Valve Unveils Updated Guidelines for Season Pass Sales on Steam

Valve, the powerhouse behind PC gaming, has recently revised its rules for selling season passes on the Steam platform. According to the fresh guidelines now posted on Steamworks, there’s a clear expectation placed on developers and publishers: when they advertise future content like season passes, they must commit to a specific release date displayed on the game’s store page. Should these companies be unable to “clearly communicate” when this new content will arrive, Valve advises against both selling and taking pre-orders for it.

Developers and publishers are, however, allowed some leeway with release timelines; they can specify either a vague release window—such as a particular quarter, year, or season—or provide a more exact date for when the content will be available.

“As you put a Season Pass out there, you’re essentially making a promise of future content,” Valve articulated in their guidelines. In setting up a Season Pass, you’ll be required to pledge to a schedule for when each piece of content will be released within the pass. This schedule isn’t just a promise to consumers; it’s also a commitment to Steam.

Valve emphasized, “If you aren’t prepared to clearly outline the content details for each DLC and give a concrete launch timeframe, it’s better not to offer a Season Pass on Steam at all.”