If you're looking to bag some bargains, then the Steam sales are the perfect chance to snap up some gaming goodness for less on Valve's platform, and we've broken down all of the dates and times so you can make the most of the sales throughout 2026.
With prices often dropping for some the latest new games during the seasonal Steam sales events, we also see plenty of themed sales events that offer up the opportunity to get your hands on some genre gems for less. So it's always worth making a note of what price cut events are happening and when so you can snag some of the best Steam games on your wishlists.
When is the next Steam sale?
The Steam Spring Sale is the first big sale of 2026 and runs from March 19 until March 26.
The Spring Sale is always the perfect time to grab any titles and discounts you may have missed during the last Winter Steam sale. The event isn't as long as the Winter event, but it does run for seven days, meaning that you have a week to make the most of all its upcoming savings.
To participate in the sales, you'll need to have a Steam account (which is free to create). So, if you want to make the most of all the money-saving deals, be sure to sign up for Steam.
All the upcoming Steam sale dates
Steam has sales periodically throughout the year. So, if you want to keep track of all the upcoming events, you can read our list below, where we've collected all the important Steam sale dates and other events on offer on Valve's platform throughout the whole of 2026.
- Board Game Fest: January 26 – February 2
- Typing Fest: February 5 – February 9
- PvP Fest: February 9 – February 16
- Horse Fest: February 19 – February 23
- Steam Next Fest: February 23 – March 2
- Tower Defense Fest: March 9 – March 16
- Steam Spring Sale 2026: March 19 – March 26
- House & Home Fest: March 30 – April 6
- Hidden Object Fest: April 9 – April 13
- Medieval Fest: April 20 – April 27
- Deckbuilders Fest: May 4 – May 11
- Ocean Fest: May 18 – May 25
- Bullet Fest: June 8 – June 15
- Steam Next Fest: June 15 – June 22
- Steam Summer Sale 2026: June 25 – July 9
- Social Deduction Fest: July 13 – July 16
- Train Fest: July 20 – July 27
- Cyberpunk Fest: August 3 – August 10
- Pins & Pegs Fest: August 17 – August 20
- PvE Survival Crafting Fest: August 31 – September 7
- Programming Fest: September 10 – September 14
- Party-Based RPG Fest: September 14 – September 21
- Steam Autumn Sale 2026: October 1 – October 8
- Cooking Fest: October 12 – October 19
- Steam Next Fest: October 19 – October 26
- Steam Scream V Fest: October 26 – November 2
- Auto-Battler RPG Fest: November 16 – November 23
- Steam Winter Sale 2026: December 17 – January 4, 2027
What is the biggest Steam Sale of the year?
The biggest Steam sales tend to be the Summer sale and the Winter sale, as they often see the biggest discounts.
They also run significantly longer than the other Steam sales in the calendar, which typically last for only a week. Instead, the Summer sale lasts for around 14 days, while the Winter sale runs for around 19 days. This means more discounts to be claimed and more games on offer to browse through for deals.
The Summer and Winter sales are the periods where you'll likely find the big discounts for recent releases that came out early in the year or at the end of 2025. So it's worth keeping track of your wishlist during this time to jump on any price reductions for those massive games that were just a tad too expensive for you at the time of their launch.
While the Summer and Winter sales are the biggest on Steam's calendar generally, the platform has some great discounts throughout the year. Along with all of its scheduled events, there are often publisher sales as well. For example, Ubisoft recently had a Steam sale where several of the Assassin's Creed games and more were discounted.
It's always a good idea to keep an eye on Steam for opportunities such as those and to keep your wishlist curated so that you get notified anytime a title you really, really want gets a discount.
How long do Steam sales last?
Most Steam sales and events last for around seven days. However, there are certain events that run for longer than a week, such as the Steam Summer sale and the Steam Winter sale.
That may seem like a short time to get everything you need or want. However, a big thing to remember is that you can always wait for another sale if you run out of time. Steam has tons of discounts running throughout the year that hit during themed "Fest" events, publisher sales, and seasonal Steam sales as well.
That means that you'll likely see discounts return periodically and will still be able to make the most of various discounts throughout the year. The clock is on your side when it comes to Steam sales!
If you are waiting for a certain sale to take place, you can also check out our list of the best PC games to play in the meantime.
Steam sale rewards
Not every Steam sale has rewards. However, the majority of the seasonal ones do offer some kind of prize for participating in the event—be that limited stickers that unlock once a day to claim or trading cards.
Trading cards are typically available to collect during the Summer and Winter sales. Through collecting all of the Steam sale trading cards, you'll be able to craft a badge, which you can display on your profile page. In the past, we've seen that trading cards are rewarded for every purchase over $10 during sales that offer them.
You'll also be able to sell and buy Steam Sale trading cards on the Steam marketplace during and for 30 days after the event. And, of course, you can also trade cards with your friends if you have any duplicates and are aiming to craft badges without breaking the bank. Crafting a Steam sale badge will also give you additional rewards, such as an emoticon and a profile background, as well as profile XP.
However, as I mentioned above, not every Steam sale offers trading cards, so be sure to double-check the details of the sale you are participating in so that you don't spend any extra money trying to unlock cards that aren't even on offer.
Keep your wishlist fresh with our roundup of the most exciting upcoming indie games on the horizon.
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