All Steam Games Must Have a Rating to Be Sold in Germany by November

Starting November 15, 2024, Steam will no longer sell games without an age rating in Germany. Valve made this clear through a recent update, telling developers they need to follow this rule. This means that any game on Steam without an age rating won’t be available to German customers after this date. It’s a major change, but one that matches Germany’s strong rules about what can be sold to people.

In an announcement on Steamworks Documentation, developers are required to fill out Steam’s built-in content questionnaire truthfully. Once completed, the system will automatically generate a rating for Germany. However, Valve has warned that certain content, if disclosed, may still prevent a game from being sold in the country.

Germany is making this decision as part of its effort to ensure all digital content, especially games, is properly rated for the right audience. Developers and publishers with games already on Steam before this rule must now make sure their games meet these new requirements.

Developers have the option to get an official rating from the USK, which is Germany’s age rating system, but they don’t have to. For most games, Valve’s built-in system will do the job. However, Valve made it clear that completing the questionnaire doesn’t guarantee a game’s availability in Germany if it contains prohibited content.

In related news, California has taken a different step in managing digital purchases. A new California law forces digital stores to clearly state that customers are only licensing content, not owning it. This change shows how more and more attention is being given to protecting consumers in the digital world, just like how Germany is focusing on age ratings for games.

As the deadline gets closer, developers will need to act quickly to make sure their games stay available in one of the biggest gaming markets in the world.

More MP1st Reading:

• PS5 New UI Update Also Brought Ads You Can’t Turn Off and Unwanted Forced News Feed to Select Titles
• EA Announces “In Place Updates” Patching Tech for Games, Reduces Disk Errors by 60%
• Rumor: Nintendo Switch 2 Development Now ‘Complete,’ With Release Set for March or April 2025

Thanks, SteamDB!

Stay connected to MP1st and the latest news by following us on Bluesky, X, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Google News.