Steam Sale Calendar 2026: confirmed dates and upcoming deals

The Steam Winter Sale has ended. On January 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM (local time), Valve’s store closed its holiday campaign and began a new cycle of events and promotions on Steam.

This article brings together the official calendar of Steam sales and festivals for the first half of 2026, with dates confirmed by Valve, and also includes predictions based on previous years for events in the second half of the year. It is a guide designed to know when discounts will be available and what type of deals can be expected in each period.

How many major Steam sales are there each year?

Typically, Steam runs around seven major discount campaigns throughout the year. These are complemented by themed festivals, weekend promotions, and daily deals.

With the Winter Sale now over, the next traditional major event will be the Spring Sale.

Steam Winter and Holiday Sale 2025–2026 (ended)

The Steam Winter Sale was active from December 18, 2025 to January 5, 2026.
During this period, in addition to discounts, the winners of the Steam Awards 2025 were announced.

Official Steam sale calendar for 2026 (confirmed dates)

Valve has already confirmed the main events for the first half of 2026. These are the official dates:

Steam Next Fest – February 2026 Edition

Confirmed: from February 23 to March 2

Next Fest returns as one of the most recognized events on the platform. During these days, players can try demos, watch developer streams, and access deals focused on indie games and upcoming projects.
It is a regular event for discovering new titles before launch.

Steam Spring Sale 2026

Confirmed: from March 19 to March 26

Since 2023, Valve has brought back the Spring Sale as one of its main campaigns.
It will be the first major discount campaign of 2026, featuring deals on AAA games, indie titles, and AA productions.

Predicted Steam sales for the second half of 2026

The following dates are not officially confirmed, but they are based on patterns from previous years, making them generally reliable.

Steam Next Fest – Summer 2026 Edition

Prediction: from June 8 to June 15

A new Next Fest edition focused on demos of upcoming games. It usually coincides with the Summer Game Fest period and keeps the focus on indie projects.

Steam Summer Sale 2026

Prediction: from June 25 to July 9

The Summer Sale is usually the most important sale of the year on Steam. For about two weeks, the store offers broad discounts and often includes additional platform activities.

Steam Autumn Sale 2026

Prediction: from September 28 to October 5

After the changes applied in 2025, Valve is expected to keep the Autumn Sale separate from Black Friday, concentrating it in late September or early October.

Steam Next Fest – October 2026 Edition

Prediction: from October 12 to October 19

Another Next Fest focused on indie projects and demos, with limited discounts on PC games.

Steam Scream Festival 2026

Prediction: from October 26 to November 2

An event centered on horror games, survival horror, and titles with special events related to Halloween and All Saints’ Day.

Will there be Black Friday on Steam in 2026?

In 2025, Valve reduced the prominence of Black Friday as an official event, although many publishers still applied discounts on their own.
For 2026, the strategy has not yet been defined: it may follow the same approach or give more importance to this period again.

Other Steam sales and festivals in 2026

In addition to major sales, Steam also runs themed festivals and shorter promotions. These are some of the events already confirmed for the first months of 2026:

• Detective Festival: January 12–19
• Tabletop Games Festival: January 26 – February 2
• Typing Festival (Featured): February 5–9
• PvP Festival: February 9–16
• Typing Festival (Featured): February 19–23
• Tower Defense Festival: March 9–16
• Home & Living Festival: March 30 – April 6
• Hidden Object Festival (Featured): April 9–13
• Medieval Festival: April 20–27
• Deckbuilder Festival: May 4–11
• Ocean Festival: May 18–25

In addition, Steam features daily deals, weekly promotions, and free weekends on a regular basis in its Specials section.

Following a calendar like this makes it easier to plan purchases, take better advantage of discounts, and stay aware of key Steam sale periods throughout 2026.