Content Policy

Velvet Arcade is a store for adult games made by independent developers. We want creators to have real creative freedom, and players to always know what they're getting. This policy explains where the lines are.

This policy applies to everything on the store: games and their builds, updates, store pages, cover art, screenshots, trailers, descriptions, tags, developer profiles and support links.

1. The absolute rules

The following content is prohibited. There are no exceptions, no appeals based on context or lore, and violations lead to immediate removal and a permanent ban. Where the law requires it, we report to the authorities.

1.1 Minors and minor-coded characters

Every character involved in sexual content must be an adult (18 or older) and must clearly look and behave like one.

We judge characters by how they are presented, not by what the developer says about them. A character is treated as minor-coded — and the content is prohibited — if, in a sexual context, any of the following apply:

• a childlike body, face or proportions, or a body presented as underdeveloped;
• childlike behaviour, speech, mannerisms or clothing (for example school uniforms worn as a child would, or children's clothing or toys);
• a setting or role that signals childhood, such as being a school pupil, a child in a family, or a character at a grade-school or high-school level;
• being described or referred to as a child, "young", "little", a "teen", or by an age under 18 at any point, including in flashbacks, backstory or alternate routes.

Statements such as "she's actually a 1,000-year-old dragon", "all characters are 18+" or "it's a university" do not override how a character is actually presented. If a reasonable person would see a child, it is prohibited.

Age-play is prohibited. Adult characters may not roleplay as children or be treated as children in sexual content — including "little" or "baby" roleplay, diapers or children's clothing and toys in a sexual context. "Daddy", "mommy" and similar terms between adults are allowed when nothing else in the scene presents a character as a child.

Sexual content involving minors is also illegal under US federal law — including drawn, animated and computer-generated depictions (18 U.S.C. § 1466A). We remove it immediately, preserve evidence, and report apparent child sexual abuse material to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) as the law requires.

1.2 Real people

No sexual content may depict a real, identifiable person. This includes:

• photographs, video or audio of real people in sexual content;
• the likeness, name or identifiable features of a real person, including celebrities and public figures;
• deepfakes, face-swaps, or any AI-generated or edited imagery based on a real person.

Photorealistic AI-generated or computer-generated characters are allowed, as long as they are fictional, are not based on or made to resemble any real person, and clearly look like adults.

Because no real people may appear in sexual content, Velvet Arcade does not host material that requires performer age and consent records under 18 U.S.C. § 2257 (see our 2257 statement).

1.3 Bestiality

No sexual content involving animals, including non-sapient creatures, pets, livestock or wildlife.

Allowed, with the correct tags: sapient, humanoid fantasy beings (orcs, demons, elves, aliens), and anthro or "furry" characters — animal-people who are clearly adults and have human-level intelligence, speech and agency. A character who is a real animal or behaves as one in a sexual context is prohibited, whatever it is called. Petplay — adult humans roleplaying as pets — is allowed.

1.4 Extreme sexual violence

We allow dark and difficult themes, including non-consent, when they are fictional, involve adults and are clearly warned. We do not allow sexual content that combines sex with extreme violence. Specifically, the following are prohibited:

• sexual content combined with graphic gore, mutilation, dismemberment or serious bodily injury;
• sexual torture, meaning the infliction of severe pain or injury as the focus of sexual content;
• sexual content involving death, killing, snuff scenarios or corpses (necrophilia).

Allowed, with the correct tags and warnings: non-consent and coercion themes without the elements above; consensual BDSM, including impact play, bondage and power exchange; and non-sexual violence or gore that is kept separate from sexual content.

1.5 Other illegal or harmful content

Also prohibited: content that is illegal in the United States; intimate imagery of anyone shared without their consent; content that promotes terrorism or violent extremism; real-world threats or harassment; malware, cryptominers, spyware or any harmful code in a game build; and anything that infringes someone else's copyright or trademark.

2. What is allowed

Within the rules above, Velvet Arcade welcomes sexually explicit games of any genre and any art style — 2D, 3D, pixel, anime, western, painterly, stylised or realistic CG — and any orientation or gender, between fictional adult characters.

Kinks are welcome — BDSM, bondage, impact play, domination and submission, petplay, feet, lactation, size play, exhibitionism and more — as are fantasy bodies and characters such as monsters, anthro characters, futanari and transformation.

Fictional themes that some people find intense are allowed if they are clearly warned. These include non-consent, dubious consent, consensual non-consent roleplay, mind control, coercion, step-family and incest themes between adults, humiliation, NTR, tentacles, pregnancy and watersports.

3. Content tags and warnings

Every game carries two kinds of label, chosen from fixed lists (there are no free-text tags):

• Content tags describe what's in the game so players can find it — including its sexual content: sex acts, kinks and BDSM, scenarios and relationships, and bodies and characters.
• Content warnings flag themes that some players need to avoid. They are displayed prominently on the store page, and players can hide games with any of them.

