Steam Reportedly Restricts LGBTQ+ Tag Access in China

Steam has reportedly restricted access to its LGBTQ+ tag for users with mainland China accounts, according to reports first highlighted by Kotaku, citing posts shared on Weibo, ResetEra, and X. Valve has not confirmed the reported change. However, users say searching for the LGBTQ+ tag now returns an error stating that the page "has been identified as inappropriate because it violates local laws and regulations, and therefore cannot be viewed from your current location."

The reports first emerged on June 24, 2026, through posts on Weibo.

The reported change comes as China continues to impose restrictions on LGBTQ+ visibility. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1997, and gender-affirming surgery remains legal under strict constraints. Several LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have been shut down over the past decade.

One post, later highlighted by ResetEra user Neha, advised developers to take note because Steam had disabled the LGBTQ+ tag in the Chinese region and reverse searches for the tag no longer worked. The post added that games carrying the tag were still available for purchase, but warned that the change could reduce visibility since many players use tags to discover new titles.

Valve Has Yet to Comment on the Reported Restriction

According to Neha, searching the LGBTQ+ tag from a mainland China Steam account displays the regional restriction message.

Meanwhile, users outside mainland China can still access the LGBTQ+ tag page normally. This suggests the reported restriction is tied to China region account settings rather than a global Steam storefront policy. @whyyoutouzhele, an X account that tracks developments in China, also reported that mainland users could no longer access the LGBTQ+ tab.

Valve has not issued a statement verifying the reports.

If confirmed, the restriction would align with the company's history of complying with regional regulations. Earlier in 2026, developer Ebi-hime stated that Valve contacted her after several of her yuri visual novels were removed from Steam's Russian storefront. In 2019, Devotion was removed from Steam in China after controversy surrounding in-game artwork referencing Chinese President, Xi Jinping.

If the reported restriction remains, it could affect the discoverability of LGBTQ+-tagged games in mainland China without blocking purchases.

Disclaimer: Sources used were machine-translated from Chinese (Simplified).