As is always the case with Christmas approaching, Valve has kicked off the latest winter sale on Steam. 2020's edition features the usual array of discounts on thousands of games and DLC packs, making for an overwhelming selection to choose from. The Steam winter sale is live right now and runs until January 5 at 10 AM PT.
The Steam Winter Sale 2021 is the big one, the sale everyone is anticipating, the emptier of wallets and grower of libraries. The most significant discounts are active now, alongside voting for the yearly Steam Awards. In past years, each new Winter Sale came with a minigame of. Naturally, Steam is gearing up for its next big sale, ready with buckets in hand for all that gamer cash: monopolizing untouched backlogs is Valve's company policy, after all. So, it's getting cozy with the log-burning fireplace accented by Christmas decorations. The next Steam sale is the Steam Open World sale running from May 27th - 31st, 2021 at 10am PDT. Steam is calling it a 'sale and celebration of infinite exploration'. Steam is calling it a 'sale. To be specific, the Steam sale will begin on December 22, 2020 and will end at around January 5, 2020. In fact, now is the best time to capitalize on the winter sale for the following reasons.
Make it through the standard server errors that are accompanying the sale's launch and you'll see it doesn't have a corresponding minigame or anything terribly in-depth to it, as some past Steam sales have. That said, you'll notice birds adorning the various hubs on the Steam store, and you can get 'festive bird' stickers for use on Steam that celebrate various games. You can grab these from the Steam points shop.
Steam Christmas Sale Countdown
But the real highlight of a Steam sale are the deals, and there is no shortage of them, including great new games released in 2020. Our Game of the Year, Half-Life: Alyx, is discounted to $45, although bear in mind you'll need a VR headset in order to play it. Other GameSpot Game of the Year nominees are on sale, including Hades for $20, Yakuza: Like a Dragon for $45, and Spiritfarer for $22.49.
With Halo's Master Chief Collection now complete on PC, you can pick it up for just $24, which works to about $4 per game--a real steal. Alternatively, you can buy its individual games for $6 a pop. Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete edition, the formerly PS4-exclusive open-world action game, is down to $40. Another ex-PS4 exclusive, Death Stranding, drops to $30.
Fall Guys may have fallen out of the zeitgeist compared to its launch, but it still makes for goofy fun and is down to $16. Another massively successful indie game from this year, Among Us, is $1 off, bringing its price to $4. Phasmophobia sees a small discount that takes it to $12.59, and Stardew Valley, fresh off update 1.5, is $10.
Doom Eternal was one of the year's best shooters and can be had for just $19.79. No Man's Sky, which has improved dramatically since its launch and continues to get substantial free updates, is down to $30. Monster Hunter World drops to $19.79, while its Iceborne expansion is down to $24.79. If The Mandalorian has put you in the mood for Star Wars, Jedi: Fallen Order is $24 and Star Wars: Squadrons is $24. Or if Cyberpunk 2077's brand of cyberpunk isn't doing it for you, Ghostrunner is down to $22.49.
Coinciding with this sale, voting is now live for the Steam Awards. You can vote for your picks in 10 different categories, including Game of the Year, from now until January 3 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. Winners to be announced on January 4 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.
Read on for a look at more of the highlights from this year's sale.
Steam Winter Sale Best Deals
Steam Christmas Sale Discount
- Half-Life: Alyx -- $45
- Hades -- $20
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon -- $45
- Spiritfarer -- $22.49
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection -- $24
- Death Stranding -- $30
- Divinity Original Sin 2 -- $18
- Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete edition -- $40
- Fall Guys -- $16
- Jazzpunk -- $3.74
- Ghostrunner -- $22.49
- Monster Train -- $17.49
- Slay the Spire -- $12.49
- Golf With Your Friends -- $10
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey -- $18
- Spelunky 2 -- $18
- Hollow Knight -- $7.49
- The Hunter: Call of the Wild -- $6
- Disco Elysium -- $24
- Crusader Kings III -- $40
- Total War: Three Kingdoms -- $30
- Planet Zoo -- $22.49
- Tabletop Simulator -- $10
- Doom Eternal -- $19.79
- No Man's Sky -- $30
- Monster Hunter World -- $19.79
- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne -- $24.79
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order -- $24
- Star Wars: Squadrons -- $24
- Among Us -- $4
- Phasmophobia -- $12.59
- Stardew Valley -- $10