Valve blocks mature games from Steam Early Access — what it means?

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Recently, Valve started preventing the sale of many games with mature content on Steam. Shortly after, itch.io faced similar restrictions after payment companies like Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal put pressure on them.

In July 2025, Steam changed its rules for publishing games, largely to satisfy requests from its financial backers. As a result, hundreds of adult games were taken down. While some of these removals were probably reasonable, it created a worrying situation. Many gamers wondered why Steam cared what people purchased with their own money.

Even though many people have criticized it, the new system is still being used. Mastercard says it didn’t push Steam to make changes, but Valve has admitted that payment companies and banks were quietly discussing and implementing these new rules.

That policy is still active, but Valve now seems to be refusing to approve games simply because of what they’re about. This is a change from taking games off the platform after they’ve been released to preventing them from launching in the first place. But what’s really going on here? Let’s take a closer look.

Valve’s new Early Access restrictions

Dammitbird, the developer of Heavy Hearts, recently announced on X (formerly Twitter) that Steam declined their application for Early Access. GamesMarkt first reported the news, and the developer also shared the reason for the rejection publicly.

We couldn’t approve your app because it’s currently in Early Access and contains mature content. Our guidelines don’t allow Early Access for games with these themes. Please remove the Early Access designation and resubmit when your game is fully finished.

This shows the game was rejected specifically due to its content, hinting that Valve has subtly updated its rules for Early Access games.

During a GamesMarkt interview, the developers admitted they felt pressured to release the game quickly due to recent circumstances, stating:

Recent events caused me to rush the process of getting my game into Steam Early Access. The usual guideline is to be around 65% finished with development, and we were actually a bit further along at 70%. However, Steam unexpectedly changed its rules without any prior notice, and now my game no longer qualifies for Early Access.

Dammitbird – Heavy Hearts Developer

This represents a tightening of content rules on the platform, prompted by requests from those who process payments. Game developers are now finding their games aren’t approved for release, particularly those with adult content, which are being blocked even from the Early Access phase. For instance, the game ‘The Restoration of Aphrodisia’ was rejected with a similar reason as the developers behind ‘Heavy Hearts’.

What was Heavy Hearts and The Restoration of Aphrodisia?

Heavy Hearts is a role-playing game for adults that combines dating simulation with a charming, hand-drawn pixel art style and animated scenes. The game focuses on storytelling, letting you experience everyday life, develop relationships, and engage in turn-based battles.

The game features mature themes, including sexual content, and delves into difficult subjects like trauma alongside stories of love and emotional connection. Importantly, the developers have made inclusivity a priority, with LGBTQIA+ characters playing significant roles in the main storyline.

Valve also rejected “The Restoration of Aphrodisia,” an adult game by Blue Fairy Media Games. The game centers around characters transforming into different forms, and its story explores themes like gender changes, merging characters, physical changes, and how these transformations affect their personalities and drive the plot.

Valve appears to be setting a firm boundary regarding game content. Recently, there haven’t been any reports of adult games being approved on their platform. The last major adult-themed game released in Early Access was Baldur’s Gate 3, which ultimately became very successful. While Baldur’s Gate 3 didn’t prominently feature explicit sexual content, it was still a noticeable element of the game.

Who gets to decide what content is allowed?

I’m concerned that payment companies are starting to control what content people can access. It’s frustrating enough having to verify my age on platforms like Xbox, and it makes me wonder just how much power these payment processors should really have.

I don’t personally believe that subscribing to adult content or even spending a lot of time gaming is necessarily good for you, but I don’t think companies that handle payments should be allowed to restrict access to these types of services. People should be able to spend their money as they choose.

I’m curious to hear what people think – are game rejections something players really care about, or is it not a significant issue?

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2025-09-17 00:40