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Most people are familiar with the ESRB video game ratings—such as E for Everyone, T for Teen, and M for Mature. These labels help parents and gamers understand the target audience and highlight any potentially sensitive content. Additionally, official ESRB ratings are mandatory for selling games in retail stores and digital platforms like the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, and Microsoft Store.
That said, there are two significant exceptions on PC: the popular platform Steam and the indie-focused marketplace itch.io.
It’s important to note that neither Steam nor itch.io allow unrestricted content. Both platforms enforce strict rules against offensive, copyrighted, or illegal material. However, unlike other digital storefronts, they don’t mandate ESRB ratings for games. While this simplifies the publishing process for indie developers, it also means that sexually explicit games and mods can be found on both platforms.
While some adults may appreciate games with mature themes, there are valid reasons to avoid encountering explicit content while searching for new games. Whether you're using a shared family computer, accessing the internet in a public space like a café, or simply prefer not to see games showcasing suggestive anime characters, you’ll be glad to know that Steam and itch.io offer straightforward options to conceal adult content. Additionally, you can also hide any traces of the mature games you’ve played.
A guide to filtering adult content on Steam and itch.io
Steam and itch.io both provide tools to exclude adult content, though the methods vary slightly between the two platforms.
Concealing mature content in the Steam store and community
Log in to Steam via the website, desktop application, or mobile app. Click on your profile icon located at the top right corner and choose “Preferences.”
Navigate to “Mature Content Filtering” and ensure the boxes corresponding to the types of content you wish to avoid are left unchecked. You’ll find several options to adjust the filter’s strictness and tailor it to your preferences.
How to block adult content in the itch.io store:
Log in to itch.io’s website or mobile application and click on your profile icon.
Choose “Settings” from the dropdown menu.
Scroll down to the “Content” section and ensure the box labeled “Show content marked as adult in search & browse” is unchecked.
Once these adjustments are made, adult content will no longer appear in these platforms’ storefronts.
Block mature content using Steam Family View
While adjusting your Steam preferences to hide adult content prevents you from encountering explicit games and mods while browsing, these settings can be easily altered, making them inadequate for parental controls. Fortunately, Steam offers a “Family View” feature designed to help parents maintain a safer gaming environment for their children.
Family View allows you to customize content and feature permissions for your child’s Steam account. For instance, you can restrict the store to display only kid-friendly games, turn off community features such as chat, and prevent unauthorized purchases. This feature can be activated through the Steam desktop app or website.
Activate Family View in the Steam desktop app
Log in to your child’s Steam account or create a new one.
Navigate to Settings > Family > Family View.
Click “Manage” and follow the instructions displayed on the screen. You’ll be required to set up a PIN (used for modifying settings or approving purchases) and provide a recovery email address.
Enable Family View via the Steam website
Access the Steam website using your child’s account or register for a new one.
Select the profile icon located at the top-right corner and choose “Account Details.”
Navigate to the “Family Settings” section and click on “Family View.”
Complete the setup by following the prompts to create a PIN, add a backup email, and configure your settings.
After completing the setup and verifying your backup email, Family View will activate on your child’s account and remain effective across all devices they use. Deactivation requires the PIN or backup email.
Concealing mature games from your play history and library on Steam or itch.io
While hiding games from the Steam and itch.io stores is straightforward, what if you’ve already played them and prefer to keep it private? I understand not wanting to display adult games to friends, and thankfully, both platforms allow you to hide such games from your public profile.
Conceal your gaming activity on Steam
Open the Steam desktop application, navigate to your profile settings, and click on “Privacy.”
Scroll to the “My Profile” section and change the “Game Details” setting to “Private.”
(Optional) You can also make your entire profile private by selecting “Private” next to “My Profile.” This will conceal all information except your username and profile picture.
Another option is to hide your current activity by going to the “Friends” tab and setting your status to “Invisible” or “Offline.” “Invisible” allows you to use chat while appearing offline and hiding your activity, while “Offline” logs you out of chat completely.
Conceal a game in your Steam library
Beyond hiding your Steam gaming activity from others, you can also hide specific games from individuals who share the same computer. To hide a game from the list of owned and installed games in the Steam app, start by launching the application.
Open the Steam desktop application and navigate to the “Library” tab.
Select a game from the list, then right-click and choose “Hide Game.”
This action removes the game from your Steam library view but does not delete it from your collection—you can still install and play it. However, this does not conceal the game from your play activity, collection, or achievements. To hide this information, you must set your account to private.
Conceal games you own on itch.io
Additionally, you can conceal your itch.io collections from being visible on your public profile.
Log in to your itch.io account.
Click on your profile picture and select “My collections.”
Deselect the checkboxes next to any game collections you wish to hide from your profile.
