Valve is tightening its game submission rules as Steam faces a growing backlog in its build review process. Approval waits have reportedly increased from a few days to more than two weeks, with repeated rejections for basic technical problems adding to delays.
Developers will now need to confirm that their games run through Steam for at least five minutes. Valve says it often receives builds that have not been launched through the platform. Submissions must also specify whether a game needs components such as DirectX, Visual C++ or .NET, allowing Steam to install them automatically. If a game advertises cloud saves, developers must verify that the feature works.
Steam will also introduce automated checks for broken or incomplete achievements and apply stricter rules to image categories, aiming to prevent images that are not representative of gameplay from being presented as screenshots. Dynamic reminders in the submission portal will prompt developers to provide content they previously promised.
Valve has not directly linked the changes to AI-generated or mass-produced games. However, the report says such titles were widespread during the recent Next Fest, while developers have described delays caused by the congested review queue. The new requirements are intended to reduce avoidable rejections and repeated submissions, but do not guarantee that the backlog will disappear.
Sources: GameSpot.