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Yes. Developers must describe qualifying generative-AI content in Steamworks’ Content Survey before submitting a game’s store page and build for review. Valve distinguishes content created with AI during development and shipped for players to consume from content generated with AI while the game is running. The live-generated category also asks developers to explain safeguards against illegal output. This is a Steam platform requirement; it is not a statement that every jurisdiction has the same disclosure law.
What AI use does Steam ask developers to disclose?
Steam’s current guidance focuses on generative AI used to create content that players consume, rather than every use of AI anywhere in a development workflow. In the third section of its Content Survey, Valve distinguishes between content prepared before release and content generated as the game runs. Valve’s Steamworks Content Survey documentation is the primary source for the current definitions.
| Use | When the output is created | What to describe | Additional live-output safeguards? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-generated content | During development, before the game runs | AI-assisted content shipped with the game for players to consume | No special live-generation safeguard description is identified for this category |
| Live-generated content | While the game runs | AI-assisted content the game generates during play | Yes. Explain guardrails intended to prevent illegal output |
| AI-powered development aid | During the development workflow | Valve says efficiency gains from these tools are not the focus of this section; the focus is player-consumed content | Not applicable unless the game also generates qualifying content live |
For pre-generated content, Valve gives artwork, sound, narrative, and localization as examples. The examples are not an exhaustive checklist. If a generative-AI tool helped create a player-facing asset that ships in the game, the fact that a person later edited, polished, or incorporated it into a larger work does not by itself take it outside Valve’s stated definition, which includes content created with AI assistance.
Examples that point toward disclosure
- AI-assisted character or environment art included in the shipped game.
- AI-assisted music, dialogue, or other sound players hear.
- Narrative text created with AI assistance and presented to players.
- Localization created with AI assistance and included in the game.
- Content produced by an AI system during play, such as generated text or imagery.
What about coding assistants and other workflow tools?
Valve explicitly separates efficiency-oriented AI development tools from the player-facing content that is the section’s focus. If a coding assistant helps write or debug code but does not create content players consume, do not assume that this is the same category as an AI-generated voice line, illustration, or story passage. The documentation’s distinction is a statement of focus, not an unconditional ruling on every conceivable tool or workflow; if an unusual use does not fit clearly, check the current survey or ask Steam Support rather than treating all AI use as automatically exempt.
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How should a developer decide which category applies?
Classify the output by asking when it is created and whether players consume it. A development-time asset that ships in the game points to pre-generated AI; output made by the game while it runs points to live-generated AI. A project can involve both, so do not force all AI use into a single category.
- List the AI-assisted outputs in the shipped game. Consider player-visible or player-audible material such as art, sound, narrative, and localization, along with other content the game presents to players.
- For each output, identify when it is made. If it is created during development and included in the released game, assess it as pre-generated content. If the running game creates it, assess it as live-generated content.
- Separate tools from their outputs. Note whether AI merely assisted development efficiency or helped create content that players consume. The distinction is about what the tool produces, not simply whether AI appeared somewhere in the production pipeline.
- Describe each applicable use in the Content Survey. Complete the survey before submitting the store page and build for review. Valve compares the answers with the build and store page during review.
- For live generation, explain the safeguards. Describe the guardrails intended to prevent illegal content. Do not treat this explanation as a substitute for meeting Steam’s ordinary content requirements.
- Check for changes before submission. If the implementation or content changes, make sure the survey description still reflects what is in the submitted build and what the store page communicates.
The public documentation establishes the categories and the timing of the survey, but it does not provide a universal wording template for every project. Describe the actual implementation clearly and accurately in the current Steamworks form; do not rely on a generic sentence that leaves reviewers unable to tell what content is AI-assisted or whether generation happens during play.
What safeguards does Steam expect for live-generated AI?
For live-generated content, the survey calls for an explanation of guardrails designed to stop the system from producing illegal content. Valve also says the ordinary requirements concerning illegal or infringing content and consistency with marketing materials continue to apply. Disclosure is not permission to distribute content that violates Steam’s rules or applicable law.
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The practical distinction is between reporting that generation occurs and explaining how the game limits the output. A useful description should address the safeguards the game actually uses, rather than simply asserting that the system is safe. The public guidance does not prescribe a particular moderation technology, filter, or implementation, so developers should not claim a specific method is required unless the current survey or Steam Support says so.
