Find out when the next Steam sale is and how to save money while growing your game library

steam It is one of the most popular PC gaming platforms, with more than 400 million total games sold in 2023, according to Statista. The digital PC gaming service boasts a huge catalog of More than 76,000 titles. I first discovered Steam when I was at university – and even then, I didn’t have a PC of my own, so the allure of PC gaming proved irresistible. What started as a dozen modest games (like Team Fortress 2 and Half-Life) has blossomed into a collection of more than 220 titles, thanks mainly to Steam sales. (Please don’t ask me how many items I’ve already played from my library.)

Whether you’re trying to save a few bucks to buy one of the latest big-name AAA games, want to add more indie games to your digital shelf or need to fill your Steam surface Hard Disk Here’s everything you need to know about Steam sales and how to save money.

When are the next Steam sales?

There are four main Steam seasonal sales. The next major Steam sale – the Steam Spring Sale – will take place from March 13 to 20, 2025. There are also smaller sales called Fests. Typically, Steam’s winter and summer sales last about two weeks, while the spring and fall sales last about one week, give or take.

• Steam Spring Sale (March 13-20, 2025)
• Steam Summer Sale (June 26 to July 10, 2025)
• Autumn Steam Sale (November 27 to December 4, 2024)
• Steam Winter Sale (December 19, 2024 to January 2, 2025)

How often is Steam sold out?

Steam sales are very frequent, with at least one per month. While the large seasonal sales are quarterly—winter, fall, spring, and summer—there are dozens of smaller sales or festivals. Typically, these Steam discount days revolve around a specific theme, with discounted prices on titles within a specific genre, such as fighting games or role-playing games.

Here’s How to Save Money with Steam Sales (And You Can Too)

Make use of your wish list

Adding games to your Steam Wishlist makes it easier to know what to snag — or skip — during the sale. You can sort your wish list by discount, so finding the biggest savings is super easy.

Add a game to your wish list when you see a game you like the look of but don’t want to play right away. Then, during a Steam sale, go in and sort by discount and see which prices dropped the most. Or you can sort your wishlist by your most wanted games, then choose what to buy that way during an upcoming Steam sale.

Use SteamDB to find the biggest discounts

SteamDB It is an excellent source for uncovering deals. Its many filters allow you to sort attributes, including discount percentage, rating, price, or reviews, making it a useful tool for tracking Steam sales. You can also narrow the list based on platform — Windows, Linux, or MacOS — and features like controller support. I’ve also used SteamDB to get free games, like a free copy of Tell Me Why.

I usually turn to SteamDB during a Steam sale to look for deep discounts on highly rated games. It’s worth checking SteamDB even outside of seasonal sales and festivals if you want to expand your Steam collection.

Shop for retro titles, indie games, downloadable content, and full catalogs

Often times, newer AAA games get big discounts – but because of their typically high prices, even the discounted cost isn’t cheap. However, you can find retro games, indie games, or downloadable content. For example, I got a copy of The Sum of All Fears for just $2, which wasn’t even during a sale on Steam.

Complete publisher catalogs or franchise packages save you a lot of money. I’ve seen the Activision Collection bundle — normally $900 — go for as much as $355. Although $350+ may not be a fixed amount, the breakdown per title is cost-effective when you get 53 games. Likewise, I saw the Call of Duty Franchise bundle priced at $443, a sharp drop from its usual price of $1,010.

You can often get DLC packs for very cheap during Steam sales, which provide more in-game content to enjoy. On the other hand, these comprehensive packages may lead you to overspend if you don’t actually plan to play, say, every Call of Duty game under the sun.

Check your other game libraries to make sure you’re not double dipping

Although Steam is very popular, it is not the only source for purchasing digital games. Check your other libraries on Gog, epic, Origin E and Xbox Game Passfor example, to make sure you’re not double dipping. Although you can buy Cyberpunk 2077 on Steam and GOG, you probably don’t need two copies.

Cross-store deals on other platforms

With many Steam alternatives, including Gog, epic, pedigreed and fanaticYou can find sweet discounts from several outlets. While you can, and should, check out these individual storefronts, Is there any deal? A comprehensive source of savings. So you might notice a great deal on Skyrim from Steam, but it might be available for less on Epic at the same time.

