Steam Tightens Grip on Games with Obtrusive Ads

Steam Cracks Down on Forced In-Game Ads and Abandoned Early Access Titles

Valve has solidified its stance against intrusive in-game advertising, creating a dedicated policy page outlining its ban on games requiring players to watch ads for gameplay or reward progression. This policy, while existing within Steamworks' terms for years, now enjoys prominent visibility, likely in response to the platform's explosive growth (SteamDB reports 18,942 game releases in 2024 alone).

The Ban on Forced Ads

The new policy explicitly prohibits games that force players to view ads to progress or unlock rewards—a common practice in many free-to-play mobile games. Games wishing to launch on Steam and utilize this monetization model must remove such elements or transition to a paid model with optional microtransactions or DLC. The mobile port Good Pizza, Great Pizza serves as a successful example of this adaptation.

Permitted Advertising Practices

The policy clarifies that while disruptive ads are unacceptable, product placement and cross-promotions (with proper licensing) are allowed. Examples include real-world sponsor logos in racing games or branded items in skateboarding games.

This stricter approach aims to elevate the quality of games on Steam and enhance the user experience by eliminating intrusive advertising.

Early Access Game Monitoring

In a related move, Steam now flags Early Access games stagnant for over a year. Store pages for these games will display a message indicating the time since the last update and warning that developer information might be outdated.

This addition complements existing user reviews and provides a clear warning for players considering purchasing potentially abandoned projects. While many users applaud this change, some suggest that games neglected for extended periods (five years or more) should be removed entirely. The positive community response suggests this is a welcome improvement to the platform.