Valve Issues Updated Guidelines for Selling Season Passes on Steam

Valve, the powerhouse behind PC gaming, has recently rolled out new rules for how season passes are handled on Steam. According to these revamped guidelines on Steamworks, game developers and publishers now need to set a specific release date when they promote upcoming content like season passes on their game’s store page. If they can’t “clearly communicate” the release schedule, Valve insists they should refrain from selling or even taking pre-orders.

Developers have the option to specify a rough timeline—whether by quarter, year, or season—or provide an exact date for when players can expect the content to drop.

“As a creator offering a Season Pass, you’re essentially making a promise about future releases,” Valve explained.

“When you’re in the process of launching a Season Pass, you’ll be prompted to commit to a release schedule for each piece of content included in the pass. This timeframe serves as a pledge to your customers and to Steam itself.

“If you find yourself unable to provide clear details about what’s included in each piece of DLC and when they’ll become available, it’s best not to offer a Season Pass on Steam.”