Valve faces £656 million UK lawsuit over Steam pricing practices

Valve will face full UK trial after tribunal allowed £656m claim over alleged unfair Steam pricing

Valve will have to defend a £656 million lawsuit in the United Kingdom after the Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that a case against the company over Steam’s pricing practices can proceed to a full trial.

The tribunal rejected Valve’s attempt to prevent the claim from moving forward, allowing the collective action to continue.

The case alleges that Valve has abused its dominant position in the PC gaming market through the operation of Steam, resulting in unfair prices for consumers, according to reporting cited by 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 UK. It argues that Valve imposes restrictive contractual terms on game publishers that limit how and where PC games can be sold.

According to the filing, these terms restrict publishers from offering lower prices or earlier releases on competing digital storefronts.

The lawsuit also challenges Steam rules that require players who purchase a base game on the platform to buy all associated downloadable content through Steam.

The claim states that this practice locks users into Valve’s ecosystem and allows the company to charge commissions of up to 30 per cent, which are then passed on to consumers through higher prices.

The collective action covers UK customers who have purchased games or add-on content on Steam or other PC platforms since 2018. If the claim is successful, affected users could be entitled to compensation. The case 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 met the threshold required to be heard in full. Valve has been contacted for comment.

The legal action follows earlier scrutiny of Valve’s business practices, including a separate consumer case filed against the company in the United States.

Steam, which launched in 2003, remains the largest digital storefront for PC games and continues to play a central role in the global PC gaming market.