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Türkiye's Family and Social Services Ministry has drafted legislation that could impose severe access restrictions on major digital gaming platforms including Steam and Epic Games, potentially blocking 90% of user traffic if companies fail to establish local representation in the country.
The proposed law, currently under review by ministry officials and relevant parliamentary committees, would require gaming platforms exceeding a certain daily user threshold to open official offices in Türkiye and designate local representatives, according to details published Thursday by Turkish technology news outlet.
Platforms that refuse to comply would face bandwidth throttling of up to 90% imposed by Türkiye's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), effectively rendering the services unusable. At such reduced speeds, downloading a modern 100-gigabyte game could take months, making the penalty equivalent to a complete ban.
The draft legislation mandates that all games sold to Turkish users carry age ratings from recognized systems like PEGI or ESRB, while also requiring consideration of local sensitivities. Games without clear age classifications would be prohibited from sale to Turkish IP addresses.
This provision poses particular risks for independent developers, as tens of thousands of indie games could disappear from the Turkish market. While major publishers like EA, Ubisoft and Sony maintain budgets to secure official age ratings, solo developers and small studios often cannot afford or choose not to pay the thousands of dollars required for formal classification.
Industry observers estimate that games without official ratings comprise perhaps 60% of Steam's catalogue, primarily independent productions.
Under the proposed framework, BTK would become the primary authority for monitoring game content, with power to demand modifications or complete removal of titles deemed problematic. The agency would also gain authority to request user data and technical log records from platforms citing public interest or child safety concerns.
Government sources indicate three primary motivations drive the regulatory push: protecting children and family values from uncontrolled exposure to violence, obscenity or culturally objectionable content in games; establishing legal jurisdiction over companies that currently lack Turkish offices and prove reluctant to cooperate with authorities in cases involving fraud or child exploitation; and increasing tax revenue and fiscal oversight by requiring companies to establish legal entities subject to Turkish law.
Major platforms may conclude that Türkiye's market size does not justify the costs and bureaucratic burden of maintaining local offices, potentially leading to market exits similar to PayPal's previous departure from the country. If the 90% throttling penalty takes effect, Turkish users with thousands of dollars invested in digital game libraries would lose access to their purchases.
Even if platforms comply, the operational costs and tax obligations of establishing Turkish representation could force companies to abandon regional pricing policies that currently make games more affordable for Turkish consumers, pushing prices to global levels.
The legislation remains in draft form, with no announced timeline for parliamentary consideration or implementation.
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