Why Valve is Removing Games: Visa & MasterCard Censorship

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Many Steam Games removed due to recent Visa & MasterCard Censorship rules enforced!

Valve have had to delist a few raunchy games due to the demands of payment processor companies.

But what got taken down and will they stop there or are more games on the chopping block?

Visa & MasterCard Censorship

Actually, those games weren’t taken down because of instructions from Gabe Newell. Instead, they were removed in compliance with censorship requests made by Visa and MasterCard.

Steam has implemented a new regulation prohibiting games that breach the guidelines established by financial payment systems, card issuers, and internet service providers. Concurrently, several games with an incest theme have been taken down from the online marketplace.

— SteamDB (@SteamDB) July 16, 2025

Lately, Valve has added an update to their prohibited content list for Steam, clearly specifying that violating the guidelines set by Steam’s payment processors is now included in the things you shouldn’t publish on their platform.

Although PayPal is also a method they have not come out against any games or agendas.

Essentially, the new rule is predominantly targeting content suitable for adults only. Regrettably, due to censorship by Visa and MasterCard, it’s no longer possible for adults to download and enjoy games like “Slave of The Police Officer” and “Sex Village”. Unfortunately, these titles have been inappropriately removed.

Sure thing! “I understand now, this content seems to be adult-oriented and frankly, it doesn’t appeal to me based on what I’ve read.

These games comply with all the legal regulations of every nation and the platform Steam. Since they wouldn’t be released otherwise, you might think their legality is a given. Unfortunately, the censorship policies of Visa and MasterCard can influence whether your credit card allows these transactions.

Additionally, this movement was strongly advocated by the Australian feminist organization known as Collective Shout. Interestingly enough, these women have stood up for the show “Cuties” and even managed to get a Vice writer dismissed – a case of hypocrisy where rules seem to apply differently in Australia!

Some thoughts on #Cuties …and why I’m not joining calls to ban.

— Melinda TankardReist (@MelTankardReist) August 23, 2020

Having not achieved a ban on Beyond Human and GTA 5, they managed to accomplish their more recent endeavor, which was implementing Steam’s content moderation policies.

As a passionate gaming enthusiast, I’d say these seemingly underdog games currently offer a rough start, but there’s potential for them to outperform expectations. Unfortunately, the recent censorship by Visa and MasterCard seems to be causing quite a stir in Japan too.

Consenting Adult Gamers

Despite the relatively new Steam-related issues, Visa and MasterCard censorship has long been causing significant trouble in Japan. In fact, it’s gotten so severe that the Japanese government is currently conducting a formal investigation into the matter.

Due to strict censorship rules enforced by Visa and MasterCard, numerous Japanese websites were forced to remove content that was legally produced and fell under their creative rights. Despite this content being perfectly legal, these companies refused it, leading to the shutdown of these sites.

And here they are now across the pond doing the same thing but to games on PC.

Is it appropriate for these corporations, possibly influenced by entities like BlackRock and special interest groups, to wield such control over the products you, as an independent adult, can legally buy with currency?

Is that too much power for what is essentially is the middle man to say what is right or wrong?

Interestingly enough, these firms are functional even on platforms such as OnlyFans and payday lenders. However, it’s important to note that they have specific policies prohibiting the sale of certain mature content related to video games, similar to explicit scenes found in movies like “Oldboy” or “The Celebration.

Do you want to live in a world where you can buy is dictated by your Credit Card’s moral compass?

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2025-07-21 20:31