Steam Sales 2026: The Complete Schedule, Tracker & Guide

Welcome to your definitive guide for all Steam Sales in 2026. If you’re a PC gamer looking to grab the best deals on everything from AAA blockbusters to indie gems, you’ve come to the right place. This guide provides a complete, up-to-date schedule with both confirmed and predicted dates, explains how Steam’s famous promotional events work, and offers expert tips to help you track deals and maximize your savings. We’ll keep this page updated throughout the year as Valve officially announces dates, so be sure to bookmark it!

What Are Steam Sales?

Steam Sales are seasonal and themed promotional events on Valve’s digital storefront, Steam, where thousands of PC games are offered at significant discounts. These sales are a major event for the PC gaming community because they offer massive price drops, often feature fun community activities like badge crafting, and provide a fantastic opportunity to discover new games or finally buy that title you’ve been waiting for. These events are run by Valve, the company behind Steam, and represent some of the best opportunities to build your game library for a fraction of the cost.

Current Steam Deals & Discounts in 2026

Steam Sale Schedule 2026: Confirmed & Predicted Dates

Here is the core of our guide: the complete schedule for every major Steam Sale happening in 2026. We’ve based our predictions on data from previous years, which is highly reliable. We will update each entry with a “Confirmed” tag as soon as Valve makes an official announcement. These sales are a great time to pick up both recent hits and some of the exciting new games of 2025 that may see their first discount.

Major Themed Fests & Events in 2026

Beyond the four main sales, Steam hosts numerous “Fests” focused on specific genres or themes. These are shorter, usually lasting a week, but offer fantastic deals if you’re a fan of that niche. Keep an eye out for events like:

• Next Fest: Held three times a year (February, June, October), featuring hundreds of free demos from upcoming games.
• Bullet Fest: For fans of shoot ’em ups and bullet-hell games.
• Party-Based RPG Fest: Celebrating CRPGs, tactical RPGs, and party-driven adventures.
• Deckbuilders Fest: Highlighting roguelike deckbuilders and card strategy games.
• Cyberpunk Fest: Neon-soaked dystopian futures and sci-fi action.
• Steam Scream Fest: The annual Halloween horror celebration.
• And many more, including fests for survival crafting, tower defense, cooking, medieval, detective, ocean, trains, and social deduction games.

How to Track Steam Sales and Never Miss a Deal

Being a savvy Steam sale shopper means being prepared. Instead of waiting for a sale to start, you can use powerful tools to get notified the second a game you want gets a price cut. Here’s how to become a deal-hunting pro.

Maximizing Your Savings: How Steam Sales Work

Understanding the strategy behind Steam sales can help you save even more money. From knowing which sales have the biggest discounts to planning your purchases, a little knowledge goes a long way. A great way to budget for these events is by loading up on Steam gift cards ahead of time, so you have a set amount to spend.

Understanding Discount Tiers: Which Sale is the Biggest?

While all four seasonal sales are huge, the Summer and Winter sales are generally considered the biggest. They typically feature the largest number of discounted games and often see the deepest price cuts, including new “historical low” prices for many titles. Themed fests offer great deals too, but on a more limited, genre-specific selection.

How Long Do Steam Sales Last?

There is a clear pattern to sale duration. The major seasonal events (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) typically last for two weeks. The smaller, themed Fests and publisher-specific sales usually last for one week. This gives you plenty of time to browse, compare deals, and make your final decisions without rushing.

---

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What time do Steam sales start?

Steam sales almost universally start and end at the same time of day: 10:00 AM Pacific Time (PT). This translates to 1:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) / 6:00 PM British Summer Time (BST) / 7:00 PM Central European Summer Time (CEST). You can set your clock by it!

Can you refund Steam sale games?

Yes, absolutely. Games purchased during a sale are covered by Steam’s standard refund policy. As long as you have owned the game for less than 14 days and have played it for less than 2 hours, you can request a no-questions-asked refund to your Steam Wallet or original payment method.

How much is Steam sales tax?

Sales tax is not included in the displayed sale price. It is calculated and added during the final step of the checkout process. The amount is based on your specific location (country, state, or province) and its local tax laws.

Why is my Steam market or sale purchase ‘pending’?

A “pending” status on a purchase is a standard security measure used by Steam to prevent fraud. It is especially common during high-traffic sale periods. This verification process is usually quick and often resolves within a few hours, though in rare cases it can take up to a day.

Are Steam sales global?

Yes, the sales are global events that start at the same time for everyone around the world. However, regional pricing differences may exist, meaning the exact discount percentage or final price can vary slightly depending on your country due to publisher decisions and currency conversions.

What is the $5 dollar rule on Steam?

To gain full access to Steam’s community features (like adding friends, using the Steam Market, and voting on Greenlight), an account must have spent at least $5.00 USD (or the regional equivalent) in the Steam store. This is a one-time requirement known as the “Limited User Account” restriction, implemented to combat spam and bot accounts.

How do I sell a Steam account?

You don’t. Selling, trading, or gifting a Steam account is strictly against the Steam Subscriber Agreement (SSA) that every user agrees to. Attempting to sell your account can lead to it being permanently disabled by Valve. It is strongly advised that you never attempt to buy or sell a Steam account.