Valve says credit card firms pressured it to remove some adult games from the Steam platform

Valve removes adult games from Steam under card firms' pressure, affecting sales.

: Valve confirmed it had to remove several adult games from its Steam platform following pressure from major credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard. The decision was made to avoid losing crucial payment processing services, which would impact a wider range of sales on the platform. Valve communicated with developers of the affected games, offering app credits for future distribution on Steam if approved by payment processors. Despite this explanation, the delisting has sparked concerns about payment processors' influence over content regulation within digital marketplaces.

Valve has confirmed that pressure from major credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard led to the removal of certain adult games from its Steam platform. These companies reportedly expressed concern about specific content that violates their content standards, prompting Valve to revise its developer guidelines to align with the expectations of financial partners. As a result, games with extreme or taboo adult themes, such as those involving incest or non-consensual acts, were targeted for removal.

In April 2025, Valve updated its Steamworks documentation with a clause prohibiting games that might breach payment processor rules. This clause was not widely announced but became apparent when developers of adult games began reporting takedown notices. Many of the games delisted appeared on SteamDB around July 2025, and the affected developers received private notices explaining that their content conflicted with payment system requirements.

The move has caused unease in the developer community, especially among creators of adult content who feel unfairly targeted without clear guidelines. Several developers pointed out that similar titles with comparable levels of explicit content remain on the store, suggesting inconsistent enforcement. Valve has not published a comprehensive list of banned themes, leaving many creators uncertain about the boundaries.

Critics argue that this represents a broader trend of financial institutions indirectly censoring creative content. They draw comparisons to past controversies where platforms like OnlyFans and Patreon were pressured to moderate or remove adult material. Concerns have been raised about marginalized creators—particularly LGBTQ+ developers—being disproportionately impacted due to their work being more frequently flagged as explicit.

Despite the backlash, Valve has defended its decision by stating that maintaining payment processor support is critical to Steam’s operations. The company said it will work with affected developers and even provide credit toward future publishing costs, provided that new submissions comply with these external standards. Nonetheless, the lack of transparency and the influence of private financial institutions on content moderation continue to be widely debated.

Sources: PC Gamer, Polygon, GamesRadar, Windows Central

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