PC gamers in the UK could be in for a share of £656million after a lawsuit against digital platform Steam was allowed to go ahead.
Back in 2024, UK digital rights activist Vicki Shotbolt accused Steam of “excessive prices and anticompetitive behaviour”. As well as launching a dedicated website about the unfair practices, they filed a lawsuit with the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Earlier this week, the tribunal ruled that the lawsuit against Steam can continue. If it’s successful, more than 14million Steam users in the UK could get a share of £656million worth of compensation, with each person receiving between £22 and £44.
According to the suit, Steam has deliberately “shut out” competition by stopping users from purchasing expansions via other platforms. Shotbolt has also accused Steam of imposing “price parity clauses”, which prevents publishers from selling titles at a cheaper price on rival platforms. Alongside an “excessive commission of up to 30 percent” on sales, she claims gamers are being forced to pay “inflated prices” on Steam.
Steam is only a monopoly because it's an order of magnitude better than any competitor https://t.co/4qvekU8vVi
— Callum (@CallumMacClark) January 28, 2026
“This claim does not want to, and is not about, shutting down Steam or restricting gamer access to the platform in any way,” explained the Steam You Owe Us website. “The claim seeks to address Valve’s anticompetitive behaviour and to ensure that it does not operate Steam in a way that is detrimental to the consumer. “
“Valve is rigging the market and taking advantage of UK gamers”, said Shotbolt in a statement. The lawsuit is an attempt “to stop this unlawful conduct and help people get back what they are owed.”
“Competition law is there to protect consumers and ensure that markets work properly,” said Natasha Pearman, a partner at law firm Milberg London LLP who are working with Shotbolt. “When they don’t work properly and consumers are harmed, collective actions of this kind provide consumers with a voice and a way of holding big companies, like Valve, to account.” They have warned that “claims of this size can take several years to resolve.”
