TL;DR
Get the latest gadgets delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Valve has added a requirement that developers launch their games through Steam and record at least five minutes of playtime before submitting a build for review. The change is part of a wider checklist intended to reduce review delays, which Valve says have grown from the usual three to five days to as long as 12 business days.
Valve now requires developers to launch a game through the Steam client and log at least five minutes of playtime before submitting a build for review, according to a report by TechPowerUp. The requirement is one of several additions to Steam’s pre-release checklist, introduced as Valve says build reviews that normally take three to five days are now taking up to 12 business days.
The playtime does not have to come from the developer personally: any player’s recorded session counts, provided it happened within the past seven days or, if more recent, since the last build upload. The check is intended to catch submissions that have not been run through Steam, which can leave basic problems such as broken launch options or missing depots undiscovered until review.
Other additions require developers to provide at least five screenshots marked as gameplay, create a test save in Steam Cloud for games that support it, list required redistributables such as DirectX or Visual C++, and complete achievement setup. The measures cover both whether a build is ready to run and whether its store and game information are prepared for review.
TechPowerUp reports that Valve linked the longer wait to a rise in store-page and build submissions over recent months. Valve’s stated rationale, as reported, is to reduce the backlog: builds that fail basic checks can require another review, taking time away from other submissions. The source does not provide submission totals or a breakdown of how much each new check is expected to save.
How the Checklist Could Shorten Reviews
The new checks put more responsibility on developers to catch common setup problems before a build reaches Valve’s reviewers. If submissions arrive with launch settings, depots, cloud saves and required software details already checked, fewer builds may need to return to the queue after failing an initial review. That could help address delays affecting studios preparing releases for Steam.
For developers, the immediate effect is additional preparation before submission. The five-minute test is a limited requirement, but it must be recorded through Steam within the specified period; the other items call for supporting material or configuration work. The reported increase in review time also means teams may need to plan around a wait of up to 12 business days, rather than relying on the usual three-to-five-day turnaround.
The policy is a process change, not a stated new rule about which kinds of games Valve will accept. Discussion about low-effort games and AI-generated content may form part of the wider environment around Steam submissions, but the supplied report does not say that this is the cause of the backlog or the reason for the five-minute requirement.
Products Worth Considering
LG UltraGear 32GX850A-B 32-inch 4K UHD Glossy OLED Gaming Monitor
LG UltraGear 34GX90SA-W 34-inch WQHD Curved OLED Gaming Monitor
Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Speaker (2nd Gen) – Portable Outdoor Speaker with Hi‑Fi Audio, Waterproof and Dustproof, USB‑C, Up to 12 Hours
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Steam’s Expanded Submission Checklist
Steam reviews both store-page information and submitted game builds before release. According to the report, Valve’s reviewers compare games with information supplied in a content survey, which includes disclosures about mature content and AI use. The newly reported checklist changes add practical checks alongside that review, including evidence of gameplay and required technical details.
The five-minute rule addresses a specific failure pattern: games submitted without having been launched through Steam. A build can appear ready while still having problems tied to the platform’s launch configuration or included depots. Requiring recent playtime gives Valve a record that the game has at least been started through the client, though the report does not describe this as a full quality or compatibility test.
Valve has said it will not act as a gatekeeper by banning games outright simply because they are low-effort or use AI, according to the source material. That position is distinct from checking whether developers have made the disclosures required by Steam’s content survey. The latest checklist changes are presented as review-process measures; their effect on acceptance decisions is not specified.
“Valve says store page and build submissions have jumped over the last few months.”
— Valve, as reported by TechPowerUp
What Valve Has Not Detailed
The source material does not give exact submission figures, specify when each checklist item took effect, or explain how Valve measures the reported increase in reviews. It also does not say whether the five-minute launch requirement will reduce the queue on its own, or how much time failed basic checks account for.
Valve has not identified the cause of the rise in submissions in the reported information. Suggestions that discussion around low-effort or AI-generated games explains the increase are not confirmed by Valve. It is also unclear whether the new requirements will be adjusted or expanded before the next round of announced changes.
More Review Changes Expected
Valve has said more review changes are coming, but the report does not give a timeline or describe what they will involve. Developers submitting games can expect the current checklist to apply as part of preparation: recent Steam playtime, gameplay screenshots, supported Steam Cloud test saves, redistributable information and completed achievement setup.
The key measure to watch is whether review waits move back toward the usual three-to-five-day range after these checks are in place. Valve has not supplied a timetable for that, so the reported delays of up to 12 business days remain the clearest available indication of current review conditions.
Key Questions
What is Steam’s new five-minute requirement?
Before submitting a game build for review, developers must launch it through the Steam client and have at least five minutes of playtime recorded.
Does the developer have to be the person who plays?
No. According to the report, any player’s logged playtime can count if it falls within the past seven days or, where that is more recent, since the last build upload.
What other submission checks have been added?
The checklist includes at least five gameplay-tagged screenshots, a test Steam Cloud save for supported games, a list of required redistributables and completed achievement setup.
How long are Steam build reviews taking?
Valve’s reported estimate is now up to 12 business days, compared with a usual turnaround of three to five days. The source does not provide a date by which waits are expected to improve.
Is Valve adding the checks to ban AI-generated or low-effort games?
The supplied report does not connect the new checklist to a ban policy. It says Valve has stated it will not “be gatekeepers” by banning such games outright, while reviewers still compare submissions with content-survey disclosures, including AI use.
Source: techpowerup.com
