What Steam's Approval Delays Mean for Your Game Launch

For players, slower approvals mean fewer new games to discover and potential delays for anticipated indie titles. For developers, it adds frustration and uncertainty to launching on Steam, especially…

For players, slower approvals mean fewer new games to discover and potential delays for anticipated indie titles. For developers, it adds frustration and uncertainty to launching on Steam, especially…

Key points - Valve admits game approvals on Steam are taking up to 12 business days due to re-reviews. - Jacob Navok, ex-Square Enix exec, says Steam is 'derelict of its duty' for slow approvals. - Navok compares Steam to Roblox, which releases games in seconds via automated review. - Valve says it has spent weeks scaling its review process to match submission spikes. - Navok claims Valve takes 30% from developers but invests nothing in review systems.

Timeline - Recently: Valve posts on Steam acknowledging approval delays of up to 12 business days. - November 4, 2026: Jacob Navok tweets criticism of Valve's review process, calling it 'derelict of its duty'. - After Navok's tweets: Valve states it has spent weeks scaling its review process.

FAQ

Q: Why is Steam taking so long to approve games? A: Valve says it's running behind due to re-reviewing games, which has pushed approvals to up to 12 business days. They're working on scaling the process.

Q: What does Jacob Navok want Valve to do? A: He wants Valve to invest in proper tooling and human reviewers at scale, similar to Roblox's automated systems, to speed up approvals.

Q: Is Roblox really a fair comparison to Steam? A: Not exactly. Roblox games are built within its platform and moderated internally, while Steam is an open marketplace with diverse, complex games. Automation may not work the same way.