The Steam Winter Sale runs from 17 December 2026 to 4 January 2027, the Spring Sale from 18 to 25 March 2027 and the Summer Sale from 24 June to 8 July 2027. Valve has not announced the Autumn Sale 2027 yet. Right now, on 20 October 2026, Steam Next Fest is on, with demos of upcoming games until 26 October 2026. All the dates below come from Valve’s official event calendar for developers (Steamworks) and are correct as of 20 October 2026.
Seasonal sales 2026–2027
Valve runs four big seasonal sales a year. Any game released at least 30 days before the start of the event can take part. As of 20 October 2026, the calendar lists these:
| Sale | Dates |
|---|---|
| Winter Sale 2026 | 17 December 2026 – 4 January 2027 |
| Spring Sale 2027 | 18 – 25 March 2027 |
| Summer Sale 2027 | 24 June – 8 July 2027 |
| Autumn Sale 2027 | not announced by Valve yet |
For seasonal sales, Valve’s calendar only gives dates, not a start time.
The Autumn Sale 2026 is already over. According to Valve’s calendar as of 23 September 2026, it ran from 1 to 8 October 2026. It is no longer listed in the current calendar.
Steam Next Fest: dates and what it is
Steam Next Fest takes place three times a year. It brings playable demos of games that are not out yet, livestreams and chats with developers. Only unreleased games with a playable demo can take part.
| Next Fest | Dates |
|---|---|
| October 2026 | 19 – 26 October 2026 (running as of 20 October 2026) |
| February 2027 | 22 February – 1 March 2027 |
| June 2027 | 14 – 21 June 2027 |
The October Next Fest started on 19 October at 10:00 Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), which was 19:00 Central European Summer Time. It ends on 26 October at 10:00 PDT, which is 18:00 in Central Europe, because Europe changes the clocks on 25 October and the USA only on 1 November. Valve only gives the time in PDT; the conversion is ours.
Themed fests
On top of the big sales, Valve runs smaller fests built around one genre or theme, with discounts on games that fit it.
| Fest | Dates |
|---|---|
| Steam Scream V (horror games) | 26 October – 2 November 2026 |
| Auto-Battler RPG Fest | 16 – 23 November 2026 |
| Desktop Companion Fest | 14 – 18 January 2027 |
| Shop Keeper Fest | 25 January – 1 February 2027 |
| Sheep Fest | 4 – 8 February 2027 |
| Couch Co-Op Fest | 8 – 15 February 2027 |
| Rhythm Fest | 8 – 15 March 2027 |
| Dinos vs. Robots Fest | 29 March – 5 April 2027 |
| Racing Fest | 12 – 19 April 2027 |
| Witch Fest | 22 – 26 April 2027 |
| Fighting Fest | 26 April – 3 May 2027 |
| Real-Time Strategy Fest | 10 – 17 May 2027 |
| Mountaineering Fest | 31 May – 3 June 2027 |
Where to always find the dates
Valve keeps every announced event in one place: the Steamworks events calendar. It is documentation for developers, but anyone can read it. When Valve announces the Autumn Sale 2027 or more Next Fest editions, that is where they will appear.
How not to miss a discount
- Wishlist: add the game to your Steam wishlist. When it gets a discount of 20% or more, Steam automatically sends you an email. This applies to regular discounts and seasonal sales alike.
- Weeklong Deals: start every Monday at 10:00 Pacific time and last 7 days.
- Daily Deal: changes every day at 10:00 Pacific time.
- Midweek Deal: from Monday 10:00 to Thursday 10:00 Pacific time.
- Weekend Deal: from Thursday 10:00 to Monday 10:00 Pacific time.
10:00 Pacific time is 19:00 in Central Europe, except for a few weeks in spring and autumn when Europe and the USA change their clocks on different days.
Why the discount is not fake
Valve requires a discount to be based on a price that has applied for at least 30 days, or on the real launch price. A game cannot go on sale within 30 days of release or within 30 days of a price increase. A launch discount can be 40% at most.
Free to keep games
Valve generally advises developers against free to keep promotions (a 100% discount). They have no section of their own in the store, and players with the game on their wishlist do not get a notification. We cover these in our news, for example the free Steam games.
Refunds and sales
Bought a game and it went on sale right after? If you bought it less than 14 days ago and played under 2 hours, you can refund it and buy it again at the sale price. Valve does not consider that abuse. Our Steam refund guide explains how. People in your household can play your games through Steam Families, and if you play on a Steam Deck, check what Steam Deck Verified means before you buy.
Join our Discord, where we share discounts and Next Fest demos with each other: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
On 17 December 2026, and it runs until 4 January 2027, according to Valve’s official calendar for developers.
The current one runs from 19 to 26 October 2026. The next ones are scheduled for 22 February – 1 March 2027 and 14–21 June 2027.
Valve had not announced it as of 20 October 2026. The dates will appear in the Steamworks events calendar. The Autumn Sale 2026 ran from 1 to 8 October 2026.
Yes, you get an email when the discount is 20% or more. Free to keep games do not trigger a notification.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. More guides to Steam and subscriptions are in our Platforms & Services section.