Steam Cracks Down on Games with Mandatory Ads

Valve has taken a firm stance against games with forced in-game advertisements, introducing a dedicated policy page to clearly outline their stance. This move aims to enhance the gaming experience for players on Steam by prohibiting games that require players to engage with ads to progress or earn rewards. Such practices are common in mobile gaming, particularly in free-to-play titles that often feature unskippable ads between levels or offer ads for bonuses like energy refills.

The policy, which has been part of Steamworks’ terms and conditions for nearly five years, now has its own dedicated page, likely in response to the increasing number of games seeking entry onto the platform. SteamDB reports that 2024 saw the release of 18,942 games on Steam, highlighting the need for stricter guidelines. Valve's platform does not feature paid advertisements, and thus, it does not support advertisement-based business models. Games wishing to be listed on Steam must remove these ad elements or transition to a "single purchase paid app" model.

Alternatively, developers 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, after porting to Steam, offered its add-ons as paid DLCs or unlockable through game progression.

While forced ads are prohibited, Steam does allow product placements and cross-promotions, such as bundles and sale events, as long as the necessary licenses for copyrighted content are in place. This can be seen in games like F1 Manager, which features real-life sponsor logos, or skateboarding games showcasing real-world brands.

This policy is designed to ensure a higher quality of gaming experience on PC, free from the interruptions of forced advertisements, thereby enhancing user immersion and satisfaction.

"Abandoned" Early Access Games Now Give Warning

In addition to the ad policy, Steam has introduced a feature to flag Early Access games that have not been updated in over a year. These games now display a notice on their store pages, indicating the duration since the last update and a warning that "the information and timeline described here by the developers may no longer be up to date."

This new alert system is designed to help customers identify games that may have been abandoned, amidst the growing number of Early Access titles on Steam. While negative reviews often serve as a warning, having this information prominently displayed is a significant improvement.

The gaming community has responded positively to this feature on social media and Steam forums, with many expressing gratitude to Valve. Some users, however, suggest that games not updated in over five years should be considered for delisting to maintain the platform's quality.