Itch.io Suddenly Pulls NSFW Adult Content From Browse and Search Pages, After 'Critical' Pressure From Payment Partners

Itch.io has removed large portions of NSFW content from its browse and search pages, rendering thousands of adult-themed games unfindable.

The abrupt decision follows intense pressure from the platform’s payment providers, Itch.io stated, forcing immediate action without prior warning to game creators, whose titles have now been taken offline.

This move comes just one week after Valve removed a significant number of adult games from Steam and updated its storefront policies to prohibit content that violates the standards set by Steam’s payment processors. Prior to this, users had reported difficulties purchasing Steam games via PayPal for several days.

"Recently, we faced scrutiny from our payment processors over the type of content hosted on itch.io," the platform announced today. "The situation was triggered by a game called No Mercy, which was briefly available on itch.io before being removed in April. In response, the group Collective Shout launched a campaign targeting both Steam and itch.io, raising concerns directly with our payment providers about certain content on both platforms."

Launched in April and pulled within days, No Mercy drew widespread criticism for its graphic depictions of extreme sexual violence and incest. Itch.io and Valve both removed the game under mounting pressure from politicians and advocacy groups like Collective Shout, which has continued pushing for the removal of games involving sexual assault or abuse. Last week, the group claimed that Valve had removed over 400 games centered on rape or incest from Steam due to pressure on Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal.

"Our ability to process payments is essential for every creator on our platform," Itch.io’s statement continues. "To maintain our operations and continue serving developers, we must prioritize our partnerships with payment providers and act swiftly to ensure compliance.

"This is a critical moment for itch.io. The situation escalated rapidly, and we had to act urgently to protect the platform’s core payment infrastructure. Unfortunately, this meant we couldn’t provide creators with advance notice before implementing this change. We understand this is far from ideal, and we sincerely apologize for the suddenness of this decision."

Users have reported that the change has affected more than 20,000 adult games previously available on the platform, with many criticizing the move as reactive and overly restrictive. Some have also noted that previously purchased content is currently inaccessible for re-download.

While Steam made clear decisions about which content to remove, Itch.io has said it will now carry out a "comprehensive review of content" before introducing new compliance measures—suggesting that some currently hidden games may return. Notably, several games rated 18+ for sensitive themes, but not containing explicit adult content, have also been caught in the sweep—such as *Consume Me*, an IGF Award-winning indie strategy game that explores teenage eating disorders through a semi-autobiographical lens.

Other titles, however, will be permanently removed, with affected developers to be notified in the coming days.