Legal action over ‘unfair’ Steam game store prices given go ahead

Valve Corporation will face a £656m lawsuit in the UK over alleged unfair prices on its global online store, Steam, following a tribunal ruling that the case could continue.

The gaming giant is being accused of abusing its market dominance by imposing restrictive terms on game publishers and locking players into using Steam.

The legal action was brought by digital rights campaigner Vicki Shotbolt in 2024 on behalf of up to 14 million Steam users across the UK, who could be in line for compensation if she wins.

Valve, which has been contacted for comment, had argued the case should not be certified to proceed towards a trial.

The lawsuit – filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London – alleges Valve “forces” game publishers to sign up to conditions which prevents them from selling their titles earlier or for less on rival platforms.

It claims that as Valve requires users to buy all additional content through Steam, if they’ve bought the initial game through the platform it is essentially “locking in” users to continue making purchases there.

This, Ms Shotbolt argues, has enabled Steam to charge an “excessive commission of up to 30%”, making UK consumers pay too much for purchasing PC games and add-on content.

The case is what is known as a collective action claim, which means that one person goes to court on behalf of a much larger group of people.

In this instance, it has been brought on behalf of up to 14 million people in the United Kingdom who bought games or additional content through Steam or other platforms since 2018.

The claim is backed by legal firm Milberg London LLP, which brings group action cases against large companies.

A separate consumer action case, filed in August 2024, has been brought against Valve in the US.

Starting out as a developer of award-winning titles such as Half-Life, Valve launched Steam in 2003, which has grown to become the world’s largest distribution platform for PC gaming.

According to VG Insights, over 19,000 games were released on the platform in 2025 alone, generating a revenue of $11.7bn (£8.6bn).

The company has also branched out into creating its own hardware such as the Steam Deck in 2022, a portable, handheld gaming computer that allows users to play Steam games on the go.

Valve recently announced it was also releasing a new console rival to Nintendo, XBox and PlayStation in the Steam Machine, designed to allow gamers to play PC games on their TV.