If you were browsing Steam this summer, you might’ve noticed something weird: a bunch of adult-themed games just… vanished. No fanfare, no big warnings, just gone. Suddenly, “boobs and butts optional but mostly expected” isn’t the vibe anymore.
In mid-2025, Steam quietly updated its publishing rules.
The new clause: “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."
Essentially, the companies behind payment transactions (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, etc.) told Steam: “If you let these games stay up, we might cut you off.” And Steam bowed out.
That shift rippled fast: games with explicit sexual content, especially those with taboo themes (e.g. incest, non-consensual interactions, controversial kinks), were pulled down with no hesitation.
Even more drastic: Steam now restricts adult-heavy games from its “Early Access” program. This is a major blow for indie developers who rely on gradual rollouts.
And to put the nail in the coffin: future content updates with NSFW stuff aren’t allowed. Developers now must release new adult content as standalone DLC (and those can also get rejected) instead of simple patches.
For indie developers, the fallout has been rough.
Many rely on adult-themed visual novels or romance-forward games to stay afloat, and suddenly seeing their titles disappear has been nerve-wracking.
Even creators whose games weren’t especially explicit have found themselves second-guessing what counts as “too adult” now that the rules feel both stricter and less transparent.
Steam hasn’t published a detailed list of what’s allowed or disallowed, so game developers often receive vague notices saying their content violates payment-processor rules, leaving them to play a frustrating guessing game.
Players feel the ripple effects, too.
A lot of people who enjoy niche adult games, including LGBTQ+ topics and kink-friendly titles, worry that this crackdown isn’t just about extreme or taboo themes.
Instead, it appears that anything labeled “adult” might be swept up if it makes payment processors feel "uneasy".
Many of the pulled games were perfectly legal in their home countries, which adds to the frustration: the removals didn’t come from governments or rating boards, but from financial pressure behind the scenes.
Unsurprisingly, this isn’t just a Steam problem.
Other storefronts, like itch.io, have also started tightening their own standards in response to the same financial pressures. That’s led to a wave of shadow-bans, delistings, and “quiet removals” across multiple platforms.
Developers and advocacy groups have pushed back, arguing that blunt-force censorship harms creative freedom and disproportionately affects indie studios.
Industry organizations have called for clearer rules, fairer review processes, and actual transparency about what triggers a takedown.
Some developer communities fear this trend could snowball: if payment processors can dictate what kinds of legal content appear on game stores, what stops the next wave from targeting other “sensitive” themes?
At this point, it’s anyone’s guess.
Some studios are exploring alternative storefronts that don’t rely on traditional payment partners.
Others are exploring self-hosting or subscription-based funding to avoid the risk of sudden removals.
And many are simply waiting to see whether Steam clarifies its stance or doubles down on the new rules.
Somewhat good news, some of the noteworthy adult titles still appear to be publicly available on the platform. Discover them in our article:
