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.
Evidence: Valve Corporation — about. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Valve Corporation reported
- 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 →
See the full Valve brand portfolio (4) →
Other brands owned by Valve
Valve controls 4 brands on Brandtree, 4 of them in internet & digital.
Also in internet & digital
Other brands in video games, and who owns them
The 69 brands in video games on Brandtree belong to 18 owners. The largest is Take-Two, with 7; Valve has 3.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy Westward Journey | NetEase | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong |
| 2K | Take-Two | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Apex Legends | EA | 🇺🇸 United States |
| eFootball | Konami | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Bingo Blitz | Playtika | 🇮🇱 Israel |
| Mega Man | Capcom | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Animal Crossing | Nintendo | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Football Manager | Sega Sammy | 🇯🇵 Japan |
About the owner: Valve
Valve is a privately held company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, United States, founded in 1996. Brandtree records 4 brands under its control.
Valve is privately held and majority-owned by its co-founder, a former Microsoft employee. It publishes no financial results, has no conventional management hierarchy, and runs the dominant PC games store, which makes it one of the most commercially significant private companies in entertainment.
🇺🇸 Counter-Strike and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Counter-Strike is not one of them.
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 16 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 16 September 2026.
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