![[EXCLUSIVE] Beyond the Base Game: Cygames on What Endless Ragnarok Means for Granblue Fantasy: Relink](https://cdn.gamerbraves.com/2026/06/GBF-Relink-Endless-Ragnarok-Exclusive_Interview_FI-360x180.jpg)
Valve has updated its Steam publishing guidelines, introducing a new rule that affects adult content, potentially violating the standards of financial institutions. This move has already led to the removal of numerous NSFW titles from the platform.
New Rule Targets Financially Restricted Content
The updated rule appears in the “What you shouldn’t publish on Steam” section of the Steamworks documentation. It specifically prohibits content that violates the policies of financial institutions, card providers, banks, or internet service providers, with a particular emphasis on “certain kinds of adult content.”
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.
Now listed as Rule #15, the clause does not provide specific examples, but it signals a stronger stance against controversial or explicit sexual content that may conflict with third-party payment guidelines.
Dozens of NSFW Games Removed
Between July 16 and July 18, 2025, tracking site SteamDB recorded the removal of multiple games from Steam. Most of these were explicit “sex simulators” with controversial themes like incest and slavery—types of content often flagged by companies like Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal.
Why the Sudden Change?
The move appears to be a response to increasing pressure from major payment processors like Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal, all of which have been enforcing stricter content compliance policies on digital platforms. These financial institutions are known to withhold services from platforms hosting adult content that doesn’t align with their internal standards.
Platforms like Patreon have also experienced similar restrictions and had to revise their content policies to maintain payment processing support.
A Preventive Step by Valve
Valve’s move likely aims to keep Steam compliant with payment providers, avoiding risks to credit card support, vital to its global operations.
It also marks a shift from Valve’s 2018 stance of allowing nearly all content, reflecting a stricter moderation approach. This latest move shows a pivot toward stricter moderation influenced by external business partners.
The Steam adult content ban underlines the growing influence of payment processors in shaping digital content regulations. While this update may frustrate developers of adult-oriented games, it reflects a wider industry trend where financial compliance now dictates platform policies.
For now, game developers and publishers will need to tread carefully when it comes to adult content, or risk removal from one of the biggest digital storefronts in the world.
To learn more about this, check the Steam Documentation here.
