The FBI is looking into Steam games loaded with malware—and one is still up on the store

With so many games released on Steam every day, some bad actors are bound to slip through the cracks. The company employs extensive checks and verifications before putting a game up on its store, but skilled malicious programmers can and do find ways around them. But now, they've got the FBI's attention, as the agency is launching an investigation into malware-riddled Steam games, some of which were released as recently as January this year and are still up on the store as of writing this article. "The FBI’s Seattle Division is seeking to identify potential victims installing Steam games embedded with malware," the agency stated in an alert posted March 11. "The FBI believes the threat actor primarily targeted users between the timeframe of May 2024 and January 2026. In the investigation, several games have been identified," they added. The games being investigated with particular interest are Lampy, BlockBlasters, Chemia, Dashverse or DashFPS, Lunara, PirateFi, and Tokenova. This game allegedly contains malicious code. Image via Mez Dev Studios Some of these titles were part of rather public and direct actions taken by Steam itself, most notably PirateFi, which was discovered to contain malicious software that could potentially compromise user devices. Steam took the game down and immediately notified anyone who had downloaded the title, advising them to run system scans and antivirus checks just in case something was attached to their PCs. BlockBlasters reportedly stole over $150,000 in crypto from users last September (via PC Mag) and was promptly removed from Steam. Tokenova was supposedly a fake game hosted on Steam, given to players via apps like Telegram, and cannot be publicly found on the platform anymore, nor is it clear if Valve itself took it off the store. However, one game remains active on Steam: Lampy, presenting itself as a small-scale indie platformer with a simple 8-bit art style and retro gameplay. "Embark on an enchanting journey with "Lampy," a mesmerizing puzzle-platformer that promises universal appeal. Navigate captivating levels, overcome obstacles, and immerse yourself in a world of wonder," its Steam description reads. How and in what way this game is infected with malware was not revealed by the FBI, though if you ever downloaded, installed or played any of the games above, you are advised to let the agency know via the form or email available at the alert. Steam gets flooded with new game releases every single day, and cases like these, rare though they are, remind us that we need to be extra careful when installing anything on our machines, even when they come from the most trusted source known to PC users. The post The FBI is looking into Steam games loaded with malware—and one is still up on the store appeared first on Destructoid.

Mar 14, 2026 - 04:57

With so many games released on Steam every day, some bad actors are bound to slip through the cracks. The company employs extensive checks and verifications before putting a game up on its store, but skilled malicious programmers can and do find ways around them.

But now, they've got the FBI's attention, as the agency is launching an investigation into malware-riddled Steam games, some of which were released as recently as January this year and are still up on the store as of writing this article.

"The FBI’s Seattle Division is seeking to identify potential victims installing Steam games embedded with malware," the agency stated in an alert posted March 11.

"The FBI believes the threat actor primarily targeted users between the timeframe of May 2024 and January 2026. In the investigation, several games have been identified," they added.

The games being investigated with particular interest are Lampy, BlockBlasters, Chemia, Dashverse or DashFPS, Lunara, PirateFi, and Tokenova.

This game allegedly contains malicious code. Image via Mez Dev Studios Some of these titles were part of rather public and direct actions taken by Steam itself, most notably PirateFi, which was discovered to contain malicious software that could potentially compromise user devices. Steam took the game down and immediately notified anyone who had downloaded the title, advising them to run system scans and antivirus checks just in case something was attached to their PCs.

BlockBlasters reportedly stole over $150,000 in crypto from users last September (via PC Mag) and was promptly removed from Steam.

Tokenova was supposedly a fake game hosted on Steam, given to players via apps like Telegram, and cannot be publicly found on the platform anymore, nor is it clear if Valve itself took it off the store.

However, one game remains active on Steam: Lampy, presenting itself as a small-scale indie platformer with a simple 8-bit art style and retro gameplay.

"Embark on an enchanting journey with "Lampy," a mesmerizing puzzle-platformer that promises universal appeal. Navigate captivating levels, overcome obstacles, and immerse yourself in a world of wonder," its Steam description reads.

How and in what way this game is infected with malware was not revealed by the FBI, though if you ever downloaded, installed or played any of the games above, you are advised to let the agency know via the form or email available at the alert.

Steam gets flooded with new game releases every single day, and cases like these, rare though they are, remind us that we need to be extra careful when installing anything on our machines, even when they come from the most trusted source known to PC users.

The post The FBI is looking into Steam games loaded with malware—and one is still up on the store appeared first on Destructoid.

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