are using it to remove stuff from stores. Licking the boot because it's seasoned a way you like this time is still licking the boot.

 

[Oilspill Battery]

View attachment 7652806
We're well past this being a reasonable stance when payment processors are using it to remove stuff from stores. Licking the boot because it's seasoned a way you like this time is still licking the boot.

You didn't answer the question: What is the art in question depicting?

 

[No-Eyed Square Guy]

Doesn’t steam already have a soft policy against porn games? I remember like a year or two ago there was something about a guy getting his loli dating sim taken down, he was trying to rules lawyer with Valve and he was having a meltdown because he was relying on money coming in from it. If anything Valve is just using the payment processors to hand wave away decisions that they wanted to make themselves.

Their reputation is for having no problem with "real" porn games and pedo-troon-faggotry etc., while randomly cracking down on anime tiddies, dating sims, and anything that gets game journalists' attention, like that famous pickup-artist-mocking comedy FMV game whose name I can't remember that all the feminists lost their minds about.

Those are the same standards the banks have, so basically nothing will change, except Steam will say the bank made them do it.

 

[COME ON OUT YOU RAPIST]

You didn't answer the question: What is the art in question depicting?

Futanari incest in an episodic format, apparently.

 

[Oilspill Battery]

Everyone knows the "don't Google this" phrases.

That doesn't sound right, when the "keywords" for pornhub's underage mode were publisized in an article pornhub was forced to instantly react and take them down. If these phrases do still exist they are too obscure because any politician would exploit them for easy victory points if they weren't.

 

[Black Man Underwear]

That doesn't sound right, when the "keywords" for pornhub's underage mode were publisized in an article pornhub was forced to instantly react and take them down. If these phrases do still exist they are too obscure because any politician would exploit them for easy victory points if they weren't.

Pornhub isn't a search engine.

Google indexes certain sites and because of section 240 they're not liable for their content. Certain keywords will show shit they otherwise try to keep filtered out.

Youtube also has a bunch of creepy stuff from elsa X spider man tooth removal to just straight up creeper shots of kids. There's a bunch of videos online that go down these rabbit holes and it's creepy as fuck.

 

[SCV]

This is unfortunate but not surprising. Steam is an online business so they're beholden to the payment networks and before you say "but muh crypto" that would be too inconvenient for normies which is steam's primary selling point. Lord Gaben only has so much power and is currently attacking bill gates.

The only real solution is to shoah the (((payment processors))).

 

[Oilspill Battery]

Pornhub isn't a search engine.

Google indexes certain sites and because of section 240 they're not liable for their content. Certain keywords will show shit they otherwise try to keep filtered out.

Youtube also has a bunch of creepy stuff from elsa X spider man tooth removal to just straight up creeper shots of kids. There's a bunch of videos online that go down these rabbit holes and it's creepy as fuck.

Has anyone actually called out google in any capacity for this or is it just the grapevine?

Because youtube never hid elsagate, they promoted it openly.

 

[Endless Torment]

I wonder how Null feels that this site loves debanking and the fact that payment processors get to control what people are allowed to buy as long as it agrees with their values considering the same thing has happened to Null?

Maybe we should let the store decide what legal products they want to sell and not the banks and payment processors that have no oversight?