For many owners of gaming PCs, the question of where to buy games was settled long ago: on Steam they already have a library and a list of friends. For Valve, this loyalty translates into substantial revenue. On every sale of a third-party game, the platform takes a commission that reaches 30 per cent. Yet publishers and buyers are increasingly challenging these terms in court.
Valve is a private company and does not publish financial statements. According to estimates by the analytics firm Alinea Analytics, total sales through Steam came to about $16.9 billion in 2025, while Valve's own revenue from operating the store exceeded $4 billion. The main source of income is the commission: the store takes 30 per cent of the first $10 million in a game's revenue. The rate falls to 25 per cent for revenue above $10 million and to 20 per cent for sums above $50 million. Most small projects never reach these thresholds and therefore pay the maximum rate.
The main object of the antitrust claims is not only the size of the commission but also the so-called price parity. Plaintiffs in the US and the UK argue that Valve prevents developers from selling their games more cheaply on other platforms where the commission is lower. For example, the competing Epic Games Store charges 12 per cent. According to the plaintiffs, Valve's rules do not allow a buyer to be offered a lower price elsewhere without lowering it on Steam as well. This deprives rival stores of a competitive advantage and deprives buyers of possible savings.
In the US, a suit on behalf of developers was filed by the studio Wolfire Games. In November 2024 the court allowed it to proceed as a class action, on behalf of roughly 32,000 developers and publishers. In the UK, a similar proceeding was brought by the consumer representative Vicki Shotbolt. She seeks compensation of £656 million for 14 million British gamers who, in her view, overpaid for games. No rulings on the merits of these cases have yet been issued.
Valve rejects the accusations. The company's representatives point out that, in return for its commission, the platform provides developers with extensive services: from file distribution and updates to tools for online play, cloud saves and protection against cheaters. Gabe Newell, Valve's co-founder, testified that the company does not dictate prices to developers.
A separate group of lawsuits concerns so-called loot boxes: paid packs containing random virtual items in Valve's own games, such as Counter-Strike 2. In February 2026 the Attorney General of New York State filed a suit, describing this mechanic as gambling. In the plaintiffs' view, the payment for an attempt, the random result and the ability to sell the obtained item for real money make it resemble a slot machine.
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