Steam Sale Schedule for 2026: Dates for All Festivals and Seasonal Discounts

Every year, Steam runs dozens of sales, festivals, and special promotions. The biggest events remain the four seasonal sales, when thousands of games receive discounts. However, throughout the year, Valve also launches themed events for specific genres, from RPGs and strategy games to horror titles and simulators. In this article, we have collected the Steam sale calendar for 2026: the dates of seasonal discounts, themed festivals, Steam Next Fest, and other official promotions.

Valve runs four seasonal sales throughout the year:

The Spring, Summer, and Autumn Sales start and end at 20:00 Moscow time. The Winter Sale starts and ends at 21:00 MSK because the United States switches to winter time.

These are Steam's main seasonal sales, with thousands of games participating, from small indie projects to major blockbusters. Unlike regular discounts, participating in a seasonal sale does not trigger the standard 30-day cooldown before the next discount.

In addition to the four global seasonal events, Valve regularly runs themed festivals where games from a specific genre or projects with particular gameplay mechanics receive discounts. These events usually last from four days to a week.

Below is the official Steam sales and festival calendar for 2026 by month.

At the moment, Steam's official 2026 calendar does not list a separate major sale or themed festival scheduled for May. The next wave of events begins in June.

Steam also traditionally runs a Black Friday-related event in November. As part of this promotion, Valve plans to bring additional attention to discounted games by directing users to a special deals section. Dates and details for this event will be announced later.

Most official Steam events start and end at 10:00 AM Pacific Time. Depending on the current seasonal time in the United States, this corresponds to 20:00 or 21:00 Moscow time.

Valve uses the same reference time for weekly deals, festivals, and other promotions. For example, regular weekly deals launch on Mondays at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.

Seasonal sales cover the entire store. Almost any released game can participate, and the Steam front page is fully redesigned around the event. Users see personalized recommendations, popular deals, and genre-based selections.

Themed festivals are intended only for projects that meet the rules of a specific event. For example, an action game with a short train scene is unlikely to qualify for Train Fest.

Steam Next Fest is not a regular sale, but a festival of upcoming releases. During the event, developers publish free demos, host livestreams, and introduce users to their games.

Three Steam Next Fest events are planned for 2026:

A game can participate in only one Steam Next Fest. Because of that, the lineups for the February, June, and October festivals differ. Valve holds the festival three times a year so developers can choose the event that best fits their expected release date.

If you are interested in a game, it is worth adding it to your wishlist. If the discount reaches 20% or more, Steam will automatically send you a notification. It is also a good idea to check its price history. You can do this, for example, on SteamDB.

Large and relatively new projects are often best bought during the Summer or Winter Sale. Older games and smaller projects may receive the same or even deeper discounts during themed festivals and publisher sales.

At the same time, a seasonal sale does not guarantee a historical low price. Publishers decide the discount size themselves, so it is worth comparing the offer with previous promotions before buying. In addition, some games may become cheaper shortly after a global sale, for example during a festival for their genre.

Below, we have collected answers to the main questions about Steam sales in 2026: when the seasonal events take place, what time they start, how festivals differ from regular discounts, and when it is best to buy games.

The next major seasonal sale after the Summer Sale is the Autumn Sale. It will run from October 1 to October 8, 2026. After that, the Steam Winter Sale will take place from December 17, 2026 to January 4, 2027.

Steam runs four seasonal sales throughout the year: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Most Steam sales and festivals start at 10:00 AM Pacific Time. In Moscow, this is usually 20:00 or 21:00, depending on seasonal time in the United States.

Steam Next Fest, formerly known in Russian as the "Games to Be" festival, is an event with free demos of upcoming releases, developer livestreams, and pages for unreleased games.

Large and relatively new games are usually best bought during the Summer or Winter Sale. Smaller projects and older releases sometimes receive the same or deeper discounts during themed festivals and publisher sales.