valve is tightening the reins on Steam store pages with a new set of rules that aim to refine the way game descriptions are presented.

From the beginning of September, developers will be prohibited from inserting external links into the text of their game pages.

Valve’s new rules for Steam store pages

The new restrictions apply to four sections: “About the Game,” “Brief Description,” “Special Announcements,” and “Awards.”

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Valve’s goal is to ensure that users can focus on the current game without being distracted by irrelevant links to other websites or other games on Steam.

This change is a response to developers increasingly using these sections to promote other games or external websites, thereby distracting users.

“We’re seeing more and more store pages that are essentially advertisements for OTHER (emphasis in original) store pages on Steam,” Valve explained in its announcement.

The company said it is not uncommon for a game’s store page to first display a list of several other games before moving on to the details of the game being viewed.

“We don’t believe this is good for customers trying to learn about a game on Steam,” Valve added.

What developers need to know about Steam’s latest store page restrictions

For developers, this represents a significant change in the way they can market their games on Steam. Until now, it was common practice to link to social media pages, other games, or external websites directly in the description.

However, Valve now emphasizes that social media links are sufficiently covered by existing fields on the store page, so additional links in the main text are no longer necessary.

Developers will also need to rethink how they promote other games in their portfolio. Valve’s new guidelines prevent store descriptions from being used as advertising space for other titles and ensure that each game page is dedicated exclusively to the game in question.

These updates to store page descriptions are part of a broader effort by Valve to improve the user experience on Steam, including recent changes to how game demos are handled on the platform.

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