Valve is not ordered to pay £656 million. On 26 January 2026, the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal allowed an opt-out collective action against the company to proceed. The claim alleges that Valve’s Steam policies harmed UK buyers of PC games and add-on content; the £656 million is a provisional estimate of aggregate damages, not compensation awarded or guaranteed.
What the lawsuit alleges
Vicki Shotbolt Class Representative Limited, acting for the proposed class, alleges that Valve abused a dominant position through three related practices. The allegations concern the way publishers can sell games and add-on content, including in-game purchases, through Steam and other channels. They have not been proved.
Parity obligations
The claimant says Valve’s platform parity terms prevent publishers from offering the same products through other channels on better terms than on Steam. It argues that this restricts competition between sales platforms.
Restrictions on in-game payments
The claim alleges that publishers distributing games on Steam must use Steam’s API and Valve’s payment service for in-game purchases, where commissions apply. The claimant says these requirements limit alternative payment routes.
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Commissions and consumer costs
The claimant also alleges that Valve’s commissions are excessive and that some of their cost is passed on to consumers. Whether the alleged restrictions or commissions breached competition law remains to be decided.
What the Tribunal decided—and what it did not
The Tribunal granted a collective proceedings order (CPO), a procedural decision that allows the case to proceed collectively. Its Registry summary of the judgment says: “The Tribunal therefore concluded that the certification criteria were satisfied and it was appropriate to grant a CPO on an opt-out basis.” The summary is identified by the Tribunal as unofficial. Read the Tribunal’s summary of the CPO judgment.
Certification is not a ruling that Valve infringed competition law, nor a decision that consumers are owed damages. The Tribunal considered whether the proposed collective case met the requirements to go forward; the merits of the allegations remain unresolved.
Valve’s objections at certification
According to the Tribunal’s summary, Valve opposed certification on three main grounds: the proposed method of calculating its effective commission did not adequately account for Steam Keys; the claimant had not proposed an adequate empirical method to measure the effects of parity obligations; and the proposed class definition was inadequate.
The Tribunal acknowledged uncertainty around Steam Keys but considered that it could be estimated using multiple data sources. It also considered the parity case capable of effective trial and accepted revisions to the class definition. Those conclusions supported certification; they do not establish that the alleged conduct occurred or was unlawful.
What £656 million means
The Tribunal’s 2026 Registry summary gives a provisional estimate of aggregate damages of up to £656 million. “Up to” matters: this is an estimate for the proposed case, not a court award, a confirmed liability, or a guaranteed sum payable to consumers. No individual payout amount can be inferred from it.
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The same summary describes a proposed class of up to 14 million UK-based consumers who bought PC games or add-on content, including subscriptions, during the relevant period. That is a potential class size, not a confirmed count of eligible people. The summary points to the claim form for the relevant-period definition; the dates and detailed eligibility rules should not be guessed from the headline figure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who may be included, and do Steam users need to register?
The proposed class is broader than people who bought games directly through Steam: it is described as covering UK-based consumers who bought PC games or add-on content during the relevant period, whether on Steam or another platform. However, that description alone does not establish that any particular person qualifies. The exact period, exclusions and other eligibility details depend on the claim documents.
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The order is on an opt-out basis. That means the case is brought collectively for the defined class rather than requiring every potential member to start an individual claim to be represented. The official pages cited here do not set out a consumer registration or payment process. Do not treat the £656 million estimate as a claim form or use an unverified service promising compensation.
Case timeline and current status
The Tribunal case page records the following procedural milestones and listings:
- 13 May 2025: Case management conference.
- 14 October 2025: Hearing on the CPO application.
- 26 January 2026: Judgment granting the CPO application.
- 11 March 2026: The case page lists the CPO order and a costs order.
- 22 June 2026: Case management conference to consider disclosure directions.
- 9 December 2026: Listed case management conference, estimated at one day.
- 18 March 2027: Listed case management conference, estimated at one day, with one day in reserve.
The Tribunal’s case page lists these events and, as of the page reviewed for this article, gives no trial date. The proceedings are therefore still at the case-management stage, not a concluded trial.
What happens next
The case must proceed through further case management before any trial or final decision on liability and damages. The Tribunal’s case page lists upcoming conferences, but the materials cited here do not establish a trial date, final eligibility rules, or a consumer payment process. Readers can follow the official case page for listed developments.
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