Steam approval delays leave developers waiting as Valve outlines submission checks

PC developers waiting to release games on Steam are facing longer approval times, with Valve acknowledging that build reviews can take up to 12 business days. According to PC Gamer’s November 3 report, the company attributes much of the backlog to games needing another review.

The delays have affected developers behind Food Devils, Wheel Make It and Cubic Earth. PC Gamer reports that developers described waits of up to 20 days without answers, compared with Valve’s listed review window of three to five business days.

Release plans face uncertainty

Cubic Earth developer structmira told PC Gamer that the game had attracted more than 6,000 wishlists and that its trailer had passed 60,000 YouTube views. With approval still pending, the developer described mounting player complaints on its Steam Community page and a loss of momentum.

For smaller teams, that illustrates a practical problem: building interest around a planned launch does not guarantee the game will clear the storefront’s review process in time.

Valve asks developers to check the Steam experience

Valve’s Steamworks update provides submission checklists intended to help games pass their first review. One requirement is to run a game through Steam for at least five minutes to confirm it works correctly.

The company explained that some submitted builds have never been played through Steam. Launching an executable directly can miss problems that affect customers installing and running the game through the platform.

Other checks cover required common redistributables, cloud saves, achievements and at least five store screenshots showing gameplay. Valve also said further changes to build reviews are planned.

PC Gamer raises AI-generated games as a possible factor in the backlog, but the supplied report contains no confirmation from Valve linking AI submissions to these delays. Valve’s stated explanation is the additional work created by repeat reviews.