When Is the Next Steam Sale? Steam Sale Schedule Explained
Last updated: 2026-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
There’s almost always some sale running on Steam, but the deepest discounts follow a fairly predictable yearly rhythm. Here’s how the Steam sale calendar works and how to use it.
The four big seasonal sales
These are the events where the most games are discounted at once, and where many titles hit their all-time low.
| Sale | Typical timing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Sale | mid to late March | Medium-sized |
| Summer Sale | late June to early July | One of the biggest of the year, about two weeks long |
| Autumn Sale | late November, around Black Friday | Kicks off the holiday season, lots of big titles |
| Winter Sale | late December to early January | The other giant sale of the year |
Valve publishes the dates to developers well in advance, so gaming news sites usually announce them weeks ahead.
Themed fests
Between the seasonal sales, Steam runs themed events every few weeks: roguelikes, horror, simulation, and so on. Games in that genre get discounted together, which is great if you have a favorite genre.
Note that Steam Next Fest is a demo festival for upcoming games, not a sale.
Publisher and weekend sales
Publishers also run their own sales, and there are frequent weekend deals. These sometimes match the all-time low without waiting for a seasonal sale.
Games can’t be discounted back-to-back
Steam’s discount rules require a cooldown of roughly four weeks between discounts on the same game. If a sale just ended, it usually won’t come back the following week.
The flip side: in the few weeks before a seasonal sale, discounts tend to be rarer. If a big sale is coming up soon, it often pays to wait.
How to get the lowest price
- Wishlist the game. Steam emails you when it goes on sale.
- Compare against the historical low. Is this the usual discount or a genuinely good price? Our historical lows page only lists games at the lowest price we’ve recorded.
- Use seasonal sales as your baseline. Most games hit their yearly low during one of them.
- Watch for deals ending soon. Check ending soon so you don’t miss out.
Summary
- Big seasonal sales: March, late June/July, late November, late December/January
- Themed fests and publisher sales fill the gaps
- The same game needs about four weeks between discounts
- Wishlist + historical low = never miss the right moment
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