Valve is arguably one of the most powerful forces in the gaming world, having not only had a huge influence on the FPS scene through games like Half-Life 2 and Portalbut is also revolutionizing PC gaming via Steam. But while public opinion of Valve is generally more positive compared to other major gaming companies, it hasn't been without its problems.
Some of these questions are rearing their heads in 2026, as recent weeks have seen the emergence of several lawsuits aimed at the company. Most notable are two high-profile lawsuits against Valve for its use of microtransactions, common in the games Counter-Strike: Global Operations, Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2and Dota 2. There has also been another lawsuit against Valve recently, but on completely different grounds. Here's what we know about these cases so far.
Steam is under investigation by the FBI
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation is opening an investigation into several games confirmed to contain malware on Steam.
Valve is being sued by the state of New York
On February 25, 2026, New York State Attorney Letitia James filed a complaint accusing Valve of violating state gaming laws by using loot boxes. James claims that these loot boxes are “significant gambling”, as players must spend real money to open them, in the hope of obtaining rare rewards. Of course, Valve does not have any licenses that would allow the company to operate a gaming business in New York.
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The state further argues that these dangers are exacerbated by a lack of age verification, which allows underage users to participate in the loot box system. If found liable, Valve could face up to billions of dollars in fines, in addition to having to pay damages to players.
For a while, it seemed that Valve would not comment on this case, as it is generally tight-lipped about such matters. However, on March 11, the company sent a hefty response to the New York Attorney General's Office via Steam, disputing its claims and defending its loot box systems. The statement contains a number of rebuttals to specific points raised by the New York complaint, although the following passage contains the company's most salient point:
“…these types of boxes in our games are used extensively, not only in video games but also in the real world, where generations have grown up opening baseball card packs and blind boxes and bags, then trading and selling the items they receive. On the physical side, popular products used this way are baseball cards, Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, and Labubu.”
There is a US class action against Valve
On March 9, not even two weeks after New York filed its complaint, Valve was sued by the law firm Hagens Berman on behalf of “consumers across the country.” The class action alleges that Valve's lootbox system “was carefully engineered to extract money from consumers, including children, through deceptive casino-style psychological tactics.” The suit essentially makes the same point as New York's: loot boxes are functionally equivalent to slot machines.
Hagens Berman claims that Valve has profited significantly from this loot box system and is seeking damages in the form of refunds for players who have spent money on it. Additionally, the lawsuit hopes to dismantle Valve's loot box practices altogether and “implement meaningful age verification and consumer protections.”
The Performing Right Society takes the valve to court
The third major lawsuit against Valve to emerge in recent weeks was not issued over loot boxes and gambling, but rather over music distribution rights. The plaintiff in this case is the Performing Right Society, a UK-based copyright collective, which alleges that Valve failed to obtain the necessary license to distribute its members' music online. This applies to soundtracks sold on Steam, but also to games themselves. Titles like Forza Horizon and FIFA contain music owned by PRS members, and even if they got the right licenses, Valve themselves didn't. And since Valve distributes these games, it should have, according to PRS.
PRS claims that it has attempted to negotiate these matters “for many years without appropriate engagement from Valve,” and that “The dispute will proceed unless Valve Corporation positively engages in discussions and obtains the necessary license to cover the use of the PRS repertoire, both retrospectively and going forward.” PRS also notes that other storefronts, including the Microsoft Store, use something called the “General Entertainment Online License” for this very purpose.
The Performing Right Society has been known for its litigation in the past, having been involved in a number of controversial trials in the UK. For example, in 2009, the collective brought legal action against a Scottish car dealership because its employees were listening to the radio without obtaining a licence. In the same year, it also tried to sue a retail worker for singing licensed songs to himself without a live performance licence, although PRS dropped the case and publicly apologized to the 56-year-old worker.
