Valve Removes NSFW Tags from Steam
- Valve has removed Steam’s broad NSFW tag in favour of more specific content descriptors
- The update also removes tags including “Masterpiece” and “Well-Written”
- New tags such as “Bullet Heaven,” “Decorating,” and “Desktop Companion” have been added
Valve has updated Steam’s tagging system by removing the platform’s broad NSFW tag and replacing it with more specific descriptors designed to improve game discovery and content filtering. The company said the changes are intended to help users better identify the type of content included in a game while improving recommendation accuracy across the storefront.
The removal of the NSFW tag forms part of a wider overhaul of Steam’s official categories. Valve has added 17 new tags covering genres, themes, and gameplay styles, while removing 28 older or less descriptive labels. New additions include “Bullet Heaven,” “Cleaning,” “Organizing,” and “Decorating,” alongside thematic tags such as “Wuxia” and “Espionage.”
“Today we’ve made some changes to the set of official store tags available on Steam,” Valve said in its announcement. The company also confirmed that several tags have been merged or renamed as part of broader changes to how games are categorised and surfaced through Steam’s discovery systems.
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Valve Is Changing How Steam Tags Work
Alongside the NSFW change, Valve removed subjective tags including “Masterpiece,” “Cult Classic,” and “Well-Written,” which the company no longer considers useful for categorisation. Other removed tags include broad geographic labels such as “America” and “Foreign.”
Several existing tags have also been renamed. Valve confirmed “Clicker” has become “Incremental,” while “Conversation” has been updated to “Dialogue Heavy.” According to the company, the changes are designed to improve consistency across Steam’s recommendation and search systems as the platform’s catalogue continues expanding.
Gamers can still add their own tags, as they’ve been able to for a while now, with a suggested tag only being added to the store once enough people use it (Valve doesn’t state how many people need to use a tag before it’s accepted, however). The last big push for a new public-generated tag (“FakeOS”) came earlier this month through the InterfaceX event, although this doesn’t seem to have had an impact going by Valve’s announcement.
Steam Has Revised Discovery and Adult Content Systems Before
Valve has repeatedly updated Steam’s discovery tools and metadata systems over the years. Recent additions have included expanded accessibility tags that allow gamers to search for features such as narrated menus, subtitle options, and save-anywhere functionality. The company has also revised recommendation systems, review filtering, and storefront organisation multiple times as Steam’s catalogue has continued expanding.
Changes surrounding adult content have also become a growing point of discussion on the platform. Last year, several adult and NSFW games were temporarily removed or restricted, following pressure (kickstarted by Collective Shout) connected to payment processors and platform compliance requirements. The situation prompted criticism from developers and preservation advocates, who raised concerns about discoverability, censorship, and inconsistent enforcement around adult content policies across digital storefronts.
