Nearly half of the games released on Steam in October 2026 disclosed using Generative AI, according to an analysis by Reddit user u/ploz of 63,600 titles published since Valve changed its rules. The analysis put the share at 49.9%, almost twice October 2025’s 26.4%. Across the first 10 months of 2026, the reported average was 40.1%.
Valve began allowing games made with generative AI in January 2024, provided developers disclosed its use through a questionnaire. In January 2026, the company narrowed the disclosure requirement to AI-generated material players can see or hear, such as artwork, textures, music and dialogue. The policy no longer requires disclosure of behind-the-scenes uses, including coding assistants and internal optimization tools.
Visual art and textures accounted for 63% of the reported uses in the analysis. Text and localization represented 30%, followed by store marketing materials at 26% and audio at 21%. Code was cited in 16% of disclosures, while dynamic generation during gameplay accounted for 3%.
Reported use also varied by developer and game. Developers releasing at least 10 titles a year disclosed AI use at a rate of 68%, compared with 37% among developers working on a single project. Games with fewer than 10 reviews had a 47% disclosure rate, while titles with more than 1,000 reviews stood at 14%.
The article links the rise in releases to lower barriers to publishing. Steam charges $100 to publish a game, and more than 8,000 demos appeared during its October 2026 Next Fest—twice the number in the previous edition. Around a third of those projects reportedly used AI.
Games disclosing AI-generated content averaged 77% positive reviews, compared with 83% for games described in the analysis as traditional creations. Valve has not introduced a global filter to hide AI-generated games, prompting volunteer curator groups to identify them and third-party services to offer more selective filtering.
The policy has also become a point of difference between Steam and the Epic Games Store. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney criticized Steam’s labeling approach, arguing that it could expose developers to harassment. The article says Epic has instead pursued broader integration of AI, including a partnership with Anthropic aimed at speeding up the design of AI-assisted games.
Sources: Jeuxvideo.com.