Independent developers are finding their release schedules increasingly dependent on Steam’s pre-release approval process, with several studios reporting delays that have forced them to postpone planned launches. Valve has acknowledged that its build-review process is taking longer than usual, although the company attributes the slowdown to increased submission volume and repeated reviews—not to any specific category of game.
In November 3 update, Valve said it had experienced a significant increase in store-page and build-review submissions in recent months. The company said build reviews, which typically take three to five business days, were taking up to 12 business days. Valve attributed much of the delay to having to review builds again after they failed initial checks. The distinction matters: the 12-business-day estimate applies to build reviews, not every type of Steam submission.
One affected release was Australia Did It: End-of-the-World Railway Defense Business, developed by Rami Ismail and Aesthetician Labs. The game was originally scheduled to launch November 10, but its build remained unapproved. Ismail said the team submitted it on October 20, received rejection over a minor controller-input issue on November 5, and corrected the problem that same day. The revised build then remained in the review queue. There has since been a positive development. On November 14, publisher Mystic Forge announced that the build had been approved and that the game would launch November 17. The delay nevertheless forced the studio to miss its original release date.
Studio Daimon encountered similar problem with Food Devils. Game director Alfred Kamon said the team submitted its build on October 12 and, in a November 3 announcement, reported that it was still awaiting approval despite the studio having planned to launch in Early Access that day. Kamon said the delay had left the team unable to provide a reliable new release date. Amazing Slot Survivor, developed by TwoMenGames and published by LINE Games, also had its November 13 launch postponed because of the Steam review process. The developers extended the game’s demo and said a replacement release date would be announced later.
Valve has introduced changes intended to reduce repeat reviews. Developers must now launch their games through Steam and play for at least five minutes before submitting build. The updated checklist also addresses redistributables, achievement configuration, Steam Cloud functionality where applicable, and the categorization of store-page screenshots. Valve says additional improvements are forthcoming. Some developers suspect that low-quality, AI-generated submissions are contributing to the growing queue. Kamon explicitly raised that possibility, while Ismail also suggested that such submissions could be part of the problem. However, Valve has not identified AI-generated games as the cause. Its public explanation points instead to the overall increase in submissions and the volume of builds requiring re-review.
For independent studios, the practical consequence is already clear: submitting a game only a few weeks before launch may no longer provide enough time to resolve review problems. Until Valve’s process catches up with submission volume, developers may need to build substantially more approval time into their release schedules.