Jan 27, 2026
3 min read
Millions of players could receive compensation if the lawsuit - which accuses Valve of charging inflated prices - is successful.
Legal action is being taken over "unfair" prices in the Steam Game Store
Valve is suing the UK for £656m over unfair pricing on its global Steam online store after a court ruled it could go ahead.
The gaming giant is accused of abusing its market dominance by imposing restrictive terms on game publishers and forcing players to use Steam, the world's largest PC game distribution platform.
The lawsuit was brought by digital rights campaigner Vicky Shotbolt in 2024 on behalf of up to 14 million Steam users in the UK and could lead to damages if she wins.
Valve, contacted for comment, argued that the case should not be certified to proceed to trial.
The case - filed at London's Competition Appeal Court - accuses Valve of "forcing" game publishers to sign conditions that prevent them from selling their titles sooner or for less than competitors.
Because Valve requires users to purchase all additional content through Steam, if they purchase the original game through the platform, it "locks" users into continuing to purchase there.
Ms Shotbolt believes this allows Steam to charge "exorbitant commissions of up to 30 per cent", resulting in UK consumers paying too much for PC games and add-on content.
The case is known as a class action claim, which means one person goes to court on behalf of a large group of people.
In this case, it comes on behalf of up to 14 million people in the UK who have bought a game or other content through Steam or other platforms since 2018.
The lawsuit is being backed by law firm Milberg London LLP, which files class action lawsuits against major companies.
A separate consumer action lawsuit, filed in August 2024, has been filed against Valve in the US.
Starting out as the developer of award-winning titles such as Half-Life, Valve launched Steam in 2003.
According to VG Insights, by 2025 alone, more than 19,000 games will be released on the platform, generating $11.7bn (£8.6bn) in revenue.
The company has also expanded into creating its own hardware, such as the Steam Deck 2022, a portable gaming PC that allows users to play Steam games on the go.
Valve recently announced that it was also releasing a new rival console to Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation in the steam engine, designed to allow gamers to play PC games on their TV.
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