Valve Sued Again in UK

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28 January 2026 06:55

Valve has lost a key legal battle in the UK. A tribunal has ruled that a major class-action lawsuit accusing it of overcharging gamers can move forward to a full trial. The Competition Appeal Tribunal in London decided on January 26, 2026, that the case should proceed. This comes after Valve tried to have the lawsuit thrown out early.

The claim centers on Steam's standard 30% cut from game sales and other transactions on its store. Critics say this fee is too high and ends up making games and add-ons more expensive for everyday players.

Digital rights campaigner Vicki Shotbolt, who serves as CEO of Parent Zone, brought the case forward in June 2024. She argues that Valve's practices amount to "rigging the market and taking advantage of UK gamers."

Lawyers acting for Shotbolt point out that Valve requires publishers to follow certain rules. These include not offering games or content cheaper or sooner on competing stores. They also highlight how players often have no choice but to buy extra content, like DLC, directly through Steam. This setup, they say, "locks in" users and limits real competition.

The lawsuit covers around 14 million Steam users in the United Kingdom who have bought games or add-ons since mid-2018. If successful, total damages could reach up to £656 million. That breaks down to roughly £8 to £23 per person for games, £14 to £29 for add-on content, and a combined total of £22 to £44 for those who purchased both."Valve is rigging the market and taking advantage of UK gamers," Shotbolt said when the lawsuit was first announced.

Backers have already committed more than £18.6 million to fund the legal fight. Valve had raised questions about the funding setup while pushing to stop the case from advancing, but the tribunal was not persuaded.

This is not the first time Valve has dealt with similar complaints in the UK. Developer Wolfire Studios launched an antitrust challenge in 2021 over the same 30% revenue share, calling it "extraordinarily high." That case faced setbacks but was reworked and refiled.

More:Ubisoft to Fire 200 Employees

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Valve Sued Again in UK

More

28 January 2026 06:55

Tags: Valve

Valve has lost a key legal battle in the UK. A tribunal has ruled that a major class-action lawsuit accusing it of overcharging gamers can move forward to a full trial. The Competition Appeal Tribunal in London decided on January 26, 2026, that the case should proceed. This comes after Valve tried to have the lawsuit thrown out early.

The claim centers on Steam's standard 30% cut from game sales and other transactions on its store. Critics say this fee is too high and ends up making games and add-ons more expensive for everyday players.

Digital rights campaigner Vicki Shotbolt, who serves as CEO of Parent Zone, brought the case forward in June 2024. She argues that Valve's practices amount to "rigging the market and taking advantage of UK gamers."

Lawyers acting for Shotbolt point out that Valve requires publishers to follow certain rules. These include not offering games or content cheaper or sooner on competing stores. They also highlight how players often have no choice but to buy extra content, like DLC, directly through Steam. This setup, they say, "locks in" users and limits real competition.

The lawsuit covers around 14 million Steam users in the United Kingdom who have bought games or add-ons since mid-2018. If successful, total damages could reach up to £656 million. That breaks down to roughly £8 to £23 per person for games, £14 to £29 for add-on content, and a combined total of £22 to £44 for those who purchased both."Valve is rigging the market and taking advantage of UK gamers," Shotbolt said when the lawsuit was first announced.

Backers have already committed more than £18.6 million to fund the legal fight. Valve had raised questions about the funding setup while pushing to stop the case from advancing, but the tribunal was not persuaded.

This is not the first time Valve has dealt with similar complaints in the UK. Developer Wolfire Studios launched an antitrust challenge in 2021 over the same 30% revenue share, calling it "extraordinarily high." That case faced setbacks but was reworked and refiled.

More:Ubisoft to Fire 200 Employees

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