Yes, you can delete your own Steam review; you can’t remove others, and devs must flag violations for Valve moderation.
Looking to clean up a review you posted on a game page? You can erase your own text or rewrite it, but other people’s feedback stays unless Valve steps in for rule breaks. Below, you’ll find quick answers, safe methods, and the fine print that trips people up.
Removing A Review On Steam: What You Can And Can’t Do
Steam gives each account control over its own feedback. You choose to edit, delete, or change the thumb. You can’t scrub someone else’s post, and studios can’t wipe a post either. What they can do is report content that breaks house rules. A Valve moderator reviews that report and may hide or remove the post.
| Action | Who Can Do It | Where/How |
|---|---|---|
| Delete your own review | You | Your profile → Reviews → open the review → Delete |
| Edit your review | You | Your profile → Reviews → open the review → Edit |
| Change thumb (Recommended/Not) | You | Open review → switch the thumb → Save |
| Report another person’s post | Anyone | Open review → flag icon → pick reason → submit |
| Report as a developer | Game team | Flag for spam/abuse or off-topic; wait for review |
| Moderator removal | Valve | Deletes or restores after review; may collapse while pending |
| Exclude off-topic bursts from score | Valve system | Marks a time window; scores from that window don’t count |
Quick Step-By-Step: Delete Or Edit Your Own Post
Desktop App Or Browser
- Open Steam, click your avatar, then choose Profile.
- Use the right-side menu to open Reviews.
- Click the review’s “Recommended” or “Not Recommended” header to open its detail page.
- Pick Edit to change text or thumb, or click Delete to remove it entirely.
- Confirm. The review disappears from the game page and your profile.
Mobile App
- Open the app, head to your Profile, then Reviews.
- Open the specific review. Tap the menu button near the top right.
- Choose Edit or Delete, and confirm.
These steps work for free games, paid games, DLC, and tools. If you can write a post on a product page, you can also remove it from your account later.
What You Can’t Do With Other People’s Posts
You can’t erase someone else’s words. You can’t ask a studio to erase them either. Teams can reply beneath a post, but they can’t push a red button to make it vanish. The only path is to mark a rule break. While a report sits in the queue, the post may appear collapsed to shoppers.
Valve explains this clearly in its review docs: studios can flag spam, abuse, or off-topic activity, and a moderator may remove or restore the post after a check. The same flag tools sit on every review for players too. If a post crosses the line, mark it and add a short reason.
Read the official User Reviews guidance for the exact wording on flags and moderator action, and see the Rules and Guidelines that define spam, abuse, and off-topic cases.
Why Your Post Might Vanish Or Get Collapsed
Valve patrols rule breaks and large off-topic waves. During a burst of posts driven by a non-game issue, scores from the marked window can be filtered from the rating so shoppers see a cleaner picture. The text still shows, but it won’t weigh on the meter during that window.
If a moderator finds rule breaks—harassment, slurs, ads, scams—the post can be taken down. In many cases the slot stays on the page but collapsed while a decision is made. Once the review passes a second look, the flag lifts; if it fails, it goes away.
Edit Versus Delete: Which One Fits Your Goal?
Delete wipes the post from the game page and your profile. Edit keeps your place in the list, keeps any “helpful” votes you earned, and keeps any replies under it. Edit also lets you switch a thumbs-up to a thumbs-down if a patch changed your view.
Pick delete if the text no longer reflects your view at all or was posted in error. Pick edit if the base point still stands but needs a rewrite, fresh notes, or an updated thumb after more playtime.
Tips To Make Your Next Review Safer And Clearer
- Stick to game content and your hands-on playtime. Mention version, mode, and hardware if it matters.
- Avoid personal attacks or slurs. That crosses the rules and risks a takedown.
- Don’t post ads, keys, or links to stores. That can trigger removal.
- Add a short header at the top—“Played 20 hours on Deck,” “Finished main story”—so readers know the lens.
- Keep memes and ASCII art to a minimum. A new helpfulness filter pushes text-only jokes down the list.
Privacy Notes: Where Your Review Appears
Your post shows on the product page and on your profile’s review tab. Your profile privacy can hide the tab, but posts on store pages stay visible to shoppers while they exist. Deleting the review removes it from both spots at once.
Common Edge Cases And Fixes
You Wrote During A Beta Or Free Weekend
Beta branches and free weekends spark quick posts that age fast. Edit the text and add a short line at the top with the build or event you played. If the game changed, either update the text after new playtime or delete and write fresh.
Your Post Has A Developer Reply You Dislike
Only you control your own words. You can edit or delete your post. The reply is a separate item that the team owns. If that reply breaks rules, you can flag it the same way as any other post.
You See A Wave Of Off-Topic Posts
Valve can mark a time window as off-topic so the star meter ignores posts from that span. Shoppers still see the text with a banner that explains the filter. The aim is to keep scores tied to product quality.
You Want To Hide All Reviews On Your Profile
Set your profile’s review section to private. That hides the list on your profile page. It won’t hide posts on product pages. Removing a post is the only way to pull it from a game page.
Safe Reporting: When And How To Flag
Use the flag on the lower part of a review if you see spam, abuse, hate speech, doxxing, scams, or links that break the rules. Pick a reason, add one clear sentence, and submit. A moderator checks the post and either keeps it, collapses it, or removes it.
What Developers Can Do About Reviews
Teams can reply to posts, pin a note, and flag rule breaks. They can’t press delete on a player’s words. Valve’s doc says so in plain text. That balance keeps player voices on the page while still giving studios a path to report abuse.
Troubleshooting: Buttons Missing Or Actions Failing
- Can’t find the Delete or Edit link: Open the review’s detail page first. The links sit on the right side on desktop and in the top menu on mobile.
- Action greyed out: Log in on the same account that posted the text. Guest views can’t change anything.
- App cache glitch: Try the browser version or restart the app, then repeat the steps.
Clear Paths For Common Tasks
| Task | Desktop Path | Mobile Path |
|---|---|---|
| Delete a review | Profile → Reviews → open review → Delete | Profile → Reviews → open review → menu → Delete |
| Edit a review | Profile → Reviews → open review → Edit | Profile → Reviews → open review → menu → Edit |
| Report a review | Open review → flag icon → reason → submit | Open review → flag icon → reason → submit |
Review Score Math And Off-Topic Windows
Large bursts tied to news, regional events, or platform disputes can flood a page. To keep the meter useful, Valve may mark a window so posts from that span stop counting toward the rating. You still see the words when you click the banner that marks the window. The page also shows a toggle near the graph so you can include or exclude that span while browsing. This keeps the score tied to play experience, not a short-term wave that doesn’t reflect game builds or patches. When the wave passes, fresh reviews weigh in as usual.
Pro Tips For Clear, Rule-Safe Replies From Game Teams
Studios often want to speak with players under a review. Keep replies short, factual, and tied to the product. Link to patch notes, list steps to try, or point to a bug tracker. Skip personal jabs and jokes that can escalate. If a post looks like bait, flag rule breaks and leave it there. When a fix lands, reply once more with the change and date. That keeps the thread clean for shoppers who read from top to bottom.
Method Notes: How This Guide Was Built
This guide reflects Valve’s own documentation on flags and moderation, plus long-running behavior on the store. The links above point to the policy text and system notes. Steps to delete or edit come from the live interface on desktop and mobile and match common help threads users cite when walking through the menus.
Bottom Line For Steam Shoppers
You can always remove your own post. You can’t erase someone else’s text. Studios can’t press delete on a player post. When rules are broken, use the flag and let a moderator decide. If you only want to tweak your view, edit the text and keep your spot in the list.