- Primary Subject: Valve / Steam (UK Antitrust Lawsuit)
- Key Update: The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal allowed a £656M collective action lawsuit against Valve over Steam’s pricing and platform practices to proceed.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: January 28, 2026
- Quick Answer: A UK tribunal allowed a £656M lawsuit against Valve to proceed, alleging Steam used anti-competitive pricing rules and high commissions, though no wrongdoing has been proven.
Valve is heading toward a major courtroom battle in the United Kingdom over how it operates Steam, its hugely dominant PC game storefront.
A case valued at roughly £656 million (about $900 million) has been allowed to proceed after the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled that the claim meets the legal requirements to move forward as a collective action.
The lawsuit was brought in 2024 by Vicki Shotbolt, acting as a class representative on behalf of an estimated 14 million UK consumers who have purchased games or downloadable content through Steam since 2018.
This type of legal action is similar to a class-action lawsuit, where one representative argues the case for a very large group of affected people.
Valve had tried to block the claim at this early stage, but the tribunal decided the case should continue, meaning the company will now have to defend its business practices in court rather than avoiding trial on technical grounds.
What Exactly Is Valve Being Accused Of?
The core of the complaint is that Valve has allegedly used Steam’s powerful position in the PC gaming market to shape rules that harm both competition and consumers.
According to the claim, developers and publishers who want to sell on Steam must agree to terms that discourage them from offering their games cheaper or earlier on rival platforms.
These arrangements, commonly called price-parity or platform restrictions, are believed to reduce real price competition between stores.
The lawsuit also argues that when players buy a base game on Steam, they are effectively required to purchase all related add-ons, expansions, and in-game content through Steam as well, which the claimant describes as a form of customer “lock-in.”
The argument is that these measures let Valve collect commissions of up to roughly 30% on sales and additional content, with those charges considered excessive and reflected in what players pay.
How Is Valve Defending Itself?
Valve’s defense has focused heavily on the argument that the claim overstates how its commission system works in practice.
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One point raised is the role of Steam Keys, which allow games purchased outside of Steam’s own store to be activated on the platform.
Valve argues that without properly factoring in how these keys affect pricing and revenue, the lawsuit cannot accurately calculate Steam’s “effective” commission rate or prove that prices are unfair.
The company has also questioned whether the claimant can reliably identify which developers or partners supposedly paid inflated commissions and how individual consumer losses could be measured.
Despite these objections, the tribunal concluded that the legal threshold for certification was met, issuing a Collective Proceedings Order (CPO) that allows the case to advance.
What Could Happen If Valve Loses?
If the claim ultimately succeeds, compensation could be distributed across millions of UK players, with estimates in the case suggesting individual losses might average tens of pounds per person, depending on spending history.
Beyond potential payouts, the lawsuit is significant because it challenges how a leading digital marketplace structures fees, pricing rules, and platform control.
It also sits within a wider pattern of legal scrutiny aimed at large tech platforms that take similar commission cuts, with other cases in the UK targeting companies like Apple and Google over their app store models.
Valve is simultaneously dealing with separate consumer litigation in the United States raising comparable concerns about Steam’s competitive practices.
Has Valve Already Been Found Guilty?
At this stage, it’s important to note that the ruling does not mean Valve has been found guilty of wrongdoing.
The tribunal’s decision only confirms that the case is strong enough, procedurally and legally, to be heard in full.
The dispute now moves into a longer legal process where evidence, economic analysis, and industry practices will be examined in detail.
The case could take years to reach a final decision, but it is already shaping up to be one of the most financially serious legal battles Valve has encountered, with potential consequences for how digital game storefronts operate going forward.
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