Early Access is Steam's latest target to silently ban mature content.
The silent steam ban wave of adult games is going into the next round. Now Valve seems to be targeting Early Access games. Some developers have stated that they cannot put their games on Steam as Early Access titles anymore.
These developers have received a message from Steam, stating that the Early Access model does not support "mature themes".
According to Steam, early access is no longer available for games with mature themes. The restriction of adult games continues. pic.twitter.com/L7mUVKofAH
— Pirat_Nation (@Pirat_Nation) September 1, 2025
The message implies that all mature content is not allowed to enter Early Access. Rather, they are to finish the game and then try to publish it on Steam again, with no guarantee that it would work then.
The Case Of Heavy Hearts
One of the games that is hit by this new restriction is Heavy Hearts, developed by dammitbird. The game is a very spicy RPG with action elements, but seems to be within guidelines so far. The developer describes their classic turn-based RPG as follows:
Breaking away from the overcrowded Adult Visual Novel style game, Heavy Hearts is an action game with lewd content.
Games like Heavy Hearts need the visibility to survive. The game is very niche, and it might find its audience once it is on Steam. But now that it is barely displayed on platforms, the developer has to resort to donations on Patreon to continue the development.
According to Steam, developers can enter a game as Early Access on the platform when it is about 60% done. This helps get the attention of target audiences early on while getting feedback and improving the game to ensure a smooth and promising full release.
dammitbird claims to be70% done, and it seems like they have to finish the last 30% without any help now. And in the end, the game might be swept under the rug again by the ongoing bans on Steam.
Stifling NSFW Content
In general, mature themes are allowed on Steam. "NSFW" or "mature content" are well-known tags you can use to look up games that fall in that category. Steam might not have been very open about it, and allowing it came with different restrictions and conditions, but it is allowed nonetheless.
Then came the content ban, where payment processors put more pressure on Steam, issuing the platform to remove many mature games. This was born from the activist group Collective Shout seeking options to remove games like No Mercy from Steam, which was understandable and maybe even necessary, since games like these promote non-consensual acts as something "good."
But with payment processors breathing down Steam's neck, many players feel they are going overboard with the ban. Many are still afraid that games – even bigger releases – will be removed or will never be published on the platform. Games that use mature themes to tell a story or educate on mature topics, especially LGBTQ+-topics, seem to be in danger.
Now that no mature game can enter an Early Access phase, it seems like Steam took one more step to quietly silence NSFW games and their developers.
Shouldn't adult games just be allowed for adult audiences, as long as they are not immoral or illegal? Shouldn't it be up to adults to decide whether a game is too spicy? Share your opinion in the comments!