Adult content on Itch.io is being recategorized and it plans to gradually reinstate paid versions of adult content.
Itch.io, the popular indie game hosting platform, is currently undergoing significant changes to its adult content policy. These changes are in response to pressure from major payment providers such as Mastercard and Visa, who have imposed stricter regulations on the types of adult content that can be monetised.
In July 2025, Itch.io temporarily deindexed all adult content on the site due to these compliance issues. The platform's long-term plan is to implement new processors to avoid putting the platform at risk. Currently, Itch is in talks with payment processor Stripe about content policies.
The changes to Itch.io's policy went beyond illegal content and included content considered "icky" or controversial by these financial partners. This includes fetish content involving bodily waste and non-consensual themes. Developers whose content falls under these categories were affected, as violating these updated rules could permanently ban their accounts and withhold all funds from payouts.
Following the deindexing, Itch.io published a detailed list of prohibited adult content categories. Developers must select the 'no payments' pricing option to make their content eligible for reindexing. They have a time window to comply with the new rules to avoid going in and out of indexing.
Itch.io is also planning to re-introduce paid content in the future. To ensure compliance, the platform will deploy a new 'content warnings' system for NSFW pages. All page owners will be required to comply with this system to become eligible for indexing.
The deindexing was in response to a campaign called Collective Shout, which accused payment services of profiting from rape, incest, and child abuse games. Itch.io has geo-restricted adult pages for UK visitors due to the UK Online Safety Act, which demands age verification for NSFW content. The platform is exploring options for integrating third-party digital ID verification to comply without imposing invasive measures on users.
Stripe, who cannot support adult content designed for sexual gratification due to restrictions from its banking partners, hopes to be able to support adult content in the future. However, until then, Stripe payments have been disabled for pages with 'adult NSFW content' on Itch.io.
Itch may review the initial list of pages with 'adult NSFW content' due to new information from Stripe. An update will be posted when the content warnings system is ready. Until then, developers and users are advised to stay informed about the platform's ongoing changes to ensure compliance with the new policies.
- In an effort to maintain compliance with payment providers such as Stripe, Itch.io is planning to implement a new 'content warnings' system for pages with adult content, requiring all page owners to comply with this system to become eligible for indexing in the future.
- To avoid putting the platform at risk and to adhere to the stricter regulations imposed by major payment providers like Mastercard and Visa, Itch.io is currently in talks with payment processor Stripe about content policies regarding business transactions in the realm of technology and finance.
