Valve published the sales calendar Steamy for the entire year, so users can note which dates are best for them to get the titles they are interested in at a discounted price. When you see how the market has worked for a few years, it’s even possible to get triple A’s launched a few months ago at a discount.

Although the periods that Valve published mainly correspond to sales, the company explained that “these events prioritize discounted games, but there’s also room for free games, upcoming releases, and demo games“. If we see that Steam is much more than just a video game store, but rather a platform with its forums, comment areas and social networking features, it should not be surprising that those responsible for the platform try to go beyond what is probably basic.

The calendar of sales or festivals (as Valve calls them) for 2023 is as follows:

• Festival of Mysteries: from February 20 to 27
• Spring Sales: from March 16 to 23 (major seasonal sales)
• puzzle festival: from April 24 to May 1
• Sports festival: from May 15 to 22
• Next festival: from June 19 to 26
• Summer sales: from June 29 to July 13 (major seasonal sales)
• Stealth Festival: from June 24 to 31
• Visual Novel Festival: from August 7 to 14
• Festival Strategy: from August 28 to September 4
• Matamarcianos Festival: from September 25 to October 2
• Next festival: from October 9 to 16
• The Return of the Steam Frightfest (Halloween): from October 26 to November 2 (Valve will announce more details soon)
• Fall Sale: from November 21 to 28 (major seasonal sales)
• Winter sales: from 21 December 2023 to 4 January 2024 (Major Seasonal Sale)

Looking at the names of festivals or sales periods, it doesn’t take a genius to guess that many of them are themed. For example, it is very likely that survival horror take on more significance on Halloween, although it doesn’t hurt to have a game’s most wanted tag to see if it’s been downgraded regardless of what’s happening at the time.