Who owns Counter-Strike?
Counter-Strike is owned by Valve (the United States).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Key facts
- Current owner
- Valve Corporation reported
- Owned since
- Not recorded
- Previous owner
- None recorded
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Bellevue, Washington
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Founded
- 1999
- Category
- Internet & digital › Platforms & devices › Video games
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike began as a fan modification of Half-Life made by two students, and Valve hired them and bought it. Its weapon skin marketplace supports an economy in which individual items have sold for tens of thousands of dollars. Its 2023 edition was released as a free upgrade that replaced the previous version outright, removing the old game from players' libraries, which was contentious at the time.
Ownership timeline of Counter-Strike
Where Counter-Strike sits in Valve
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Valve ownership tree →
Other brands owned by Valve in internet & digital
Latest news about Counter-Strike
No tagged news items yet. Headlines are added nightly from public feeds; only titles and links are stored.
Headlines link to the original publisher. Brandtree does not reproduce article text.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Counter-Strike?
The parent company of Counter-Strike is Valve, a privately held company headquartered in the United States.
Is Counter-Strike American?
Yes. Counter-Strike originated in the United States in 1999 and its owner, Valve, is also headquartered in the United States.
Is Counter-Strike still owned by Valve?
Yes. As of 8 September 2026, Counter-Strike is still owned by Valve. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Valve Corporation — about — Valve Corporation, Official document; retrieved 8 September 2026.
Report a correction Opens a pre-filled GitHub issue. See our corrections policy.