I feel like the whole HORSES banned from Steam situation is one of those rare indie stories that actually deserves attention. When a horror game about masked human horses gets blocked from the biggest PC storefront, you know something unusual happened. So here’s the short, useful version of what’s going on and why players are talking about it.
What is HORSES and why people talked about it
HORSES is a first person psychological horror game by Santa Ragione. The premise sounds simple at first. You spend two weeks working on a ranch. But instead of real horses, you’re surrounded by humans wearing horse masks who behave like livestock. It leans hard into discomfort, surreal symbolism and themes about power and exploitation.
The game was supposed to launch on December 2, 2025 on Epic Games Store, GOG, itch.io and Humble. Steam was not on that list. The reason is simple. HORSES banned from Steam became the headline long before the game even had a chance to open its store page.
Why HORSES was banned from Steam according to the developer
Santa Ragione submitted HORSES back in 2023. Right before the planned Steam reveal, Valve sent a short rejection notice. According to the developer, the message said the game contained themes or imagery Valve would not distribute. They got no details and no chance to appeal.
Valve’s automated policy references potential sexual content involving minors, even in unclear scenarios. Santa Ragione says no minors appear in the game and that HORSES is not pornographic. One early scene in a 2023 build included a child riding a masked adult. The team replaced the child with an adult woman, but Steam still rejected the game.
The frustrating part is that no one at Valve explained what part of the game still broke the rules. That leaves developers guessing, which feels like a bad system for anyone trying to create something unusual or symbolic. Part of why this turned into a story is that HORSES banned from Steam became a big example of how unclear content rules can punish indies who take creative risks.
How this Steam ban affects Santa Ragione and other indie devs
In my opinion, the toughest part of this whole situation is the financial hit. The studio invested around 100,000 USD into HORSES. Without Steam, which is still the biggest marketplace in PC gaming, the odds of recouping those costs drop a lot. The team said that if HORSES underperforms on the alternative stores, they may not survive as a studio.
And here’s the broader point. When a store as big as Steam can ban a game without explaining why, it creates a pretty dangerous precedent. Other devs might avoid serious themes, weird art styles or provocative symbolism just to stay safe. That slowly pushes indie games toward safer, more predictable ideas. It’s not great for players or for creativity.
Where you can still play HORSES
If you’re still curious, HORSES launches December 2 on Epic Games Store, GOG, itch.io and Humble Store. Steam is simply not an option unless Valve changes its stance, and that seems unlikely right now.
Truth be told, the HORSES banned from Steam story shows how fragile indie development can be when platform rules are vague or inconsistent. If you want to support unusual horror games or small teams who take creative risks, this might be one to keep an eye on. If you want a follow up piece on other games Steam has banned for similar reasons, I can draft that too.
