Valve Reiterates Guidelines for In-Game Paid Marketing on Steam

This week, Valve is reminding developers that they are not permitted to utilize in-game advertising and promotions on Steam.

According to its guidelines (which were previously included in Steam’s pricing documentation but now have their own dedicated page), developers cannot rely on paid advertising as a revenue model for their games, such as requiring players to interact with ads before playing or restricting gameplay behind advertisements.

“If your game’s business model depends on advertising on other platforms, you will need to eliminate those components prior to launching on Steam,” Valve stated.

Other prohibited methods highlighted on the new page include using ads to “add value for players,” such as offering rewards for watching or engaging with in-game advertisements. Developers are also prohibited from charging other developers for access to Steam resources like being included in game bundles or on sale, store, and franchise pages.

For recent games that contain ads, Valve recommends developers transform these titles into a one-time purchase app or rework it into a free-to-play game while promoting DLC or microtransactions.

Publishers might also be the only ones advocating for in-game ads

Advertising policies vary widely, and some of Valve’s guidelines differ from how they are managed outside Steam. For instance, YouTube requires non-premium users to watch an advertisement (or part of it) before proceeding.

In 2024, executives at EA and Netflix expressed interest in integrating in-game advertisements into their titles. For Netflix, these advertisements could be a potential revenue stream for its gaming division and would only be offered to subscribers of the ad-supported tier of its broader service.

In contrast, EA’s head Andrew Wilson suggested that placing ads in triple-A games could be a “significant growth driver…as we begin to build community and leverage [its potential] beyond our games.” At the time, he remarked that such concepts were in early stages but still indicated that “very thoughtful implementations” were being devised by the publisher.

Months before the two companies commented on ads, Microsoft and Ubisoft faced backlash for their pop-ups. In these instances, players felt these were overly intrusive in promoting 2023’s then-upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Assassin’s Creed Mirage. At that time, Ubisoft attributed the Mirage ad to a “technical issue” occurring while attempting to place it in the main menu for various Assassin’s Creed titles.

At least on Steam, there will be no inappropriate or intrusive advertisements as long as Valve has anything to say about it.

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