Steam has officially banned games with ads from its platform in a new statement released this past weekend. Owned and operated by Valve, developers of such games as Half-Life, Team Fortress 2, and Portal, Steam is a wildly popular digital platform for distributing and organizing PC games. Although there are alternatives like the Epic Games Store, many players prefer Steam for its vast library, built-in community features, and convenience.

And now, PC gamers will have another reason to choose this platform: in a new set of guidelines via Steamworks, Steam has banned games that “utilize paid advertising as a business model in their game, such as requiring players to watch or otherwise engage with advertising in order to play, or gating gameplay behind advertising.” If a game on the platform already contains advertising as a requirement or incentive, Steam says to developers, “you will need to remove those elements before shipping on Steam.”

What The Ban Means

What Kind Of Ads Are & Aren’t Allowed On Steam

To be clear, the ban only applies to games that force players to watch ads before continuing, or offer them in-game incentives such as virtual currency for watching ads. Other types of advertising are still allowed. That includes product placement as seen in the examples above; Steam games are still allowed to include real-world products, as long as they’re “not disruptive and are appropriate within the context of the game.” Specific examples given are racing games, where sponsor logos may appear on cars, or skating games, where characters may wear real clothing brands or use real skateboards.

Steam still allows developers to engage in cross-promotion, where it relates to products both on and off Steam. This will allow for events similar to Final Fantasy XIV‘s many collabs, including with other games such as Fall Guys and real-world products like Mountain Dew and Gong Cha. Paid advertising separate from Steam, like physical or digital ad campaigns, is also allowed and even encouraged.

For games that rely on advertising for profit, Steam offers a couple of alternative options. For one, it suggests free games switch to a pay-to-play model, requiring players to purchase the game with a one-time payment. Otherwise, games are still allowed to implement microtransactions and paid DLC via Steam, so there’s no reason that rewards previously given to players for watching ads can’t be provided for a small fee instead.

Fewer Ads Is Always A Good Thing

Another Win For Steam

Ultimately, it seems like Valve is trying to prevent PC games taking cues from mobile games with their ad practices. Many free-to-play mobile games require players to watch ads between every level, or allow them to watch extra ads to refill their hearts, speed up their progress, et cetera. With handheld hardware becoming more powerful, games with microtransactions and ad rewards like Infinity Nikki are able to go multi-platform, releasing on both mobile and PC. Steam is trying to prevent common mobile game practices like these from taking root on its platform.

Infinity Nikki doesn’t have forced ads, but does sometimes allow players to watch ads for itself in order to gain in-game currency. This would go against the Steam rules, but Infinity Nikki isn’t on the platform; it’s only available on Epic Games or direct download from the game’s website.

And frankly, fewer ads is always a good thing. Players dislike ads for any number of reasons: besides the usual gripes about the pervasiveness of advertising in the modern world, ads are an instant immersion breaker, taking the player out of the game. When they’re shoehorned in between every single level, they’re disruptive and wasteful of the player’s time.

As a privately owned company, Valve has often been praised for its pro-consumer practices. Like any big company, it’s not perfect, but with generous refund windows, flexible family account sharing features, and encouragement for fan projects using its IP, it sets an example among its peers. It’s no surprise, then, to see Steam banning such predatory advertising practices, but it is beneficial to PC players everywhere.