Bizarre Horror Game Banned on Steam Is Coming to Other Platforms

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The horror game Horses, which has been banned from Steam, will still be released on other platforms, with GOG taking the lead in helping it find an audience. The Milan-based studio Santa Ragione has spent ten years developing games known for their artistic style and challenging moral choices. Their story-driven games focus on creating a strong atmosphere and exploring social issues, and Horses will continue that tradition, despite not being available on Steam.

The new game Horses, from the creators of Saturnalia, is deliberately disturbing and forces players to make tough choices. The game centers around a man taking a job at a farm, only to discover the ‘horses’ are actually naked people wearing horse masks. These individuals are kept chained or forced to carry people on their shoulders, and are subjected to carrots, propaganda, mistreatment, and violence. According to the game’s developers, Horses aims to deliver mature and thought-provoking storytelling through shocking imagery, prompting players to consider themes of power, control, and individual accountability.

Steam Banned Horses, Other Platforms Welcome It

Image via Santa Ragione

Steam removed the horror game Horses from its platform in 2023, a decision the developer, Santa Ragione, disputes. They argue the ban, based on explicit content, doesn’t apply to their game. For the past two years, Santa Ragione has tried to appeal the decision and get the game listed on Steam, but Valve has refused to reconsider. Luckily, Horses will now be available on GOG, the Epic Games Store, Itch.io, and the Humble Store starting December 2nd for $4.99.

GOG is actively promoting the game Horses to players. They’re featuring it prominently on their website, accepting pre-orders, sending information to the media, and sharing updates on social media. In a recent tweet, GOG emphasized their belief that players should choose games that appeal to them, and they’re encouraging fans to support the game’s creator, Santa Ragione, by purchasing a copy.

Despite support from gamers and platforms like GOG, the future of Horses is uncertain. Being rejected by Steam, the biggest online PC game store, could effectively end the game’s chances. This is because a Steam release would have brought in a large number of sales, and investors aren’t willing to fund a game that can’t be sold there. While the developers have saved enough money to cover expenses for six months after release, they admit the situation will quickly become financially impossible. According to their FAQ, they’ve already started looking for other jobs.

Steam Has Banned Games Before for Various Reasons

Image by Pam K Ferdinand / Game Rant

Valve has removed games from Steam before. Most recently, in July, they started taking down titles with adult content that didn’t meet the requirements of their payment processors. Many players protested these changes with a petition, but the rules haven’t been updated.

Games have been removed from online stores for different reasons even before recent events. For example, in 2018, the game Active Shooter, which simulated school shootings, was taken down after a petition against its release received over 180,000 signatures. Also that year, Steam removed 179 titles they considered to be more like simple concepts than actual video games.

Image by Pam K Ferdinand / Game Rant

In July 2025, Steam removed the game VILE: Exhumed due to its inclusion of “sexual content with depictions of real people,” even though it was mostly a text-based game. The developer chose not to modify the game’s mature themes to comply with Steam’s policies. Interestingly, VILE: Exhumed does allow players to filter out explicit images if they prefer.

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2025-11-29 06:04