When Is the Next Steam Sale?
A countdown to the next one, the dates for the rest of 2026 and 2027, and the history the estimates are built on.
Estimated from Valve's published dates for the last several years. Exact dates are usually confirmed about two weeks ahead.
Steam sale calendar — 2026 & 2027
| Sale | Starts | Ends | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Sale 2026 | ~25 Jun 2026 | ~9 Jul 2026 | finished |
| Autumn Sale 2026 | ~24 Nov 2026 | ~1 Dec 2026 | estimated |
| Winter Sale 2026 | ~17 Dec 2026 | ~5 Jan 2027 | estimated |
| Spring Sale 2027 | ~11 Mar 2027 | ~18 Mar 2027 | estimated |
| Summer Sale 2027 | ~24 Jun 2027 | ~8 Jul 2027 | estimated |
Every date marked estimated is our projection, not an announcement. Valve publishes the real dates to developers a couple of weeks out, and they have landed within a day or two of these windows every year since 2023.
What about the smaller sales?
Between the four seasonal sales Valve runs a rolling set of themed events — Next Fest (three times a year, and a demo festival rather than a discount one), a horror sale around Halloween, and genre fests that come and go. Those are announced with much less notice and are not worth planning around. The four seasonals are the ones with the deep, predictable discounts.
Where these estimates come from
Steam's seasonal calendar has been remarkably stable. Each sale lands in the same week of the same month every year, opens at 10am Pacific on the start day and closes at 10am Pacific on the end day. Here are the published windows the projections above are built from:
| Sale | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 16–23 Mar | 14–21 Mar | 13–20 Mar |
| Summer | 29 Jun – 13 Jul | 27 Jun – 11 Jul | 26 Jun – 10 Jul |
| Autumn | 21–28 Nov | 27 Nov – 4 Dec | 24 Nov – 1 Dec |
| Winter | 21 Dec – 4 Jan | 19 Dec – 2 Jan | 18 Dec – 5 Jan |
The pattern: Spring lands mid-March for a week, Summer starts the last Thursday of June and runs a fortnight, Autumn covers US Thanksgiving week, and Winter opens the week before Christmas and runs into the new year.
Getting the most out of a Steam sale
The first discount is usually the best one
The single most useful thing to know: waiting for a later sale rarely gets you a lower price. Publishers set a best-price floor and reuse it, so a game at 50% off in the Autumn Sale is very likely to be 50% off in the Winter Sale too. If a game is at its historical low and you want it, buy it — the "wait for Winter" instinct mostly costs you the months you could have been playing.
Wishlist first, browse second
Steam emails you when a wishlisted game goes on sale, which beats scrolling the front page. Wishlisting also nudges the store's recommendations towards what you actually want.
The refund window still applies
Two hours played and 14 days since purchase — that holds during sales too. Buying something you're unsure about at a big discount is low-risk if you try it promptly.
Check the deal before you click buy
A percentage on a store page doesn't tell you whether the game is any good or whether the discount is real. The deal checker pulls the current price, discount and review sentiment together and gives you a buy-or-wait read in one go.
FAQ
When is the next Steam sale?
The next major sale is the Autumn Sale, expected around 24 November – 1 December 2026. Valve confirms exact dates roughly two weeks ahead.
How many Steam sales are there each year?
Four majors — Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter — plus a rotating cast of smaller themed sales and festivals. Next Fest happens three times a year but is a demo event, not a discount event.
Are the discounts better in the Summer or Winter sale?
They're usually identical. Most publishers reuse the same best-price floor across every seasonal sale, so the choice of sale matters far less than whether a game has reached its floor yet.
What time do Steam sales start?
10am Pacific on the start date — 1pm Eastern, 6pm in the UK, 3am the next morning in Sydney. Sales end at the same time on the end date, so the last day is really only a few hours long in most of the world.
Are these dates official?
No. Anything marked estimated is our projection from the last several years of Valve's published dates. They've been accurate to within a day or two, but they are not an announcement — treat them as planning, not gospel.
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