Valve says Steam reviews are taking 12 business days due to need to "re-review" submissions, doesn't address growing genAI concerns

Valve has acknowledged it's taking longer than it would like to review Steam submissions due to a significant influx of video games on the platform. As a result, it has updated its pre-release review process to ensure more developers pass build review the first time around. 

The company didn't offer a full explanation as to why reviews—typically supposed to take between three to five days—have hit a roadblock, but the news comes with developers sounding the alarm about an deluge of generative AI titles making their way onto the platform. 

Earlier this week, publisher 2 Left Thumbs claimed a "tidal wave of AI slop" had left Wheel Make It stuck in review limbo, forcing it to delay the title.

Food Devils creative director Alfred Kamon made similar claims on X, where he said the game was delayed after sitting in a review queue for more than 20 days. "We can only assume it's because Steam's review queue is clogged up by AI slop, but the whole process is now taking several weeks for some developers," he added.

Without addressing those concerns directly, Valve said it has added new items to its release checklist to cut down on re-reviews "for basic functional issues."