Steam sales calendar: when do PC games actually go on sale?

Ask most people when to buy PC games and they will say “wait for the Steam sale.” That is not wrong, but it is only part of the picture. Here is how the discount calendar actually works, and how to make sure you never miss the right moment.

Steam sale dates for the rest of 2026

Valve publishes its sale dates in advance, so you do not have to guess. According to Valve's published sale calendar, this is what is left of 2026:

• Steam Autumn Sale: 1–8 October 2026
• Steam Cooking Fest: 12–19 October 2026
• Steam Next Fest: 19–26 October 2026 (free demos of upcoming games, rather than a sale)
• Steam Scream V (Halloween): 26 October – 2 November 2026
• Steam Auto-Battler RPG Fest: 16–23 November 2026
• Steam Winter Sale: 17 December 2026 – 4 January 2027

Note the Autumn Sale. It used to run over Black Friday week in late November, but Valve moved it to the start of October in 2025, and it stays there this year. That means Black Friday (Friday 27 November) now falls between the Autumn and Winter sales rather than on top of one. Valve’s calendar has no store-wide Steam sale that week, but plenty of other stores run one, so it is worth checking our Black Friday game deals page before you wait for December.

The big seasonal sales

The largest, most reliable discounts cluster around Steam’s four seasonal sales each year — spring, summer, autumn and winter. These are the best time to sweep up your wishlist, because almost everything drops at once and many games hit their lowest prices of the year.

The smaller sales in between

Between the tentpole events there is a constant drip of publisher sales, franchise weekends and midweek deals. A specific game you want will often go on sale during one of these long before the next seasonal event — which is why waiting for “the” sale sometimes means overpaying for months.

The smarter approach: track, do not wait

Rather than guessing, track. Add the games you want to your wishlist and set the price you are happy to pay; we will tell you the instant any store — official or keyshop — crosses it. That way you catch a random Tuesday discount on Elden Ring or a franchise weekend on The Witcher 3 without watching a calendar. Every game page also shows the all-time low, so you know whether today's price is genuinely a good one. For the full method, read how to never overpay for a PC game.