Steam asks gamers for a full system reset after finding malware in a game

Valve has now asked gamers to do a full system scan or a reset if possible after a game on Steam was found to be housing malware. PirateFi, a recently released free-to-play game on Steam was removed from the platform, and gamers who played or added the game to their library were notified and asked to take some action.

In an email revealed by SteamDB, Valve notified users that malicious files may have been launched on their systems. “We are contacting you because you recently launched PirateFi (3476470) on Steam. The Steam account of the developer for this game uploaded builds to Steam that contained suspected malware,” the email wrote.

Luckily, the game did not get much attention from the audience as the peak player count was reported to be only 5 players while an estimated 1,500 users added the game to their Steam library.

A rare slip-up by Valve

Games launching on Steam are usually checked by Valve before they reach the public. This is to avoid situations like these as there are many bad actors in the gaming scene looking to prey on millions of people downloading games from the platform. After the discovery, the game was removed by Valve.

“The builds containing the suspected malware have been removed from Steam, but we strongly encourage you to run a full-system scan using an antivirus product that you trust or use regularly, and inspect your system for unexpected or newly installed software. You may also consider fully reformatting your operating system to ensure that no malicious software remains on your machine,” Valve further added.

Also Read: Valve makes its stance clear on in-game advertisements on Steam games

Do games with malware appear regularly on Steam?

There aren’t many cases like this and the ones that happened previously can be counted on fingers. However, this did come as a surprise to gamers. It’s a relief that the game did not receive much attention as it could have caused a lot more harm if done intentionally by the game developer.

A free-to-play game was probably the best choice if the person wanted to infect as many systems as possible. PirateFi also looked like an average low-effort shovelware game with paywalled content which might be a reason why not many were interested.