When Is the Next Steam Sale? Winter Sale Dates and Every Fest Until Summer 2027

The next Steam sale is the Winter Sale, Thursday, December 17, 2026, to Monday, January 4, 2027. That's the next of the four big seasonal sales, where most of the store goes on discount at once. Before it, there's one themed fest in November (Auto-Battler RPG Fest, November 16–23). The dates come from Valve's own Steamworks events calendar, the page developers use to plan their discounts, so they're the real ones, not a rumour.

If you were waiting for the Autumn Sale: it already happened. Since 2025, Valve moved it to early October (this year October 1–8), away from its old Thanksgiving-week slot. There's no Steam-wide Black Friday sale anymore. The Winter Sale is the one that matters for the holidays.

The full schedule, from Valve's calendar

Seasonal sales (the big ones)

Themed fests (one genre at a time, smaller discounts, lots of demos)

Steam Next Fest (free demos of upcoming games, no discounts): February 22 – March 1, 2027 and June 14 – 21, 2027.

Sales start at 10 am Pacific (1 pm Eastern, 6 pm UK) on the first day and end at the same hour on the last. The calendar doesn't print the hour, but every Steam sale in recent memory has flipped at 10 am Pacific, so set your alarm for that.

. Source: Valve's Steamworks calendar.)

How Steam sales actually work now

A few things changed over the years, and the old advice doesn't all hold.

No more flash deals or daily deals. A game's discount on day one of a seasonal sale is its discount for the whole sale. There's no reason to wait until the last day hoping for a deeper cut; the only reason to wait is to decide whether you want it.

Wishlist and you get an email. Add a game to your wishlist and Steam emails you when it goes on sale, including during fests. This is the single most useful thing to do before December 17: wishlist everything you're curious about now, then let the emails tell you what's actually discounted.

Fests are where the small games hide. The seasonal sale discounts everything, but the front page is dominated by big names. A themed fest, like the Racing Fest or Couch Co-Op Fest, surfaces smaller games in one genre and usually comes with free demos. If you like a genre, its fest is often a better browse than the Winter Sale.

Discounts repeat. A game that's 50% off in the Winter Sale will very likely be 50% off in the Spring Sale too. Publishers set a discount tier and mostly stick with it. The "buy it now or lose the deal" feeling is just the countdown timer doing its job.

Refunds still apply. Two hours of play, 14 days from purchase, no questions. A sale purchase that doesn't click can go back.

What to do while you wait

Five weeks is a long time to stare at a wishlist. Three honest suggestions:

1. Play the demos in the November fest. Auto-Battler RPG Fest (November 16–23) will have dozens of free demos. Demos cost nothing and tell you more than any trailer.
2. Clear the backlog. Everyone has three unplayed games from the last sale. Finish one before buying four more; it makes the Winter Sale purchases feel earned rather than hoarded.
3. Play something free in the browser tonight. If you want a quick game without opening the store at all, our games run in a tab with no install: Shamble Siege for a zombie firefight with up to three friends online, Chicane Champions for a three-lap formula race with the arrow keys, Cue Lagoon for a rack of 8-ball against the computer. None of them is on sale because none of them costs anything.

We'll update this page when Valve announces the Autumn Sale 2027 dates or changes anything above.

Source: Valve's Steamworks "Upcoming Steam Events" calendar, checked November 11, 2026.

FAQ

When is the next Steam sale?

The Steam Winter Sale runs from December 17, 2026, to January 4, 2027. It's the next store-wide seasonal sale. Before it, the Auto-Battler RPG Fest runs November 16–23, 2026, with discounts and demos for one genre only. The dates come from Valve's own Steamworks events calendar.

Is there a Steam Black Friday sale in 2026?

No. Valve moved the Autumn Sale to early October in 2025, and in 2026 it ran October 1–8. There is no store-wide Steam sale during Thanksgiving week or on Black Friday anymore. The Winter Sale, starting December 17, is the holiday sale.

What time do Steam sales start?

Steam sales have started at 10 am Pacific Time for years: that's 1 pm Eastern, 6 pm in the UK, 7 pm in central Europe, and midnight in Bangladesh and India. They end at the same hour on the last day. Valve's calendar lists dates but not hours, so treat 10 am Pacific as the expected time rather than a guarantee.

Do Steam sale prices drop further on the last day?

Not anymore. Steam removed flash deals and daily deals years ago; a game's discount on the first day of a seasonal sale is its discount for the whole sale. Waiting until the last day only risks forgetting. The one exception is a separate publisher promotion that happens to overlap the sale.

What are the Steam Spring and Summer Sale 2027 dates?

The Spring Sale 2027 runs March 18–25, 2027, and the Summer Sale 2027 runs June 24 – July 8, 2027, according to Valve's Steamworks events calendar. The Autumn Sale 2027 is not dated yet; based on 2025 and 2026 it will most likely fall in early October.

Are Steam Next Fest demos free?

Yes. Steam Next Fest is a week of free, time-limited demos of upcoming games, with developer livestreams. There are no discounts because the games aren't out yet. The 2027 editions are February 22 – March 1 and June 14–21. Demos are installed like any game and usually removed from the store when the fest ends.