Steam adds Adults Only filter for games featuring explicit sexual content

Valve has added a new filter to Steam which will allow users to filter games with explicit sexual content.

A new update to Steam now provides users a way to filter out games which contain "explicit sexual content." This Adults Only filter will ensure users won't see a game featuring such content on the store.

Should a game with content filtered by the user appear on the storefront, the listing will appear blurred. This is currently the case when users filter out developers, publishers, violence, gore, or nudity and more.

"We did our best to ensure you can safely ignore swaths of games in the store, but still find them if you look directly via the search tool," said Valve. "If the game that we think you're searching for is hidden due to your mature content settings, we identify that and let you know in a safe way."

Valve used The Witcher 3 as an example of what it means by "a safe way":

Games ignored for reasons other content, such as developer or publisher, will be displayed as follows:

Along with the new Adults Only content filter, a general Mature Content filter has also been added.

From today, Valve will also require developers of games with violent or sexual content to describe the content. Some titles are labeled as containing mature content, but lack nudity or excessive violence. A description of said mature content will help users when it comes to voluntary content filtering.

"We think the context of how content is presented is important," said Valve. "Giving a developer a place to describe and explain what's in their game gives you even more information when browsing and considering a purchase.

"When you're looking at the store page of a game with mature content, we'll display that developer-written description to you. We're also displaying it on the interstitial page we show you if you ever follow a direct link from outside steam to a game that should be filtered for you."

Developers with games already available on the store will be encouraged by Valve to update games with customer-facing descriptions. In "most cases," Valve moderators will go through the catalog and to make sure games are "complying with the new requirements."

You can read the entire announcement on Steam, and it also goes over how the firm is continuing to battle "troll" developers and scammers.