Valve to face $900 million lawsuit over “unfair” Steam prices

Valve will now have to defend a £656 million (~$900 million USD) lawsuit in the UK after a tribunal ruled that the case against Steam can proceed to a full trial.

The decision was made by the Competition Appeal Tribunal, which rejected Valve’s attempt to block the claim from moving forward. The lawsuit accuses Valve of “abusing” its dominant position in the PC gaming market through the operation of Steam, leading to “unfair” prices, per the BBC.

The claim was filed in 2024 by digital rights campaigner Vicki Shotbolt on behalf of up to 14 million Steam users in the United Kingdom. It alleges that Valve uses restrictive contractual terms to control how and where PC games are sold, limiting publishers’ ability to offer lower prices or earlier releases on rival storefronts.

Steam players could receive compensation

According to the filing, Steam’s rules also require players who purchase a base game on the platform to buy all associated downloadable content through Steam. The lawsuit argues this practice effectively locks users into Valve’s ecosystem and enables the company to charge commissions of up to 30 percent, costs that are ultimately passed on to consumers.

The collective action covers UK customers who have bought games or add-on content on Steam or other PC platforms since 2018. If successful, the case could result in compensation being paid to affected users. The action is being supported by law firm Milberg London LLP.

Valve had argued that the case should not be certified to proceed to trial, but the tribunal ruled that the claims were sufficient to move ahead. Valve has been contacted for comment.

The lawsuit follows earlier scrutiny of Valve’s business practices, with a separate consumer case also filed against the company in the United States.

Steam, which launched in 2003, remains the largest digital storefront for PC games. Industry data from VG Insights estimates that more than 19,000 games were released on the platform in 2025, generating $11.7 billion in revenue, underlining the scale of the market at the center of the legal challenge.