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Safeguards should also be considered alongside the game’s presentation. Valve’s ordinary requirements still apply to content and to consistency with marketing materials; a disclosed live-generation feature does not excuse a mismatch between what the store page promises and what the submitted build can produce.
Will the AI disclosure appear on the Steam store page?
Valve’s January 10, 2024 announcement about AI content on Steam says much of a developer’s disclosure will appear on the game’s store page. That means the disclosure is not merely an internal note to reviewers. The announcement does not establish that every word of every private survey response is displayed, so developers should not promise customers that the complete reviewer-facing answer will be published verbatim.
Because the disclosure can be customer-facing, describe the feature in terms that are accurate and understandable to players as well as reviewers. In particular, distinguish fixed content made before release from content the game may create during a session. The aim is not to make the disclosure sound more reassuring; it is to avoid describing one kind of system as another.
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Some Content Survey answers cannot be edited after the store page and build are approved without first contacting Steam Support. Valve says to explain the change and how testers can access the affected content when contacting support. That makes a material change to AI-generated content or to runtime generation something to raise with Valve rather than silently assuming the old answer remains adequate.
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Keep the affected content and its behavior clear enough to explain what changed. If the change involves a feature that testers cannot reach through ordinary play, include the access instructions Valve requests. The documentation does not say that every survey field is locked after approval, so check the current form and support guidance for the particular answer rather than assuming all edits are either possible or prohibited.
Does disclosure settle content rights or make otherwise prohibited material acceptable?
No. Completing the survey does not grant permission to use material, resolve ownership questions, or override Steam’s separate content rules. Valve’s guidance keeps ordinary restrictions on illegal or infringing content in force, and the 2024 announcement frames disclosure as part of Steam’s approach rather than an authorization for every AI output.
Developers still need to consider the rights and permissions relevant to the material they ship, as well as the laws of territories where the product is available. The Content Survey answers a platform-review question; it is not a substitute for a rights assessment or legal advice about a particular asset, model, dataset, or jurisdiction.
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The current public documentation centers on AI-assisted content shipped in the game for players to consume and on content generated while the game runs. It does not clearly establish the exact survey answer for AI used only in a marketing image or a Steam community asset. Do not invent a categorical exemption or assume that the game-content definition automatically answers a separate marketing-only case; consult the live Steamworks form or contact Steam Support.
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This edge case is different from an AI-assisted asset that appears both in marketing and in the game. When the asset is also shipped for players to consume, assess it under the applicable content category regardless of the fact that it was used in a store image too.
What does Valve say about live-generated adult sexual content?
Valve says it does not currently want to ship live-generated Adult Only Sexual Content, citing legal and customer risks. This is a narrow statement about live-generated content in that category. It should not be expanded into a claim that every game using AI, every adult game, or all pre-generated adult material is categorically banned. Developers considering such content should consult Valve’s current rules and support guidance rather than relying on a broader interpretation of that sentence.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should you verify before submitting?
Before review, use this checklist to catch the most common classification and disclosure gaps:
- Have you identified player-consumed content made with AI assistance, including content edited by people after generation?
- Have you distinguished development-time content from content created while the game runs?
- If the game generates content live, does the survey explain safeguards against illegal output?
- Do the survey answers match the submitted build and the claims on the store page?
- Have you separately considered rights, permissions, Steam’s ordinary content rules, and applicable law?
- If a qualifying use changed after approval, have you checked whether the answer can be edited or contacted Steam Support with the change and tester access instructions?
Valve’s currently accessible Steamworks documentation was checked on October 30, 2026. Platform requirements can change, so use the live Content Survey documentation and the form in Steamworks when preparing a submission.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a required sentence or disclosure template for AI content on Steam?
Valve’s public documentation defines the categories and asks for descriptions, but it does not publish one universal sentence that fits every game. Use the current Steamworks form’s prompts and describe your own implementation rather than copying a generic disclosure.
Does Steam’s AI disclosure determine who owns AI-generated game assets?
No. The survey is part of Steam’s platform review and does not determine copyright ownership or grant rights to use an asset. Those questions depend on the relevant rights and applicable law.
Do the Steam AI disclosure rules apply to games already released?
The current guidance describes the survey as part of submitting a store page and build for review, and it addresses changes to certain answers after approval. It does not establish a blanket retroactive rule for every already-released game, so developers with an existing title should consult the current Steamworks form or Steam Support about their circumstances.
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