Valve Releases Updated Guidelines for Season Pass Sales on Steam

Valve, the powerhouse in the PC gaming world, has shaken things up with their new rules for selling season passes on Steam.

According to the fresh guidelines outlined on Steamworks, game developers and publishers now need to pin down a release date when promoting future content like season passes on a game’s store page. Valve has made it clear that if companies can’t “clearly communicate” when this new content will hit the shelves, they shouldn’t be selling or even taking pre-orders for it.

It’s not all rigid, though. Developers are allowed to give a broad release timeline—like a specific quarter, year, or season—alongside a more exact date for the upcoming content.

“Offering a Season Pass is essentially a promise of future content,” Valve emphasized.

“When you roll out a Season Pass, you’ll be required to commit to a release schedule for every piece of content included in the Season Pass. This isn’t just a promissory note to your customers; it’s also a pledge to Steam.

“If you’re not in a position to clearly specify what’s included in each DLC and when exactly each will be available, it’s best not to offer a Season Pass on Steam,” Valve advised.