Epic Games explains why the horror game 'HORSES' was banned from Steam and the Epic Games Store

At the end of 2025, the indie horror game ' HORSES ' was banned from sale on the Epic Games Store just before its release. Epic Games has once again explained the reason for this.

Epic Games Refutes Claims By Horses Developer About The Banned Game - GameSpot
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/epic-games-refutes-claims-by-horses-developer-about-the-banned-game/1100-6538044/

HORSES is a first-person horror game from Santa Ragione , an indie game studio based in Milan, Italy. The player takes on the role of a college student spending the summer helping out on a remote farm, gradually plunging into a terrifying situation.

HORSES Launch Trailer - YouTube


Santa Ragione had planned to release 'HORSES' on the Epic Games Store in December 2025, but revealed that 24 hours before the release date, Epic Games notified them that the release would be suspended.

Below is the suspension notice that Santa Ragione received from Epic Games.

HORSES is not available on the Epic Games Store. After review, we found that it violates the Epic Games Store Content Guidelines , specifically the 'Inappropriate Content' and 'Discriminatory or Derogatory Content' policies. The 'Inappropriate Content' policy prohibits content that 'explicitly or frequently depicts sexual activity or is not appropriately labeled, rated, or age-restricted.' The 'Discriminatory or Derogatory Content' policy prohibits content that promotes cruelty or animal cruelty. These types of content are prohibited by our guidelines and cannot be distributed on the Epic Games Store. Additionally, based on the content reviewed by Epic Games and your response to an IARC questionnaire, we have assigned an Adult Only ( AO ) rating. Products with an AO rating cannot be distributed on the Epic Games Store. An exception is made for products that have been assigned an AO rating solely due to their use of blockchain or NFT technology. You have several options for next steps: 1. Update your product to ensure compliance and resubmit it for review. 2. If you believe we made an error, you may appeal this decision. To appeal, please reply to this email or create a private discussion on our developer support site. Select 'Epic Games Store' as the topic. 3: You may not change the title or content to repurpose it for another game. If you choose not to proceed, we will refund the submission fee for this product.

Regarding the suspension of HORSES, Epic Games Vice President Steve Allison said in an interview with Game File , 'We love Santa Ragione,' but added that the adult content in HORSES 'deserves to be removed.'

In response, Santa Ragione wrote on Bluesky, 'Epic Games has made clearly false statements about the content of the game, refused to provide detailed information to support their claims, and has not disclosed the AO IARC certification, which typically includes a link for developers to file an appeal. They are not 'loving Santa Ragione,' but are effectively ignoring us,' criticizing Epic Games' response.

Epic made provably incorrect statements about the game's content, refused to provide details supporting their claims, and has not shared their claimed AO IARC certificate, which normally includes a link for the developer to appeal. They do not 'love that studio', they have effectively ghosted us

[image or embed]

— Santa Ragione ( @santaragione.com ) February 7, 2026 20:44

In response, Brian Sharon, senior communications manager at Epic Games, told IGN, 'Our team played the game and found that it violates the Epic Games Store's content guidelines, specifically its policies regarding 'inappropriate content' and 'discriminatory or defamatory content.'' He reiterated that the game will not be allowed on the Epic Games Store.

They also explained, 'We voluntarily completed the game's rating questionnaire and conducted a secondary check. As a result, the content was rated Adult Only (AO). Games with this rating are not permitted on the Epic Games Store.' 'This was not a formal review, so we do not have a certificate to share with the development team. We explained to the developer the policies they violated. When the developer appealed, we re-reviewed the content and informed them that this decision was applied appropriately and will remain in effect.'

Santa Ragione also revealed that HORSES has also been banned from Steam. HORSES was rejected by Steam in 2023, and regarding the Steam ban, Santa Ragione explained, 'In June 2023, just days before the scheduled announcement, we received notice that HORSES would no longer be available on Steam. No specific details about the content in question were provided. For two years, we have sought clarification and a path to compliance, but have only been told to 'follow Steam's general guidelines,' and our requests for review and appeal have been repeatedly denied . This ban has nothing to do with any adult content restrictions implemented by our payment processor .'

Although HORSES was rejected by major game distribution platforms Steam and Epic Games Store, it reportedly sold 18,000 copies in the two weeks following the Epic Games Store's rejection. HORSES is available on GOG.com and itch.io for $4.99 (approximately 780 yen). GOG.com has 650 reviews and a highly positive rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars.

HORSES on GOG.com
https://www.gog.com/en/game/horses

HORSES by Santa Ragione, AndreaLB
https://santaragione.itch.io/horses