Let's face it, if you're a PC gamer, there are just too many games to play and not enough money in our wallets to buy anything that catches your eye. In other words, unless you manage to score the right discount on the Steam sale. The Steam marketplace has a library of PC titles, and like many other online retailers, handles ongoing sales and transactions on many games throughout the year. The biggest savings, however, are to be had on Steam's seasonal sales. We've reached the end of the 20110 Steam Spring Sale on the Steam Store. As noted above, we’ve seen a huge variety of discounts across the platform’s library of PC titles, ranging from indie favorites to AAA tentpoles, and the Steam Summer Sale 2019 is quickly approaching due to leaks… While there are always some 20-40% price cuts, you’ll also find half-price or 75% off bundles on some games and some franchises, while 90% savings are also not unheard of – and are often the same. The best ways to get lots of add-on content or DLC provided at no additional cost. The Steam Summer Sale is fast-paced, and it helps to be prepared. This guide will walk you through how to make the most of Steam sales all year long.
How to get the best deals on Steam sales
Whichever way you approach a particular Steam sale, you're guaranteed the chance to score some of the best games at unbeatable prices. Finding good deals isn't too difficult, but there are a few techniques and tips worth using if you want to make the most of the sales.
- Use your Steam Wish List - fill it with all the games that interest you and you'll be alerted as soon as they're listed and discounted.
- The bundles are great - publishers often collect their titles in mega bundles, adding to savings. If there's a set of titles from a publisher like Square Enix or Activision that you've never played before, it's the best, and least expensive, way to pack them all. at the same time. As you can imagine, the value goes down if you already have some grouped titles in your library.
- Featured deals are the ones where you get real savings - most Steam store catalogs will get you some sort of price reduction, but it's the "featured" deals (the ones promoted on the front page of the Steam site). they tend to be heavier reduce. These are the ones where you can fall into impulse buying territory. Which brings us to our next tip…
- Just Buy What You'll Play Right Away - Once these 75% off start to float, you'll want to smash your piggy bank. But old Steam sales have shown that our desire to overflow with game libraries left us with more titles than we could play. Save money and get only the ones you'll actually play with - keep in mind that if you wait a minute, the games are sure to get cheaper as you get older.
- Use this browser extension: Want to make sure you get a good deal? Use the improved Steam browser extension. This gives you a historical overview of the price of all Steam games and allows you to see how many pennies have been saved.
The best steam sales deals of the last few days.
Feasted but not forgotten, here’s our collection of all the best deals we’ve seen before. Use these as a reference point for what you should expect – or, as you know, mourning those who got away. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection – This Borderlands bundle packs in a ton of content for a virtually unheard of 94% off. Of course, some of this content was bloat (costume packs, extra small missions, etc., along with larger expansions and full Borderlands 2 and Pre-Sequel games), but you got what you paid for. Tomb Raider Franchise – The iconic ranger has undergone a massive transformation since her first release in ’96, going from polygonal poster girl to complex, confrontational heroine. And with discounts ranging from 70-90% across the entire platforming series, it was the perfect time to join her on this adventure... Left 4 Dead 2 - Valve's co-op zombie shooter Left 4 Dead 2 pits four survivors against the undead horde, and does so with an absolute bang. Plus, with procedurally modified campaigns, the game is smart enough to vary the challenge depending on how you play. And at 90% off RRP, it was essentially free. Shadow of Mordor Ensemble - Perhaps the definitive Lord of the Rings video game, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor has been praised for its stellar fighting, open-world action, and clever Nemesis system. If 50 Game of the Year awards weren't enough to convince you, a massive 70% reduction on the Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War bundle should have been. The Witcher 3 – Without a doubt the game of 2015, The Witcher 3 is also regarded as the best RPG of all time. A sprawling, dark fantasy epic, it’s a beautiful game, that also makes an excellent centerpiece for your bloated gaming PC. Plus, the Game of the Year Edition was heavily discounted during the Steam Summer Sale, it was a fantastic way to dive into this monumental game and benefit from all of its DLC at a discounted price.
What games will be in steam sales?
Firstly, you can't expect new games to benefit from the deep discounts that have become synonymous with Steam sales. You might see a 5% or even 10% discount on games that have recently seen smashing success, but are still new enough to let you run out of money without needing a price reduction - don't expect that to change now. That's the case. With the exception of the newest titles, though, the store as a whole is enjoying a discount of 25% or even more, with a select few enjoying a massive 90% reduction on the displayed price. While the store now highlights what Valve considers to be the best deals, it's worth noting that community and flash sales are no longer in the mix, so feel free to pick up a title for sale whenever you like - its reduced price will remain in effect for the duration of the sale. Of course, there are other game stores out there, and it's worth checking out their items too to see if you can't get more elsewhere. GOG.com is a great place to start. If you're platform agnostic and looking for cross-platform titles, keep an eye on PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live with Gold. (Image credits: Steam/Valve)