Steam Loses Tons of NSFW Games in Surprise Crackdown

A number of games have been removed from Steam without warning. The games in question all seem to have one thing in common, and it’s the fact that they all feature adult only content. As noted by users on Reddit, this seems to reflect a policy change at Steam, which now specifically prohibits content in violation of the policies of payment processors. Basically, if a payment processor takes issue with the content of a game, it might now be prohibited from appearing on the launcher. Not only could this have an impact on existing games, but it could block future games from being released.

“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,” is now prohibited, per Steam’s apparent rule change.

According to SteamDB, it appears games that put an emphasis on nudity and incest are the ones being targeted for removal; the list of removed games feature titles like Succubus in Wonderland, Prison Break Princess, and Sister X Slaves. It’s impossible to say how many users are buying and playing these games, but the sheer volume of them on Steam suggests that there is a market for this sort of thing. This doesn’t mean that games that feature sexual content are getting removed; games like Cyberpunk 2077 are safe from the crackdown. However, there is concern that this could end up being a slippery slope. As one Reddit user noted “mark my words, this is absolutely going to push games about queerness off Steam.” That’s a legitimate concern, as it could lead to critically-acclaimed games like Celeste being targeted.

So far, reception to the crackdown has been pretty negative. Most Steam users don’t seem to have much interest in this type of content. However, users have taken issue with payment processors having any sort of input about what content is allowed on Steam. The move does raise concerns over censorship, and about who should dictate what’s available on Steam. Some fans have suggested that the crackdown would have been more appropriate if it was Valve deciding what games should be removed, rather than Steam seemingly bowing to the will of outside companies.

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Censorship in the video game industry has become a touchy topic over the last 10-15 years. Anything that even resembles censorship on the part of a company tends to result in strong feelings and a big pushback. When Nintendo altered content in some of its Wii U games released in North America compared to what was available in Japan, it resulted in heavy outcry on social media, with gamers claiming that Nintendo was censoring and gatekeeping material. That was quite a few years ago at this point, so it will be interesting to see if Steam users decide to stick up for these games, and the developers that create them.

Are you concerned about this policy change at Steam? Do you think this will lead to further crackdowns? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!