Valve warns Steam build reviews can take 12 business days
Longer approval waits put launch schedules at risk, with Valve pointing to repeat reviews and rising submissions.
Valve says Steam game-build reviews are taking up to 12 business days, compared with its usual target of 3 to 5 days. The company reports a significant rise in store-page and build-review submissions in recent months.
Valve attributes much of the backlog to repeat reviews and says its changes aim to help games clear review on the first attempt. The developer of Wheel Make It reported an approval failure because Valve could not determine how to activate the advertised local co-op.
Steam approval is required before publication, making review time a launch-planning constraint. Kotaku reports that delays have cost some developers planned launch dates; developers it cited described waits of two to three weeks without communication about delays.
Game Developer raises AI games as a possible contributor, but Valve has not directly identified them as a cause.
- steam
- game approvals
- launch planning
