Overview
The Steam Cost Processor Replace Controversy refers to backlash over a change to the Steam pointers, purportedly introduced on by the group Collective Shout, stating that content material that violates the principles made by fee processors is not going to be allowed on the shop. The replace resulted within the removing of a wide range of adult-oriented video video games from Steam, most of which included incest and different sexually specific themes. Information of the replace began spreading on-line on July sixteenth, 2025, inspiring outrage from some, who noticed the removing of the video games as a type of censorship and fearful that it might lead to non-pornographic video games with suggestive and even LGBTQ+ themes getting eliminated as nicely. The purported feminist group Collective Shout allegedly impressed the replace as, days prior, they printed an open letter calling for fee processors to cease processing funds on Steam and Itch.io.
Background
Collective Shout’s “Open Letter To Cost Processors”
On July eleventh, 2025, Collective Shout, a “grassroots campaigns motion in opposition to the objectification of ladies and the sexualisation of ladies,” printed a bit titled, “Open letter to fee processors cashing in on rape, incest + youngster abuse video games on Steam.”
The open letter addresses the CEOs of varied fee processors, together with PayPal, Mastercard, Visa and extra, and means that they’re profiting off of “rape, incest and youngster sexual abuse” by working with Steam and Itch.io.
The letter discusses what they name a “rape simulation sport,” titled No Mercy, claiming they acquired the sport geo-blocked in Australia and finally acquired it pulled from Steam altogether once they referred to as it out in April 2025. The letter then reads:
Nonetheless we’ve since found a whole bunch of different video games that includes rape, incest and youngster sexual abuse on each Steam and Itch.io. Our analysis has proven many of those video games would breach Australian classification legal guidelines. Many of the content material discovered inside the video games, together with the graphics and the builders descriptions, are too distressing for us to make public.
On the finish of the letter, Collective Shout requests that fee processors cease processing funds on Steam, Itch.io “and another platforms internet hosting related video games.” On July 14th, Collective Shout printed a media launch in regards to the open letter.
Cost Processors Replace
On July sixteenth, 2025, Bluesky person @mrhands31 posted a screenshot of an replace to Steam’s Steamworks pointers, writing, “The dire state of promoting grownup video games on-line simply acquired dire-er. Valve up to date Steamworks with rule 15, that claims they won’t get up for grownup gamedevs in opposition to Mastercard’s morality policing.” The rule, which is underneath the “What you shouldn’t publish on Steam” part of the Steamworks Documentation, reads:
15. Content material which will violate the principles and requirements set forth by Steam’s fee processors and associated card networks and banks, or web community suppliers. Particularly, sure sorts of grownup solely content material.
Hours later, Bluesky and X person @steamdb.information posted a picture displaying a wide range of Steam video games and add-ons, all seemingly associated to incest and sexually specific themes, that have been purportedly faraway from Steam following the implementation of rule 15. The publish gained round 250 likes on the previous and three,500 on the latter in two days.
Developments
Steam’s Response
On July seventeenth, 2025, Gaming On Linux printed an replace to their article in regards to the state of affairs, “Valve will get pressured by fee processors with a brand new rule for sport devs and varied grownup video games eliminated.” The replace included a quote from somebody at Valve in regards to the Steamworks replace. The assertion reads:
We have been just lately notified that sure video games on Steam could violate the principles and requirements set forth by our fee processors and their associated card networks and banks. Consequently, we’re retiring these video games from being offered on the Steam Retailer, as a result of lack of fee strategies would forestall clients from with the ability to buy different titles and sport content material on Steam.
We’re instantly notifying builders of those video games, and issuing app credit ought to they’ve one other sport they’d prefer to distribute on Steam sooner or later.
On-line Reactions
The information in regards to the replace to Steam’s pointers unfold on-line over the next days, inspiring considerations and backlash. It additionally impressed backlash in direction of Collective Shout.
As an illustration, on July sixteenth, 2025, Redditor u/TeaLycan made a publish to the /r/Steam subreddit voicing considerations, studying:
“[Steam] are an unlimited shopper of those processors, and will exert strain on fee processors to again off on policing different folks’s companies – this can prolong far past porn video games and the like, in spite of everything. May you think about one thing like Larian being unable to promote Baldur’s Gate 3 as a result of it has sexual content material? An enormous mistake on Valve’s half, and I hope they course appropriate,” garnering over 2,200 upvotes in two days.”
That very same day, X person @Grummz made a publish in regards to the replace that gained over 5,300 likes in two days.
Additionally on July sixteenth, X person @H1BeesNuts made a publish blaming Collective Shout for getting the video games taken off of Steam, writing, “We discovered the principle supply of fee processor strain on Steam. It is the feminists,” later elaborating in a remark, garnering over 17,000 likes in two days.
Later that day, Twitch streamer Asmongold posted a touch upon X in regards to the fee processor drama, writing, “Cost processor monopolistic censorship is among the greatest unchecked cartels proper now. Regulation is required to both break up these corporations or assure a level of service,” garnering over 14,000 likes in two days.
On July seventeenth, 2025, X person @StainedFarewell made a publish in regards to the controversy, sharing a picture of LeyLey from The Coffin of Andy and LeyLey, a preferred sport that includes an incestuous relationship, studying, “What do you imply that Steam will ban video games and TCOAAL is being certainly one of them?…” garnering over 5,500 likes in a day.
On July 18th, Redditor u/vazulkootur made a publish to the /r/Steam subreddit calling out Collective Shout as those behind the replace, garnering over 3,800 upvotes in underneath a day.
Trial of Innocence Rumor
As information of the rule replace went viral, the Ace Legal professional-inspired sport Trial of Innocence was faraway from Steam. Some believed this was because of the fee processor replace.
For instance, on July seventeenth, 2025, a publish to the subreddit /r/greentext discussing the rumor with a picture from 4chan obtained over 7,100 upvotes and 210 feedback in 20 hours.
In a while July seventeenth, the sport’s developer made a publish on Steam claiming it was quickly eliminated due to a DMCA strike and had no connection to the rule replace.