3.1 Tags must be accurate

Developers must tag the sexual content their game actually contains, and must not add tags for content that isn't there to attract players. Tags for planned content are only allowed on Early Access games, and must be removed if the content doesn't ship.

The current sexual-content tags are:

Group	Tags
Sex acts	Kissing & foreplay · Vaginal sex · Anal sex · Oral sex · Handjobs · Titjobs · Masturbation · Creampie · Facials & bukkake · Threesomes · Group sex & orgies · Double penetration
Kinks & BDSM	BDSM · Bondage & restraints · Spanking & impact play · Female domination · Male domination · Orgasm control & chastity · Petplay · Pegging · Feminization · Sex toys · Roleplay & cosplay · Feet · Lactation · Size difference · Exhibitionism & public sex · Voyeurism
Scenarios & relationships	Vanilla & romantic · First time · Multiple partners · Swinging & open relationships · Corruption · Seduction · Sex work
Bodies & characters	Big breasts · Big butt · Curvy & plus-size · Muscular · Hairy · MILF · DILF · Futanari · Femboys · Elves, demons & fantasy races · Monsters · Anthro / furry · Robots & androids · Transformation

We don't offer tags for small, "petite" or youthful body types, or for school settings, because such tags are widely used to signal minor-coded content (see 1.1).

3.2 Warnings are mandatory

Developers must declare every content warning that applies to their game, including content that appears only on optional routes, in bad endings, in unlockable galleries or in later updates. Our reviewers check the declared tags and warnings against the game before it is published.

Group	Warnings
Consent & coercion	Non-consent · Dubious consent · Consensual non-consent · Mind control / hypnosis · Blackmail / coercion · Captivity & slavery · Intoxication
Family themes	Step-family · Incest
Violence & dark themes	Violence (non-sexual) · Gore (non-sexual) · Horror & disturbing themes · Self-harm / suicide · Drug & alcohol use
Intense kinks & themes	Humiliation & degradation · NTR / cheating · Tentacles · Pregnancy · Watersports

3.3 Hiding themes

Players can hide any tag or warning permanently from their Content settings; games carrying it then disappear from every list, search and recommendation.

3.4 Missing or wrong labels

A missing or misleading tag or warning is a policy violation. Depending on severity, we will correct the listing, temporarily unlist the game, or remove it. Repeated or deliberate mislabelling leads to removal from the store. Players can report missing warnings from any game page.

3.5 Requesting a new tag

If your game contains something our lists don't cover, email [email protected] to request a new tag or warning. We add tags that describe allowed content clearly and aren't already covered.

4. Store pages and media

Store pages are seen by every verified visitor, including people who have hidden certain themes. So:

• cover art and the first screenshot must not show content from a theme that carries a content warning;
• titles, taglines and descriptions may name a theme but must not describe prohibited content or use language suggesting minors (for example "teen", "barely legal", "schoolgirl", "loli" or "shota");
• all media must accurately represent the game.

5. AI-generated content

AI-assisted and AI-generated assets are allowed if they follow every rule in this policy. In particular:

• no AI content based on a real person's likeness, and no photorealistic character made to resemble a real person (see 1.2);
• the developer is fully responsible for AI output, including making sure every character is clearly an adult.

6. Review and enforcement

6.1 Review before publication

Every new game, and every update to a game's build, store page or media, is reviewed by a person before it goes live. Developers must give reviewers what they need to check the content, including a full content declaration and, where content is gated, a save file or unlocked gallery.

6.2 Enforcement

Depending on the violation, we may reject a submission, require changes, unlist or remove a game, withhold royalties connected to violating content where the developer agreement allows, suspend or terminate a developer account, and report to law enforcement or NCMEC.

Violations of section 1.1 (minors) or 1.2 (real people) result in immediate removal and a permanent ban.

6.3 Appeals

Except for violations of section 1.1, developers can appeal a decision within 30 days by emailing [email protected]. A different reviewer will handle the appeal.

7. Reporting

Anyone can report content at /report, without an account or age verification. Reports about minors are handled immediately. Removal requests for non-consensual intimate imagery are handled within 48 hours under our removal policy.

8. Payment partner requirements

Velvet Arcade works with payment partners who have their own content standards. Where those standards are stricter than this policy, some games may be sold only through particular payment methods or may not be available on this store. We'll tell affected developers before making any change.

9. Changes

We may update this policy. Material changes will be announced to developers at least 14 days before they take effect, except where a change is required immediately by law or for safety.

Draft — not yet legally reviewed. This policy must be reviewed by a lawyer experienced in adult-industry and online-platform law before launch.