A class-action lawsuit was filed against the plaintiffs' law firm Valveaccusing the company of using illegal gambling tactics through the loot box system offered in some Valve games. The lawsuit alleged that Valve knowingly profited from consumers, including children, through the money the company made from selling loot boxes.
In addition to being the company behind the popular PC store Steam, Valve is also the creator of various games including Dota 2, Team Strength 2and Counterstrike series. In addition to its gaming IPs, Valve is also the creator of the popular Steam Deck handheld system, which allows Steam users to play various PC titles on the go. Although the Steam Deck is difficult to restock, Valve is also developing the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and the new Steam Controller. The Steam Machine, Frame, and Controller are all slated to launch sometime in 2026, though exact pricing and release date information remains unknown at the time of writing.
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Valve is facing legal scrutiny in its home state
Weeks after New York Attorney General Leticia James sued Valve over its loot box system, another law firm has joined the legal battle against the PC gaming giant. Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman filed a consumer lawsuit against Valve in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. According to Hagens Berman's 32-page court filing, some of the most popular games on Steam, including Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2have built in loot boxes that players can buy. IN Counter-Strike 2the price of loot boxes and the keys used to open them may vary. While more recent items sell for cheap, including Kilowatt Case Keys for $2.49, older and rarer items often sell for over $1,000 on the Steam Marketplace. The lawsuit alleged that Valve's loot box system constitutes gambling, which is illegal under Washington state law. The lawsuit seeks damages from Valve's loot boxes, as well as forcing Valve to cease and desist from any loot box operations, if successful.
Law firm Hagens Berman went on to say that Valve's loot boxes were made to “extract money from consumers, including children, using deceptive casino-style psychological tactics.” Hagens Berman founder and managing partner Steve Berman said: “We believe Valve intentionally created its gambling platform and profited enormously from it. Consumers played these games for fun, unaware that Valve had allegedly already calculated the odds against them. We intend to hold Valve accountable and put the money back into consumers' pockets.”
The case against loot boxes continues to grow
Regarding the legality of loot boxes, some countries have taken measures to ban loot boxes in video games. A ban on loot boxes is set to become law in Brazil later this month after Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the measure into law in September 2025. Brazil will join Belgium and the Netherlands in regulating loot boxes within its borders. Because Valve is based in Bellevue, Washington, the company is subject to state law. At the time of writing, Hagens Berman's lawsuit called for the loot box case against Valve to be decided through a trial in the future. However, it remains to be seen whether the lootbox lawsuit against Valve will move forward in Washington.
As a lawsuit from Hagens Berman has just been filed against Valve, it is currently unclear whether the case will move to a jury trial or if the matter will be settled or dismissed outright. While Valve's lawyers recently won a lawsuit against patent trolls in Washington state, it remains to be seen how the PC gaming giant will fare in defending its lootbox practices on two fronts.
Source: Insider Gaming
