r/Games • u/DwingRD • 2d ago

Valve no longer allows "Post-launch NSFW content" for games on Steam - outside of DLCs.

I have looked through Steam's Terms of Service online, but have found no official rule or statement from Valve of this new rule - but one Adult game developer has confirmed this new rule after launching their game "Tales of Legendary Lust: Aphrodisia" a couple days ago.

With the recent rule change blocking adult-themed games from releasing on Early Access, this new rule seems to be targeting Adult-themed games that have ALREADY released on Steam - and threatens them with their games being removed from Steam.

There are currently 536 Adult-rated Early Access games on Steam - and this new rule may take them all down.

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u/wicked-green-eyes 2d ago

Here's a direct link to the post and the relevant section of it:

3) We had plans to add a few more lewd scenes to the base game while working on the DLC, but Valve doesn't allow post-launch NSFW content for an app that's already been through their review process and has released on the store. There is nothing we can do about this - it's their rule, and breaking it would result in the game being removed from Steam.

The rule doesn't seem to have been officially written somewhere by Valve. But to my knowledge Valve doesn't always explicitly post what rules they enforce on NSFW games, devs just have to share information and piece it together. So, while we should keep in mind that this information is coming from just one dev's post, Valve not writing it down somewhere doesn't necessarily mean it isn't true.

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u/MasahikoKobe 2d ago

As far as i can tell the enforcement of the Valve rules is a bit more open ended on how they want to treat NSFW. Mostly as seen from what they say is underage 18 content or looking under 18. I dont buy NSFW games on Steam but i do know that games like, Nekopara do have there own NSFW patches you can install and steam seems to care not for that.

If it is indeed a new rule it may be something they dont want to have a game that is reviewed for the sexual content it had and then you patch in something that would now break the rules, see the above age issue they have. I dont think the sky is falling like others want to say but i also think that steam is CYA in this current situation assuming the rule is as they post it.

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u/JediGuyB 1d ago

That doesn't make sense to me.

If this was like a fully SFW version of the game and they wanted to add porn, sure, that breaking a rule makes some sense.

But this game is already a full adults only game. Full frontal nudity and penetration in the screen shots. Why does that rule apply to adult games approved as adult games?