Valve tightens Steam release rules as build reviews stretch to 12 business days

Valve is changing how games get approved for release on Steam after a review backlog started pushing indie launches back by days or even weeks. As Engadget reports, the company announced a new set of pre-submission requirements in a Steam community post.

Reviews take up to 12 business days

Valve's goal is to review new builds in three to five days, but right now reviews can take up to 12 business days. A big part of the delay comes from re-reviews: builds that fail basic checks have to go through the queue again. Valve says the new rules are meant to cut those repeat reviews, and that "more improvements are coming to the build review process".

What developers now have to do

• Run the game through Steam for at least five minutes. Valve says it regularly receives builds that have never been launched via Steam, so a game that works from its own executable may still break for players who install it from the store.
• Confirm common redistributables such as DirectX and Visual C++.
• Check that achievements are ready and that Steam Cloud save paths are configured correctly.
• Categorise screenshots as gameplay, menus, concept art or cinematics.

The AI game flood in the background

Valve did not say what caused the spike, but developers point to the wave of low-effort, AI-made games hitting the store since September. One Reddit analysis cited by Engadget found that 49.9% of games released on Steam in October disclosed AI-generated content. For small studios, the delays hurt: one developer told PC Gamer their game lost launch momentum while it waited in the queue.

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