Valve changes Steam review checklist after reported approval delays affecting developers
GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed
Valve has updated Steam’s release checklist and said it is running behind on approving Steam games, a change that directly affects developers submitting store pages and builds. Reporting from The Verge and PC Gamer links the change to longer review windows, repeated re-reviews of submissions, and some developers reporting missed launch dates or multi‑week waits.
- What changed: Valve told reporters it is seeing a “significant increase” in submissions and has updated Steam’s release checklist and review requirements to reduce re‑reviews (The Verge; PC Gamer).
- Supported impact: The Verge reports review times have slipped from a typical three–five business days to as long as 12 business days; PC Gamer records indie developers reporting unanswered submissions for up to 20 days and missed planned launch dates. Valve and coverage say repeated re‑reviews of submissions are a cause of slower approvals.
- What remains unconfirmed: The evidence does not show whether the checklist will restore review windows to three–five business days, how long the backlog will take to clear, or whether other systemic causes (beyond repeated re‑reviews) are contributing to the delays.
- Where to read: use the supplied source material
What changed
Multiple outlets report Valve is changing Steam’s release checklist and has acknowledged it is running behind on approving store pages and game builds. The Verge characterises Valve’s statement as a response to a “significant increase” in submissions and says review times have extended well beyond the usual three–five business days. PC Gamer also reports Valve acknowledged it has been re‑reviewing submissions and created a new developer checklist intended to reduce those re‑reviews.
The Verge describes specific checklist requirements Valve will ask developers to meet — for example, running submitted builds through Steam for at least five minutes, ensuring achievements are ready, and confirming common redistributables (like DirectX or Visual C++) — as steps aimed at cutting down basic functional issues that lead to repeated reviews.
Supported impact
Both reports link the checklist change to real effects on developers and launches. The Verge reports review times have slipped to as long as 12 business days, and says indie developers have complained about the extended approval times. PC Gamer cites several indie teams (including the developers behind Food Devils, Wheel Make It, and Cubic Earth) who publicly reported waiting up to 20 days for a response on store submissions. PC Gamer also connects these approval delays and re‑reviews to missed planned launch dates for some wishlisted titles.
Taken together, the coverage documents three connected, reported facts: (1) Valve acknowledged backlog and increased submission volume; (2) Valve is changing the release checklist to reduce re‑reviews for basic functional problems; and (3) developers have reported longer waits and some missed launch schedules while the backlog persists.
Limits
The available reporting stops short of a full diagnosis or outcome. Neither The Verge nor PC Gamer provides a confirmed timeline for how long elevated review times will continue, nor do they present independent verification that the new checklist will return review times to the previously stated three–five business day window. PC Gamer reports that Valve has been re‑reviewing builds, but the evidence does not quantify how much of the delay is caused by that re‑review process versus other possible factors. The articles do not show whether Valve has allocated additional review resources, nor do they provide an official metric showing backlog reduction after the checklist change.
In short, the evidence shows a reported procedural change by Valve and contemporaneous impacts on developers’ submission timelines, but it does not establish how effective the checklist will be or when review times will normalise.