Valve and 10 major publishers conspired to fix PC game prices, a new class action lawsuit alleges

Three California residents filed a class action lawsuit on Aug. 27, 2026, in San Mateo County Superior Court against Valve Corp. and 10 major video game publishers, alleging the companies agreed to keep PC game prices identical across every storefront.

The lawsuit claims those agreements pushed sales through Steam, reportedly the most expensive place to buy, so California consumers paid more than they would in a competitive market.

The companies the lawsuit includes

Alexander Shimota, Ricardo Camargo and John Elliott claim they each bought PC games from at least one defendant and paid supracompetitive prices, meaning prices above what real competition would produce.

The lawsuit names 10 developers and publishers:

  • Activision Blizzard Inc.
  • Annapurna Games
  • Capcom U.S.A. Inc.
  • Electronic Arts Inc.
  • Humble Bundle Inc.
  • Sega of America Inc.
  • Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
  • Square Enix of America Holdings Inc.
  • Ubisoft Inc.
  • Valve Corp.
  • Warner Bros. International Enterprises Inc.

Together, these companies account for roughly 90% of U.S. PC game sales, the proposed class action alleges. Steam, whose parent company is Valve, accounts for 70% or more of PC game sales alone.

Valve's alleged developer terms

The complaint describes four terms Valve required developers to accept, a portion of them written into the standard Steam distribution agreement and key guidelines:

  • Price parity, including no better deals at competing stores
  • Content parity, including no exclusive content elsewhere without matching it on Steam
  • Release date parity, including no launching earlier on a rival platform
  • Anti-steering, including no in-game links or references to any other store, including a developer's own site

Developers who agreed reportedly received promotional placement, free advertising and free Steam keys, which are codes they can sell outside Steam's storefront. Developers who offered better deals elsewhere risked losing major promotions or having Steam delist their games, the, plaintiffs allege.

How the rules reportedly affect prices

Valve reportedly charges a higher distribution fee than most competitors, and its parity rules pushed the vast majority of PC game sales through that most expensive channel, the lawsuit alleges. The complaint claims price parity removed customers' shopping options because every company priced its copies to carry Steam's costs no matter where someone bought it while anti-steering kept shoppers from learning about cheaper alternatives.

The filing cites Epic Games v. Apple in which a federal court in California reportedly found Apple's anti-steering rules violated the state's unfair competition law. The Ninth Circuit upheld that ruling in 2025. Valve's restrictions go further than Apple's, the proposed class action contends.

The legal claims

The lawsuit brings two claims:

  • Cartwright Act, Business and Professions Code Section 16700, California's main antitrust statute, which treats price-fixing as illegal on its face whether the agreement runs between competitors or a platform and its suppliers
  • Unfair Competition Law, Section 17200, which reaches business practices that are unlawful, unfair or fraudulent

Plaintiffs seek treble damages, meaning three times actual losses, plus restitution, disgorgement of profits, a declaration voiding the agreements, a permanent injunction, attorney fees and costs.

What the case means for California PC gamers

The proposed class covers California residents who bought PC games, downloadable content, expansions or in-game microtransactions from any defendant, a group the lawsuit estimates to imclude a minimum of 2 million people. The class excludes resellers and anyone already litigating the same claims.

As of this writing, there is no settlement, no claims process and no money available.