The Steam Content Survey: ratings, mature content and AI disclosure
30 Oct 2026 · 7 min read
Before Valve reviews your store page and build, you fill in the Content Survey. Your answers feed the review, generate regional age ratings for your store page, and decide how the game appears against each customer's content preferences. This guide covers the three sections and what Valve says about Germany and Indonesia, from Valve's Content Survey docs, checked 30 Oct 2026.
What the survey is for
Valve uses your answers to review the product before release, and to help customers understand how its content matches their expectations and account preferences. After you submit for review, Valve's team compares your answers with the content in your build and on your store page.
All three sections first. The survey has three primary sections, and every one must be completed before you submit the game to the review process.
1. General content
The first section covers a range of topics that may be present in your game. Finishing it generates ratings for several regional rating boards, shown on your store page once the game releases. Valve says this data may also be used to generate more regional ratings in the future.
If official rating board authorities have already issued ratings for your game directly, you can enter them under your game's Ratings section.
2. Mature content
The second section asks you to disclose any mature content players may encounter. These answers decide how your game appears relative to each customer's preferences. Valve asks for honest and accurate disclosure, since content such as depictions of violence and sex can be sensitive.
Disclose what is in the build, not only what players can reach. Valve says you must disclose all the adult content you have uploaded in your builds, even if it is not accessible or presented in your product.
One review detail ties in here: games marked "Adult Only Sexual Content" in this survey must submit both the store page and the build before the page is reviewed, as covered in the Steam review process.
3. Generative AI content
The third section covers generative AI in your development or product. Valve says AI-powered tools built into many development environments, and the efficiency they bring, are not the focus. The section is about AI used to create content that ships with your game and is consumed by players: artwork, sound, narrative, localization and so on. If you used AI services in development or the product includes them, you describe that use in detail.
| Type | What it means | What Valve asks |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Generated | Content made with AI tools during development that ships with the game. | Reviewed like any other content: Valve checks it is not illegal or infringing and matches your marketing materials, as promised under the Steam Distribution Agreement. |
| Live-Generated | Content created with AI tools while the game is running. | The same rules as Pre-Generated, plus a description in the survey of the guardrails that keep the AI from generating illegal content. |
Valve also says it does not want to ship Live-Generated AI Adult Only Sexual Content at this time, citing substantial legal and customer risks. If you think Valve is overlooking something about AI, its doc invites you to tell it.
After you submit
Sources: Content Survey. Checked 30 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Germany: age ratings
Valve's Germany page says German regulators have specified that every game needs an age rating to be offered to German customers on Steam, and that starting November 15, 2024, Steam no longer displays games to customers in Germany if they are missing a valid age rating. Per that page:
Valve lists your games missing a German rating in a health check on the partner site. For the rules themselves, read Valve's Germany page; this guide does not add to it.
Indonesia: age ratings
Valve's Indonesia page says Indonesian regulators have specified that games must have an age rating to be offered to Indonesian customers on Steam, and that in the near future Steam may no longer be able to display games without a valid rating to customers in Indonesia. Per that page:
Valve's partner site lists games missing required ratings. For the rules, read Valve's Indonesia page.
Sources: Content Survey: Germany, Content Survey: Indonesia. Checked 30 Oct 2026. Valve updates these pages; the Steamworks docs always win.
Where a broadcast fits
Valve's content survey docs say nothing about broadcasts. A store page broadcast is a separate thing: your game in motion on the store page. Loopcast keeps one running from an uploaded video, billed per minute on air. You can try it free for 7 days, no card needed.
FAQ
When do I fill in the Steam Content Survey?
Before you submit your store page and build for review. All three sections, general content, mature content and generative AI, must be completed before you submit the game to the review process.
Does completing the content survey mean my game will be approved?
No. Valve says products on Steam must follow its content rules whether or not the content is disclosed in the surveys. The surveys help Valve see whether your product needs any updates.
Can I change my content survey answers after release?
Once your build and store page are approved for release, some questions cannot be edited without contacting Steam Support. Send a summary of what changed, which survey result is affected, and how a tester can reach the content.
Do I have to disclose AI-generated content on Steam?
Yes, if AI was used to create content that ships with the game and is consumed by players, or if the game generates content with AI while it runs. Valve says efficiency gains from AI tools in your development environment are not the focus of this section.
What happens to a game without an age rating in Germany?
Valve's doc says that starting November 15, 2024, Steam no longer displays games to customers in Germany if the game is missing a valid age rating. Players who already own the game can keep playing it. Valve's self-rating needs a completed content survey; check Valve's Germany page for the details.