Valve face a £656m lawsuit in the UK over Steam pricing

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 27/01/2026

A judge has denied Valve’s request to dismiss a £656m lawsuit against them in the UK over alleged unfair prices.

The legal action was taken by digital rights campaigner Vicki Shotbollt in 2024 on behalf of 14 million UK Steam.

This case is a “collective action claim”, which allows one person to go to court on behalf of a much larger group of people.

A previous study found that UK gamers have one of the most valuable Steam collections.

Ip to 14 million people in the United Kingdom who bought games or additional content through Steam or other platforms since 2018 stand to profit from this lawsuit.

Those 14m eligible, who don’t directly choose to opt out, could be set for £22–£44 each in compensation for being overcharged.

Those based in Scotland may be due additional compensation according to Shotbolt’s website.

While there is no guarantee that compensation will be awarded, there is no cost to individuals at any point throughout the claim.

What allegations are being made about Steam in the UK?

Shotbolt on her own website, steamyouoweus.co.uk, alleges that Valve’s policies on Steam violate UK laws on “anti-competitive prices.”

She also argues that Steam pushes “unfair trading conditions that prevent or hinder others from competing with them.”

It is claimed that the PC gaming platform “forces” game publishers to sign up for unfair conditions which prevent them from selling titles earlier or in sales on rival platforms.

Additionally, the fact that DLC for games purchased on Steam cannot be bought through other platforms is alleged to give Valve “a dominant position in the PC gaming market” and claims Valve “may have used this position in ways that violate UK competition law.”

Shotbolt’s third and final claim is that this 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.

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

This is the legal form’s second competition claim in the gaming sector after a £5 billion claim against Sony PlayStation over alleged abuse of market dominance.

Meanwhile, a separate consumer action case in the US was also filed against Valve in 2024.

What is next for Valve?

Valve objects these claims and tried to stop the lawsuit from reaching court, arguing that Shotbolt’s group “had not put forward an adequate methodology.”

It was also argued that the law firm failed to take into account the effects of Steam Keys when determining Valve’s effective commission charge.

A ruling filed January 26th by the Competition Appeal Tribunal accepted that the “effect of Steam Keys is a slightly unusual feature in calculating Valve’s effective commission charge and could result in uncertainty in the price alleged to be unfair.”

However, it was ruled that Shotbolt’s firm could “make a sufficient estimate using data from a range of sources,” and the Tribunal rejected Valve’s challenge.

This comes at a critical year for Valve, as 2026 will see the release of the Steam Machine gaming PC and controller to rival consoles.

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

In my seven years of esports writing, I've introduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I'm most proud of the latter.

All Posts By Jack Stewart