Several independent developers have postponed or reconsidered planned launches as Valve works through a backlog of Steam store page and build reviews. Valve said reviews that normally take three to five business days are currently taking as long as 12 business days, citing a sharp rise in submissions and the need to review builds more than once.
Developers report extended waits
Rami Ismail, who co-developed Australia Did It: End-of-the-World Railway Defense Business with Aesthetician Labs, told Eurogamer that the game's latest build entered Steam's approval queue on Oct. 20. The build failed a review on Nov. 5 because of a controller-input issue. Ismail's team fixed the problem that same day, then submitted the build again.
The developer said the game remained in the queue after the correction, despite follow-ups with Valve. The delay illustrates the difficulty of scheduling an independent release around a review process that developers have historically been able to complete within a shorter window.
“[It] failed over a minor controller input on November 5 (which we resolved the same day), and we've been waiting again since with no meaningful response from Valve despite follow-ups.”
Rami Ismail said the game approval process on Steam had previously been more predictable for small teams. He told Eurogamer that submitting a build 10 to 14 days before launch had generally allowed enough time for two failed reviews and a final release.
Eurogamer also cited delays involving TwoMenGames, Monoii Studio and Studio Daimon. The reports point to a problem that can affect developers beyond the review itself: launch dates, marketing schedules and other release preparations can be arranged months in advance, while a review delay can leave a team without a confirmed window for distribution.
Valve acknowledges the backlog
Valve addressed the issue in a Steamworks post last week, saying the number of store page and build submissions had increased significantly in recent months. The company said it had been scaling its process to handle the higher volume.
“We aim to test every game build in a timely manner, typically within three to five business days. However, we're running a little behind right now, and it's taking up to 12 business days. Much of that delay is due to having to re-review games.”
Valve said the longer timeline includes re-reviews for builds that do not pass initial checks. Steam developers must also play their games through the platform for at least five minutes before submitting them for review, according to the guidance cited in the coverage.
AI submissions add to the discussion
The queue has drawn attention as developers and other observers raise concerns about the increasing number of games made with generative AI appearing on Steam. Valve has not connected the current review slowdown to AI-created games. Ismail said he is concerned that Valve's approach to AI could leave genuine independent developers facing additional obstacles if automated submissions and cloned games increase the workload.
- Valve says Steam reviews are currently taking up to 12 business days.
- Australia Did It: End-of-the-World Railway Defense Business has been waiting in the approval process since Oct. 20, after a corrected build was resubmitted.
- TwoMenGames, Monoii Studio and Studio Daimon were also cited as developers affected by review delays.
