Turkey Approves New Steam Rules With Local-Rep Requirement and Fines up to TRY 30 Million

Turkey's parliament approved a law on April 23 that will place new compliance duties on digital game storefronts operating in the country. Game World Observer reports that the rules target platforms such as Steam and Epic Games Store, and the final version gives companies six months to comply once the law formally takes effect.

The new obligations are specific. Platforms distributing games in Turkey will need to display age ratings. If a title does not have an assigned rating, it can default to 18+. Stores must also provide parental control tools that are clear and easy to use. The biggest operational change is the local-representative rule: foreign platforms used daily by more than 100,000 Turkish residents must appoint a local representative and make that contact information easy to find on the service.

• First missed deadline: warning plus one month to fix the issue
• Second stage: fine of up to TRY 10 million
• Third stage after another month: fine rises to TRY 30 million
• Continued non-compliance: access speed can be reduced by 30-50%

The final text is softer than the earliest proposal. Industry group TOGED said earlier drafts would have gone further by banning sales of games without publisher-provided ratings and by giving regulators broader blocking powers. Those points were removed, which shifts the outcome from an immediate storefront ban risk to a heavy compliance burden instead.

That distinction matters for PC players and publishers with large long-tail catalogs. The main question is no longer whether Steam-style platforms can stay in Turkey, but how quickly they can wire age labels, parental tools, and local representation into their Turkish operations. For players, the practical effect will be visible in storefront labeling and account controls first, with the bigger legal pressure falling on the companies before the six-month window closes.