Steam Censorship Backlash Grows as Anti-Censorship Petition Surpasses 230k Signatures

Change petition against Steam's censorship (Credit: Canva)

The fight against mass censorship on Steam has reached a new milestone. A Change.org petition opposing the ongoing removal of adult games from Valve’s platform has now surpassed 230,000 signatures, making it the largest anti-censorship campaign of its kind in gaming to date — and it’s still picking up steam.

The petition was created on July 17, 2025, by a user known as Zero Ryoko, a day after Valve updated Steam's policy and started delisting hundreds of adult-themed games, following behind-the-scenes pressure from payment processors and activist groups.

Collective Shout, an Australian advocacy group, played a significant role in pressuring financial institutions like Visa and Mastercard to block payments for games with controversial themes. However, the public response has been quick and outspoken.

In just ten days, from July 22 to August 2, the petition ballooned from around 16,000 signatures to over 230,000, completely dwarfing the original campaign that called for Steam to remove adult games in the first place. In fact, it has already collected more than three times as many signatures as Collective Shout's petition (70k+) did over a span of four months.

The petition’s message is clear: censorship of legal digital content, especially under vague and externally imposed moral standards, is unacceptable. Ryoko argues that this sets a dangerous precedent — one where artistic freedom and consumer choice are trampled by moral panic and corporate gatekeeping. “These ‘activist groups’ do not speak for everyone,” he states bluntly in the petition.

The petition’s creator also points to a perceived double standard in how payment processors operate. While adult video games featuring fictional characters are being targeted and removed, platforms like OnlyFans that feature real individuals — with all its potential for actual exploitation — continue to operate freely and profitably.

“It’s blatant hypocrisy,” Ryoko writes. “These same payment processors allowed platforms like OnlyFans to operate with minimal oversight — yet, when it comes to entirely fictional depictions, these same companies act swiftly — shutting down creators, restricting access, and acting as global censors.”

As of now, Steam has reportedly removed over 400 adult games from its storefront in what’s being widely called a censorship wave.

On the indie side, itch.io has responded by hiding all adult games from its search results while manually reviewing content. The platform has also confirmed it's searching for new payment processing partners who won’t force them to comply with morally driven demands.

Meanwhile, Valve's options appear limited. Given its massive global user base, simply dropping Mastercard or Visa — who control the lion’s share of payment infrastructure — isn’t realistic. Finding replacements would mean integrating with a patchwork of smaller, regional processors, which may not be scalable or sustainable for a platform of Steam’s size.

While Valve has stayed silent on the censorship backlash, the overwhelming response to this petition—combined with growing media and social media attention—has sparked industry-wide discussions. Organizations like UKIE, IGDA, and AFEE are questioning the direction of platform regulation and who ultimately has the authority to decide what’s acceptable in gaming.