The biggest Steam sale of the year now has dates. The Steam Winter Sale 2026 runs from December 17, 2026 to January 4, 2027, according to Valve’s Steamworks events calendar. That gives players 18 days of holiday discounts on thousands of PC games.
At a glance
When the Steam Winter Sale Starts
Valve has confirmed the dates, but not the exact times yet. In the past, seasonal Steam sales started and ended at 10:00 Pacific time, which is 19:00 in Central Europe. So in Europe, the sale will most likely go live on the evening of December 17.
Good to knowValve usually confirms the exact start time a few days before a big sale. We’ll update this article as soon as it does.
Other Steam Events This Winter
The Winter Sale isn’t the only event coming up. Here are the next dates on the Steam calendar:
Until November 2Steam Scream Fest continues with horror game deals.
Mid-NovemberThe Auto-Battler RPG Fest runs from November 16 to 23.
Late NovemberDevelopers can run Black Friday discounts, although Valve hasn’t set exact dates.
December 17The Steam Winter Sale 2026 begins.
January 4, 2027The Winter Sale ends.
Spring 2027The next big seasonal sale runs from March 18 to 25.
If you want deals before December, the Steam Scream Fest 2026 is still running for a few more days.
How to Get Ready for the Sale
A little preparation helps you grab the best deals before they end:
- Update your wishlist: Steam emails you when a wishlisted game goes on sale.
- Set a budget: big sales make it easy to buy more games than you’ll ever play.
- Top up early: add funds to your Steam Wallet before December 17, so checkout is quick when the sale starts.
The easiest way to top up without a bank card is a Steam gift card. Pick the card for the region of your Steam account, and the balance lands in your wallet right after you redeem the code.
28 regions available
Steam Gift Cards
Add funds to your Steam Wallet before the Winter Sale starts. Redeem the code on Steam and the balance appears instantly.
Shop Steam Gift CardsPopular options include the Steam Wallet Card EU, the Steam US card, the UK card and the Poland card. You can also browse Steam game keys, and our guide on how to buy Steam games cheaper shares more ways to save.
