Who makes it · Developer and publisher
Valve
Based in Bellevue, Washington, United States Founded 1996
Valve is a private US company that makes games including Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 and Half-Life, and runs the Steam store for PC games. It earns money from its commission on games and add-ons sold through Steam and from in-game items such as Counter-Strike case keys, which players can resell on its Steam Community Market.
Track-record badges
What stands out, worst first
- Loot-box action
Loot-box enforcement
Belgian Gaming Commission, April 2018: found paid Counter-Strike: Global Offensive loot boxes were in breach of Belgian gambling law. - Misleading ads
Misleading-marketing action
Federal Court of Australia ordered Valve to pay A$3 million in December 2016 for misrepresenting Australian consumers' refund rights on Steam. - Competition law
Competition-law action
European Commission fined Valve €1,624,000 in January 2021 for geo-blocking PC games; the EU General Court upheld the decision in 2023.
Track record
What's on the record, newest first
- Court case
Brazilian first-instance court ordered R$10 million in loot-box damages, subject to appeal
In public civil actions brought by the child-rights group ANCED, the 1st Children and Youth Court of Brazil's Federal District ordered Valve to pay R$10 million in collective moral damages over loot boxes, according to a technical note from Brazil's Ministry of Justice. The ministry listed Valve among the game developers and publishers ordered to pay; its note does not name the games involved. It is a first-instance ruling: the ministry said the rulings are still subject to appeal, so the case is pending.
Brazil Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Technical Note 55/2026) - Regulator action
New York Attorney General sued Valve alleging its loot boxes are illegal gambling
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Valve in state court, alleging that paid loot boxes in Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2 are illegal gambling because players pay for a chance at rare items that can be sold for money, and that many users are children and teenagers. The suit seeks to stop the practice, disgorgement and fines. The claims are allegations and had not been decided by the court at last check.
New York State Attorney General - Court case
UK tribunal allowed £656 million collective claim over Steam pricing to proceed
The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal certified an opt-out collective claim brought by Vicki Shotbolt for up to 14 million UK consumers who bought PC games or add-on content. The claim alleges Valve abused a dominant position through price-parity obligations on publishers, rules requiring add-on purchases to go through Steam, and excessive commission, with damages provisionally estimated at up to £656 million. Valve opposed certification; the allegations have not been tried.
Competition Appeal Tribunal - Court case
US court certified developers' antitrust class action over Steam commission
Judge Jamal N. Whitehead of the US District Court for the Western District of Washington certified a class of game companies and individuals who paid Valve a commission on Steam sales from January 2017, with Wolfire Games and Dark Catt Studios as class representatives. The suit alleges Valve holds monopoly power in PC game distribution and enforces a 'most favoured nation' pricing policy; the claims are allegations and have not been decided.
Bloomberg Law - Regulator action
European Commission fined Valve €1,624,000 for geo-blocking PC games
The European Commission found that Valve and five publishers used geo-blocked Steam activation keys between September 2010 and October 2015 to stop certain PC games sold in some Central and Eastern European countries from being activated elsewhere in the European Economic Area, breaching EU antitrust rules. Valve did not cooperate with the investigation and was fined €1,624,000. The EU General Court dismissed Valve's challenge in September 2023.
European Commission - Good practice
Released Proton so Windows games can run on Linux through Steam
Valve introduced a new version of Steam Play with Proton, a Wine-based compatibility tool that lets games made only for Windows run on Linux through the Steam client. Valve publishes Proton's source code.
Valve (Steam) - Regulator action
Belgian gambling regulator found CS:GO loot boxes broke gambling law
Belgium's Gaming Commission found that paid loot boxes in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, FIFA 18 and Overwatch were in breach of Belgian gambling law, and the justice minister said companies selling them could face fines of up to €800,000 and prison sentences.
Kotaku - Court case
Australian court ordered Valve to pay A$3 million over Steam refund terms
In a case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Federal Court of Australia found that Steam's subscriber agreements and refund policies made false or misleading representations about Australian consumers' rights to refunds for games that were not of acceptable quality, and ordered Valve to pay A$3 million in penalties. Valve's appeal to the Full Federal Court failed, and the High Court refused it special leave to appeal in April 2018.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Settlements are often made without an admission of wrongdoing; we say so where it matters. Follow each source for the full detail.
Games in the guide
What Valve made or published
- Counter-Strike 22023 · Developer and publisherHarmful
- Dota 22013 · Developer and publisherHarmful
- Team Fortress 22007 · Developer and publisherHarmful
Each game's money rating is its own: it comes from how that game makes money, not from the company's record.
Last checked 2 November 2026. Sources: kotaku.com, www.bloomberg.com, www.accc.gov.au, www.accc.gov.au, www.jonesday.com, steamcommunity.com, github.com, ec.europa.eu, www.twobirds.com, news.bloomberglaw.com, kotaku.com, www.pcgamer.com, news.bloomberglaw.com, www.catribunal.org.uk, www.gamedeveloper.com, ag.ny.gov, en.wikipedia.org, kotaku.com, www.gov.br. Spotted something wrong or missing? Send a correction.