Valve has warned developers that approval for new Steam releases is taking longer than usual, citing a significant increase in submissions for store pages and game builds. The company says reviews that would typically take three to five days are now taking up to 12 business days.
In a blog post published Tuesday, Valve outlined ways developers can prepare for the review and said it plans changes to the process. Its checks include verifying that listed features work and that basic functions, such as pausing, are available. Games cannot be published until they pass review.
Valve said re-reviews account for much of the current delay, and that its guidance is intended to help games pass on the first attempt. Reports cited by Kotaku describe some developers waiting two to three weeks without updates, while rejected games may face further delays as developers respond to the feedback or submit revised builds.
One reported case involved Wheel Make It, whose developer said the game failed review because testers could not work out how to use its listed local co-op feature. The game supports two players sharing a keyboard.
Valve has not attributed the increase in review times to a specific development trend. While the surge in Steam submissions has prompted speculation about the role of AI-generated games, the company’s stated explanation is the higher volume of submissions and the need to review some games more than once.
Sources: Game Developer.