Steam Summer Sale 2026: Key Dates, Best Deals, and Everything You Need to Know

The Steam Summer Sale 2026 is now live, and it's the biggest discount event of the year for PC gamers. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the dates, deals, and policies you need to know.

Key Dates and Timing

The sale begins on June 25, 2026 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time and ends exactly 14 days later on July 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time . Valve confirmed these dates through its official Steamworks events page well in advance of the sale . All discounts activate simultaneously worldwide, so there is no staggered regional rollout .

Discount Scale and Title Count

Tens of thousands of games are discounted, covering both AAA blockbusters and hidden indie gems . The average discount sits at around 45% off, with the most common tiers concentrated at 50%, 57%, and 75% off . The deepest discounts reach up to 90% off on older catalogue titles . It's worth noting that some sources report the Summer Sale historically averages around 67% off when including all titles ; the 45% figure likely reflects a blended average across thousands of games including smaller discounts on recent releases.

Notable Game Deals

Classic and older titles (deep discounts):

• Hades — $6.24 (75% off)
• Mark of the Ninja Remastered — $5.99 (70% off)
• Besiege — $5.00
• Deus Ex series, Thief, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy — featured as deep discounts

2025 releases (moderate discounts):

• Space Marine 2 — seeing its first major discount

2026 releases (smaller discounts, 10–20%):

• Crimson Desert — first discount since release
• Forza Horizon 6 (PC) — first discount
• Resident Evil Requiem — 20% off (released February 2026)
• Subnautica 2 — small discount
• 007 First Light — small discount

Games released within roughly the last 30 days before the sale are generally excluded or see only minimal discounts due to Valve's discounting rules .

Perfect Timing for New Steam Machine Buyers

Valve's all-new Steam Machine goes on sale June 29, 2026 — right in the middle of the Summer Sale window . This means buyers who receive their Steam Machine during the sale can immediately start building their library with deeply discounted games. As an extra bonus, purchasing a Steam Machine during the event nets at least 105 Summer Sale 2026 Trading Cards, according to prominent deal-watcher Wario64 .

Valve's Static Pricing and the End of Flash Sales

Valve has eliminated flash sales and rotating daily deals from its seasonal events . Instead, all discounts are set at the start of the sale and remain unchanged for the full two-week duration . Valve's stated rationale is that flat, predictable pricing creates a better customer experience—buyers no longer need to check back hourly or fear missing a limited-time deal . This policy has been standard for several years and is consistent across all major seasonal sales (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) . Every game on Steam is invited to participate, and publishers set their discounts once for the entire sale period .