Valve has introduced a comprehensive policy to enhance the gaming experience on Steam by prohibiting games that force players to engage with in-game advertisements. Dive into the details of this new rule and understand its impact on gamers.

Valve Rolls Out Rules for Games with Forced Advertising

Games are Forced to Remove Ad Elements

Valve has launched a dedicated policy page emphasizing the ban on games that require players to watch or interact with in-game ads to progress or receive rewards. This practice is often seen in mobile games, particularly free-to-play titles that are heavily promoted on social media. These games typically feature unskippable ads between levels or offer ads for additional in-game benefits like energy refills.

The policy has been part of Steamworks' terms and conditions for nearly five years but has now been given a separate page for better visibility. This move may be in response to the increasing number of games submitted to the platform. According to SteamDB, 2024 saw an impressive 18,942 game releases on Steam.

With the surge in game submissions, Valve has tightened its guidelines. Since Steam does not host paid advertisements, it does not support advertisement-based business models for games. Developers wishing to launch such games on Steam must remove these ad elements or convert their game into a "single purchase paid app."

Alternatively, they can adopt a free-to-play model with optional microtransactions or purchasable downloadable content (DLC). A successful example of this approach is the business management simulator Good Pizza, Great Pizza, which transitioned from a mobile game to Steam, offering its add-ons as paid DLCs or unlockable through gameplay.

Product Placements and Cross Promotions Allowed on Steam

While disruptive ads are not permitted, product placements and cross promotions, such as bundles and sale events, are allowed if the relevant licenses for copyrighted content are in place. For instance, racing games like F1 Manager can feature real-life sponsor logos on racecars, and skateboarding games can include real-world brands.

This policy aims to enhance the quality of games available on PC and improve user experience by ensuring that gameplay remains uninterrupted by ads. Steam users can enjoy a more immersive gaming environment without forced advertisements.

"Abandoned" Early Access Games Now Give Warning

Additionally, Steam has introduced a feature to flag Early Access games that have not received updates for over a year. These games will display a message on their store pages, indicating the duration since the last update and noting that "the information and timeline described here by the developers may no longer be up to date."

This new alert system helps customers identify games that may have been abandoned, amidst the growing number of Early Access titles on Steam. While negative reviews can also signal a game's abandonment, having a prominent notice is a valuable addition.

The gaming community has responded positively to this feature on social media and Steam forums, with many users appreciating the transparency. Some have suggested that games not updated in over five years should be delisted to maintain the platform's quality.