When Are the Big Steam Sales? A Simple Guide

Steam runs four big seasonal sales each year, in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, plus many smaller themed festivals in between. The Summer and Winter Sales are usually the largest. Valve publishes the official dates ahead of time, so you can plan your wishlist instead of guessing.

The four big seasonal Steam sales

These are the sales most people mean when they talk about the big Steam sales. Thousands of games get discounts at once, and the sale usually lasts one to two weeks. The timing below is the general pattern from past years, not a promise, so check the official dates before you plan around them.

The Summer and Winter Sales are usually the biggest and longest. The Spring and Autumn Sales are shorter but can still offer deep discounts.

Spring Sale: usually in March
Summer Sale: usually from late June into early July
Autumn Sale: usually in late November, around the US Thanksgiving weekend
Winter Sale: usually from late December into early January

What time Steam sales start

Steam sales and festivals normally start and end at 10:00 AM Pacific Time. The store updates at that moment, so refreshing earlier won't show the new prices.

Here is that same start time in common time zones. Because the US and UK change their clocks on different weekends, the UK time can be off by an hour for a few weeks each spring and fall.

Pacific (PT): 10:00 AM
Mountain (MT): 11:00 AM
Central (CT): 12:00 PM
Eastern (ET): 1:00 PM
UK: 6:00 PM
Eastern Australia: early morning the next day

Themed festivals and Steam Next Fest

Between the big sales, Steam runs many smaller events called festivals. Each one focuses on a theme, such as a game genre or a style of play. Games that fit the theme get a spot on a special store page, and many of them are discounted. These festivals usually last about a week.

Steam Next Fest is different. It takes place a few times a year and focuses on free demos of upcoming games rather than discounts. It's a good way to try games for free before they come out, but most of the games in it can't be bought yet.

Genre festivals, for example for puzzle, racing, strategy, or horror games
Publisher sales, where one company discounts much of its catalog
Weekend deals and midweek deals that run all year
Steam Next Fest, focused on free demos of upcoming games

Where Valve announces the dates

Valve shares upcoming sale and festival dates well in advance so developers can prepare their discounts. That information is public, so you can read it too. These are the most reliable places to look, and they're better than rumor sites or social media posts that guess at dates.

When a sale is live, the Steam store front page is taken over by the sale's artwork and a countdown, so you can't miss it.

Valve's Steamworks documentation, the developer section of Steam's site, which lists upcoming sales and festivals
The official Steam news page and the Steam client's news section
Steam's official social media accounts
The store front page while a sale is running, which shows when it ends

How to get ready for a big sale

Since Valve dropped short flash deals years ago, a game's discount usually stays the same for the whole sale. You don't need to stay up late or check every few hours. A little preparation is enough.

Sign in to Steam and add games you're interested in to your wishlist using the wishlist button on each store page.
Open your account preferences and turn on email notifications for wishlisted items on sale, so Steam tells you when a discount starts.
When the sale begins, open your wishlist and sort it by discount or price to see the best deals first.
Check the store page before buying: it shows the discount, the final price, and when the offer ends.
Look at the Points Shop during big sales, since Steam often hands out a free item, such as a sticker, during these events.

Free games during Steam sales

Big sales are mostly about discounts, but you'll sometimes see free weekends, where you can play a paid game for a few days, or games that become free to keep for a short time. These are not the same thing, and our guide "Free to Keep vs Free Weekend vs Free to Play: What's the Difference?" explains how to tell them apart.

If you find a game that is free to keep, you add it to your account from its store page so it stays in your library. Our guide "How to Add Free Steam Games to Your Library" has the full steps. Be careful with sites promising free Steam keys during big sales, since scammers like to use the hype; our guide "Are Free Game Key Giveaways Safe? How to Spot Scams" shows the warning signs.

FAQ

Which Steam sale has the best discounts?

The Summer and Winter Sales are usually the largest, with the most games on sale. That said, many games get similar discounts in the Spring and Autumn Sales, and some publishers save their best prices for their own publisher sales. Your wishlist notifications are the easiest way to catch a good price whenever it happens.

Will a game get cheaper later in the same sale?

Usually not. Steam no longer uses short daily or flash deals during the big sales, so the discount you see on the first day normally stays the same until the sale ends. There's little reason to wait if you already like the price.

What if I buy a game and it goes on sale right after?

Steam doesn't automatically refund the difference. Steam's standard refund policy lets you request a refund within 14 days of purchase if you've played less than two hours, so you may be able to refund and buy again at the sale price. Refunds aren't guaranteed, so read the rules on Steam's support pages first.

Do I need to pay anything to join a Steam sale?

No. Sales are open to everyone with a free Steam account. You only pay for the games you choose to buy, and any free item in the Points Shop costs nothing.

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