Valve, the company behind the popular Steam gaming platform, is being sued in the UK for £656 million (around $900 million) in a class-action lawsuit. The suit, first brought by digital rights advocate Vicki Shotbolt earlier this year, has been given the go-ahead to proceed by the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
The lawsuit alleges that Valve unfairly controls the gaming market and harms UK players by requiring game publishers and developers to keep their prices consistent across all platforms, preventing them from offering lower prices elsewhere. This effectively guarantees Steam always has the best price and restricts potential discounts for customers, according to the claim.
As a Steam user, it really bothers me that games I buy there only work with DLC and expansions *also* bought on Steam. It feels like they’re trying to force us to keep buying everything from them, instead of letting us get content from other stores. It’s frustrating because it limits our choices and feels a bit unfair.
Shotbolt claims that by dominating the PC gaming market, Valve has been able to charge game developers a high 30% fee on every game sold through its platform. The lawsuit argues this drives up prices for players, as developers try to make up for the money lost through these fees.
According to Shotbolt, the lawsuit was filed to halt what she considers illegal practices and recover funds for those affected. The case is a collective claim on behalf of 14 million Steam users in the UK who have bought games and downloadable content since 2018.
The lawsuit is being supported by Milberg London LLP, a law firm known for representing people harmed by company misconduct. They are currently involved in cases against major companies like Apple, PlayStation, BMW, Mercedes, as well as Valve and Steam.
According to partner Natasha Pearman, competition law exists to safeguard consumers and maintain fair markets. When markets fail and consumers suffer, collective legal action allows them to be heard and hold large companies, such as Valve, responsible for their actions.
I’ve been following the legal issues surrounding Valve, and it’s not just a UK problem. In August 2024, a group of four gamers from California, Florida, and Missouri filed a lawsuit in the US, and their argument mirrors the one happening in the UK – it’s about how Steam sets prices and takes its cut. The lawsuit claims Valve makes huge profits by overcharging customers for games and in-game items on Steam.
Steam consistently attracts over 132 million players each month, starting in 2021. In 2025, the platform brought in over $16 billion in revenue – a rise of at least 5.7% compared to 2024. This figure could be even higher, exceeding 6%, as the data was collected shortly before the year ended.
Valve, known for its software, has been expanding into hardware recently. They launched the popular Steam Deck handheld gaming PC in 2022, and this year they’re releasing the Steam Machine, a console-like device, along with a new Steam Controller.
It will be difficult for Shotbolt to challenge the fact that Steam games only work with Steam DLC, because all PC game stores and console platforms have similar restrictions. Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out – and given these cases often take years to resolve, it could be a long wait.
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2026-01-27 23:39