While players on Steam are hardly aware of the rules for developers, there are new rules that change how certain games receive new content.
What is this new rule? Since September 15, 2025, there are new rules for developers on Steam. These prohibit the delivery of new content through patches if it is not suitable for all ages. This primarily affects games with sexual content, which can no longer easily offer updates.
This change became known through a developer who informed his players on Steam that he could not release the planned new scenes of his adult fantasy adventure as an update. The new rules would prevent this, as reported by automaton-media.com.
New content only as DLC
What is behind the new rules? The new rules of Steam have a technical background. When a developer wants to publish a game on Steam, it is reviewed by the platform (via Steamgames.com). Such an examination also takes place upon the release of a DLC. In contrast, the review for patches is much smaller. This has apparently led to problems in the past.
A Reddit user explains that there were developers who initially released a restrained version of their game that was approved by Steam. Subsequently, the developers were said to have released a patch that added sexual content. This content was then not reviewed any further, leading to the circumvention of age protection measures.
This approach is now to be stopped with the new rules. Developers must now always release new content as DLC. This can also result in a game receiving a lower age rating than a DLC. For example, if the DLC only contains new, revealing skins that would have been released as part of a patch before the rule change.
How are players reacting? Players’ opinions vary. While some Reddit users show understanding and realize that Valve wants to close a loophole, other players on Reddit feel censored by the new rules.
They cannot understand why games that have been labeled as adult games with high age ratings from the beginning cannot release new content without extra review. After all, players have already verified their age for the purchase of the game.
Valve’s attempt to improve age protection does not come from nowhere. Since mid-year, there has been trouble with payment service providers wanting to have a say in which content their users can pay for. More about the background can be found here: New regulation on Steam ensures that payment processors can decide which games are removed
