Psychological Horror BL Visual Novel Removed from Steam

Japanese developer Viv announced that their new Psychological Horror BL Visual Novel, titled This Game is Not Real, will no longer be released on Steam. The game ended up being removed from the platform after “not meeting the store’s release criteria.”

The case drew attention because the title had already accumulated more than 24,000 wishlists before disappearing from Steam.

Psychological Horror BL Visual Novel Removed from Steam

Originally scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2026, This Game is Not Real presents a psychological and surreal story involving two obsessive game developers.

The game’s concept is quite unusual: the player takes on the role of the actual “game” being developed by one of the characters. During the adventure, the player talks with the creator, helps fix bugs, and unlocks memory fragments hidden within the project’s data.

The work contains heavy themes involving violence, murder, self-harm, and sexual content, being recommended only for adults over 18 years old.

According to Viv, the decision happened because the project failed to meet Steam’s required criteria. Even so, the developer joked on social media saying that the game’s male characters were “too cute” for the platform.

The creator also commented that they already suspected some sexual scenes could cause issues for the game’s approval on the store.

This Game is Not Real Will Still Be Released

Despite being removed from Steam, This Game is Not Real is still confirmed for release on the Japanese platforms DLsite and BOOTH later this month.

Initially, the game will only be available in Japanese, but Viv stated that official support for other languages may be added in the future. The developer also commented that fan-made translation patches are welcome in the meantime.

source VIV via Automaton