Valve quietly releases censored Steam China client to alpha

M Alzamora Published 19/05/2020

Users haven’t heard much about a Chinese version of Valve’s Steam client since it was announced in 2018, but an alpha version of Steam China has now appeared.

A recent update to the Steam Client revealed Valve not only still working on the long-awaited Steam China client, but that the client itself has officially moved into an alpha stage. While there are no official Steam China servers online, the client already contains the hallmarks of software approved by the Democratic Peoples Republic of China, China’s ruling party.

If you want to play international casinos, visit casino-utan-svensk-licens.com

Leaked Steam China alpha shows off features specific to China

Steam China plays a healthy gaming advisory on game start

As of now, the Stam China exists as a modified version of the Steam client with three major differences. Firstly, the client includes what looks to be a mandated message from the DPRC that plays for five seconds when a user starts a game. The message encourages Chinese citizens to practice moderation and includes a warning that “excess play is harmful to the body.”

Steam China features sanitized friends 

The second apparent change that all profile information is being sanitized by the Steam client. Profile pictures are replaced with the default Steam question mark, and all profile names are instead translated into Steam’s proprietary Steam ID numbering system.

It is likely that these Steam Community features must be approved individually by a Chinese entity, likely a government agency, before they are cleared to be displayed. That means that Steam China might be a sea of question marks for some time after release as the Chinese government sorts through and approves profile pictures and display names. 

This move is in line with China’s wholesale blocking of Steam Community features that started in 2017 and continues to this day. If you want to unblock bonuses on casinos, try casino-utan-spelpaus.net which will in that case be beneficial.

Valve is working with China to bring gaming limits to Steam client

It also seems that Valve is restricting users from playing games between certain hours, a move that is in lockstep with the guidelines set by the Chinese government in November of last year.

WIN.gg received this warning when attempting to launch Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. While it was 4:00 p.m. when WIN.gg attempted to start the game, it was 5:00 a.m. in China. Whether Steam China automatically defaults to a Chinese time zone at all times is unknown, but the client didn’t seem to recognize that it was started in a time zone that should have allowed Counter-Strike to start.

Chinese guidelines prevent gaming between certain hours for individuals below a certain age. When attempting to start CS:GO, however, the current version of the Steam China client only performed one check. Steam ran a command-line argument when the “Play Now” button was clicked, calling for a check of Steam’s Duration Control system, Valve’s implementation of China’s November guidelines on gaming. The argument returned the answer “Night” to the client, preventing Steam from opening Counter-Strike. A similar issue was observed with Dota 2. 

These games already have Chinese releases through the Chinese publisher Perfect World, which could explain the early implementation of the system. WIN.gg could start and play other games normally.

This is just the start of what users can expect from China’s own specialized Steam Client. With signs that Valve isn’t just working with the DPRC, but actively developing new features to allow the client to be released in the country, it looks like Riot Games isn’t the only software developer willing to add and remove from its products in order to access China’s massive gaming market.

M Alzamora

About M Alzamora

There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.

View full profile

Read Also

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview: who’s making it to the playoffs? Owen Harsono The IEM Cologne Major is the biggest tournament of the year, and after two stages of play, it’s finally time to unleash the big boys. Stage 3 will feature the 16 best teams in the world, but only eight can advance to the Playoffs and play on the big stage. Here’s our IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview. Before we got to Stage 3, a lot of things happened in ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...

Counter-Strike

Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Owen Harsono It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...

Counter-Strike

BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Owen Harsono We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...

Counter-Strike

Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Owen Harsono If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...

Counter-Strike

The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Owen Harsono In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Owen Harsono Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...