UK approves $900 million lawsuit against Steam parent Valve, company faces these allegations

Valve Corporation is set to face a £656 million ($900 million) lawsuit in the UK. The lawsuit alleges that the company engaged in unfair pricing practices on its global online store, Steam, following a tribunal ruling that allowed the case to proceed. The gaming company is accused of abusing its market dominance by imposing restrictive terms on game publishers and locking players into using Steam, a popular PC gaming distribution platform. 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. When BBC contact Valve for comment, the company argued that the case should not be certified to proceed to trial. The tribunal's decision marks a development in the case against the platform's business practices and pricing structure.The lawsuit, which was filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London, alleges that Valve “forces” game publishers to sign up to conditions that prevent them from selling their titles earlier or for less on rival platforms. It claims that, because Valve requires users to buy all additional content through Steam, if they've bought the initial game on the platform, it essentially “locking in” users to continue making purchases there.Shotbolt pointed out that this has allowed Steam to take an “excessive commission of up to 30%,” which makes UK consumers overpay for buying PC games and add-ons. The case is a collective action claim, meaning that one individual sues the court on behalf of a large number of people.In this instance, it has been reported that up to 14 million people in the United Kingdom have bought games or additional content through Steam or other platforms since 2018. The claim is supported 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. Beginning as a developer of award-winning titles such as Half-Life, Valve launched Steam in 2003.According to VG Insights, more than 19,000 games were released on the platform in 2025 alone and the revenue generated was $11.7 billion (approximately £8.6 billion).In 2022, the company began creating its own hardware, such as the Steam Deck, which is a handheld gaming console that allows gamers 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.