In July 2025, Steam changed its publishing rules to cover content that might breach payment processors’ standards, and Valve said it retired some games after receiving notice about potential violations. itch.io responded differently: it temporarily removed adult NSFW pages from search and browsing while auditing its large, open catalogue and payment obligations. The distinction matters: itch.io said deindexing did not itself delete pages or revoke existing owners’ library access. Its last cited update, on July 31, described free-content reindexing and a gradual path for paid content—not a full restoration. Those dated updates do not establish itch.io’s status in October 2026.
What changed on Steam and itch.io?
The events unfolded over several weeks in July 2025. Steam’s policy update referred to content that might violate rules set by payment processors, card networks, banks, or internet providers. Valve later told PC Gamer it had been notified that certain games might violate processor and related-network rules, and that it retired some games. Valve said losing payment methods could affect customers’ ability to buy other Steam games and content. The Guardian’s contemporaneous explainer reported the policy change; PC Gamer reported Valve’s explanation.
On July 24, itch.io said it had deindexed adult NSFW content from browse and search pages while reviewing its catalogue. It connected the scrutiny it faced from processors to a campaign by advocacy group Collective Shout, which had raised concerns about content on Steam and itch.io. itch.io said some pages could be permanently removed after review, and that creators collecting money needed to comply with the policies of the payment processors linked to their accounts. Its announcement and FAQ are on itch.io’s official update page.
itch.io described its response as broader than Steam’s because it operates an open user-generated-content marketplace with more than two million product pages, relied in part on tags to identify content, and had fewer resources to challenge processor decisions. Steam, by contrast, approved product pages before publication, according to itch.io’s explanation. The difference in marketplace structure helps explain why itch.io chose a broad discovery restriction while conducting an audit.
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Was itch.io deleting games, or hiding them from discovery?
Deindexing and deletion are different actions. itch.io said deindexed pages no longer appeared in public discovery features such as search, browse, and recommendations, but remained accessible through their direct pages, libraries, and collections. Previously acquired downloads remained in a user’s library if the creator had not removed the page or its files.
That did not guarantee every page would stay available. itch.io distinguished the broad deindexing from separate content notices: some pages could be flagged and permanently removed after review. The platform’s statements therefore support a limited conclusion: the initial discovery restriction alone did not revoke existing owners’ access, but page or file removal was possible as a separate outcome.
What did itch.io say about paid and free content?
On July 31, itch.io said it was reindexing free adult NSFW content. It said paid content would return gradually while it continued discussions with payment processors. This was a partial, dated status update—not confirmation that every page had returned, or that the same arrangements remain in place today. The July 31 update is on itch.io’s forum.
In that update, itch.io relayed Stripe’s position that it could not support sexually explicit content because of restrictions from its banking partners, while noting that Stripe hoped it might support adult content in the future. That statement describes Stripe’s position as reported by itch.io in July 2025; it does not establish the current availability of any processor for adult-content sales.
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Who was responsible for the restrictions?
The public accounts do not establish that Mastercard directly ordered the removals. itch.io said it faced processor scrutiny and linked that scrutiny to Collective Shout’s campaign. Valve said it had been notified of potential processor-rule violations. Mastercard, however, said it had not evaluated games or required restrictions on activity on game creator platforms. In its August 1 statement, Mastercard said its network allowed lawful purchases and required controls against unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content.
The statements describe different parts of the payment chain: platforms’ accounts of processor concerns, Stripe’s reference to banking partners, and Mastercard’s denial of directing platform restrictions. They do not disclose the full private communications among platforms, processors, banks, and card networks, so attributing the removals to a specific company or instruction would go beyond what the public record establishes.
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How many games were affected?
The Guardian reported that more than 20,000 games had been removed from itch.io’s NSFW category since July 16, 2025, citing the Game File newsletter. That is a reported figure, not an official itch.io count. The Guardian also said the exact number of Steam removals was unclear. The Guardian’s report provides that attribution and qualification.
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What can players and creators take from the episode?
- For players: If an itch.io game disappeared from browse or search, that alone did not mean an existing purchase was erased; check the library and the game’s page. A separate notice or creator removal could change availability.
- For creators: itch.io said creators who collect money must follow the acceptable-use policies of the processors associated with their accounts. The July 2025 statements do not establish which processors currently support a particular creator or type of content.
- For readers tracking the policy: Treat the July 2025 announcements as snapshots. They explain the original restrictions and intended reindexing, but they cannot answer whether all affected content or payment options have since been restored.
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