Steam game submissions have grown sharply, Valve said on November 3, 2026, as it outlined changes to its review process. The company said checks of game builds were taking up to 12 business days.
Valve said repeat reviews account for much of the delay. Its new checks aim to catch basic faults before games enter the queue.
Steam game submissions face new checks
Valve now requires at least five minutes of playtime through Steam before review. It said some builds had never been run through the service, even if they worked when launched directly.
The company also added checks for unfinished achievements and cloud saves. Store images can show menus, concept art or in-game movies if labeled correctly. However, five screenshots must show gameplay.
Developers report missed launch dates
The Verge reported that Studio Daimon’s Food Devils missed its planned November 3 early access launch while awaiting approval. The studio had submitted its build on October 12.
PC Gamer also heard directly from Cubic Earth’s developer, structmira, about the wait. The developer said its trailer had drawn more than 60,000 YouTube views and the game had over 6,000 wishlists. Yet player complaints were growing on its Steam community page, the developer told the outlet.
AI’s role remains unconfirmed
According to The Verge, Food Devils director Alfred Kamon suspects that low-quality artificial intelligence content is slowing reviews. Publisher 2 Left Thumbs also suspects that problem, the outlet reported. Those are developers’ explanations for the backlog.
Valve’s announcement does not blame AI for the rise in Steam game submissions. It says reviewers compare games with their content disclosures, including AI use. They also check whether games deliver the features their store pages promise. The company plans more changes to build reviews and further updates to its release checklist guidance.
