Valve Removes Adult Games From Steam Amid Policy Shift

Valve is implementing stricter regulations for adult-oriented content to comply with policies from Steam's payment processors, resulting in the removal of numerous sexually explicit games from the platform this week.

As reported by GameSpark and highlighted by Automaton, SteamDB records reveal significant behind-the-scenes updates as Steam revised its 'Rules and Guidelines' document, clarifying that publishing specific types of adult content may violate platform policies.

The updated policy now includes a new Section 15 that explicitly prohibits "content potentially breaching rules established by Steam's payment processors, financial institutions, or internet service providers."

SteamDB's official Twitter account shared an extensive catalog of recently removed adult games from the platform.

This situation may relate to PayPal restrictions, as users in some regions have been unable to use the service for Steam purchases over the past week.

Complete list of removed titles: https://t.co/Vy44Q0hVGN
— SteamDB (@SteamDB) July 16, 2025

This policy adjustment follows earlier controversy when UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle criticized Steam for hosting a controversial visual novel containing non-consensual sexual content. The game's developer, Zerat Games, ultimately withdrew the title voluntarily after regional bans in the UK, Canada, and Australia.

Valve's updated content policies have drawn criticism from some community members who view the measures as overly broad and potentially censoring legitimate content.

Separately, we recently covered an exclusive interview with Valve co-founder Gabe Newell, who shared insights about his lifestyle aboard his personal superyacht, which he humorously refers to as his "floating office."