Determine the budget

It can be tempting to add a bunch of games to your cart, especially with prices dropping by 75% or more. However, a lot of cheap games can still be added. I usually set a budget – whether it’s financial or a limit on the number of games – and stick to it.

Don’t feel like you have to buy anything

The best way to save money is not to spend it in the first place. I know it’s tempting to load your cart with $5 or $10 worth of games, and it’s almost as satisfying as grabbing the in-game loot. But only buy what you’ll play now or soon after purchase. While there are rare cases where games are deleted from Steam, it’s possible that if you miss out on a great deal, they will still be available during the next Steam sale.

Full list of Steam sale dates

Outside of seasonal Steam sales, there are various genre-themed sales or festivals. Steam festivals revolve around the genre or theme of the game. Here are the upcoming Steam Festivals for the remainder of 2024 and The first half of 2025, as announced by SteamIn addition to examples of Steam games for sale, you may find the following:

• Real Time Strategy Festival (January 20-27, 2025): Get discounted RTS strategy game rewards – you might find Hearts of Iron IV, Manor Lords, or DOTA 2 on sale.
• Edler Festival (February 3-10, 2025): If you want to play a video game that allows you to progress without putting in much effort, an idle game is a great option. Examples of what you can find for cheap include Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realm, Firestone, and Rusty’s Retirement.
• Couch Co-Op Festival (February 10-17, 2025): Couch co-op games allow you to play with friends in the same room. You might see games like It Takes Two, Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection at wallet-friendly prices.
• February Edition of Steam Next Fest (February 24 – March 10, 2025): Demos, developer talks, and live stream events featuring recent games.
• Visual Novel Festival (March 3-10, 2025): Stock your Steam library with graphic novels and anime companion games without spending a lot of money. You might see Persona 3 Reload, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, or Vampire Therapist for attractively low costs.
• City Builder & Colony Sim Festival (March 24-31, 2025): Build your own virtual worlds, and get conditional titles like Anno 1800, Ages of Empires IV or RimWorld on sale.
• Sokoban Festival (April 21-28, 2025): Choose some puzzle games like Isles of Sea, Sky or Schein.
• War Games Festival (April 28 – May 5, 2025): Continue your battle with discounted prices on games that may include Six Days in Fallujah, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and Europa Universalis IV.
• Creatures Collector Festival (May 12-19, 2025): If you love Pokémon, you’ll love these discounts on games like Palworld, Digimon World: Next Order, and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin.
• Zombie vs Vampire Festival (May 26 – June 2, 2025): Unreal Deals on Undead and Undead – Games you might see on sale include Resident Evil 4, The House of the Dead Remake, and Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines.
• June edition of Steam Next Fest (June 9-16, 2025): Demos, live streams, and developer talks showcasing upcoming games.
• Hunting Festival (June 16-23, 2025): No hunting license is required for these great games. You can see prices for games like Bassmaster Fishing, Fishing Planet, Bass Pro Shops Fishing Sim World, or Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos dropping.

When is the next Steam Festival?

There’s an upcoming Steam Next Fest taking place from February 24 to March 3, 2025. Steam Next Fest highlights upcoming game releases, featuring developer talks, free playable game demos, and live streaming. Some of the most played demos from June 2024 Steam Next Festival Included are unlimited test drives of the Solar Crown, Once Human and Level Zero: Extraction.

Here’s what I’ve purchased on Steam recently

So what did you stock up on in the recent Steam sale? Mass Effect Legendary Edition – Three games for $2 apiece was too good a deal to pass up. I also stumbled upon Middle-earth: Shadow of War. While I picked up Shadow of Mordor at a previous Steam Sale, I have yet to add its sequel to my metaphorical shelf. As a huge cinephile and fan of movie tie-in games (eg Peter Jackson King Kong), I was excited to get Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine along with Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb for $4 total. Even though I owned it on EA Origin, I only got a $1 copy of Alice: Madness Returns, because at that price, it was too big a discount to pass up.

How to get the most out of Steam once your wallet is destroyed during a Steam sale

Once you’ve depleted your bank account on games you’ll likely never play, there’s a lot more to it More of what you can do with Steamsuch as sharing your library with friends or family, using Remote Play Together and adding non-Steam games. suggest Install the Steam Link application On your phone, tablet, or streaming device to play your games away from your computer. You can also play on the go with Steam surface Or else Portable gaming console like Asus ROG Ally. Or you can share your Steam library with up to five family members using it Steam families.