Learn when the next Steam Sale will begin, and what the forecast is for the year. Awaited by gamers yet dreaded by their wallets, Steam Sales are unlikely to cease in 2022, prompting many a countdown as each of them draws closer. They have become landmark moments of the year when tons of titles get discounted, including some of the year's major releases.
Since preparing for the next Steam Sale Events ahead of time is important for the judicious spender (at least until we're faced with the sheer amount of discounted stuff and inevitably buy more than we could ever hope to play), here's our expected schedule of Steam Sales for 2022.
Several Steam Sales take place throughout the year, giving ample opportunities for players to complete their collections at a discounted price.
Some Steam sales have made a habit of beginning on Thursdays, at 10 AM PDT/7 PM GMT, however, there have been exceptions in the past. Regardless of when they start, countdowns usually begin weeks prior to those dates, and we can only blame the draw of cheaper games.
Here's a quick look at when we're expecting the next 2022 Steam sales to take place, although we'll go into further detail on each of them during the course of this Steam Sale Timeline article.
Steam Sale 2022
- Steam Lunar Sale 2022 - January 27 - February 3
- Steam Going Rogue: A Festival of Persistence - May 2 - May 9
- Steam Open World Sale 2022 - May 26 - May 30
- Steam Season of Pride Sale 2022 - June 9 - June 23
- Steam Summer Sale 2022 - June 23 - July 7
- Steam Halloween Sale 2022 - October 28 - November 1
- Steam Autumn Sale 2022 - November 22 - November 29
- Steam Winter Sale 2022 - December 22 - January 5
Here's our expected schedule of Steam Sales for 2022, including the Lunar Sale, Summer of Pride, Summer Sale, Halloween Sale, Autumn Sale, and Winter Sale dates. These times should give you a good indication of when the Steam Sales begin.
Steam Lunar Sale 2022
Active between: January 27 - February 3
Depending on who you ask, the Steam Lunar Sale 2022 is either the first sale of the year or "that sale after the big Steam winter sale." Regardless of how you view it, the Steam Lunar Sale 2022 marks January and February's only countdown that discount hunters need to track, coming with its own series of discounts and free stickers.
Steam Going Rogue: A Festival of Persistence
Expected to be active between: May 2 - May 9
Steam's Going Rogue: A Festival of Persistence replaced its Golden Week sale in 2022, the latter being split into individual events for several publishers. The Going Rogue sale centers around roguelikes but also includes games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Steam Open World Sale 2022
Expected to be active between: May 22 - May 30
The Steam Open World Sale replaced the Spring Cleaning Event in 2021, discounting multiple open-world games while also including live streams of the participating titles. A newcomer in the yearly sales arena, it was a perfect time to grab games into which you can easily sink tens of hours, if not more. We'll have to see if it makes its return in 2022 or gets replaced by a different sale.
Steam Season of Pride Sale 2022
Expected to be active between: June 9 - June 23
The Steam Season of Pride Sale 2022 shines the spotlight on lots of LGBTQIA+ inclusive games, both upcoming and released. Its discounts largely apply to indie titles, usually covering a variety of genres.
Steam Summer Sale 2022
Active between: June 23 - July 7
The Steam Summer Sale 2022 is the only major mid-year opportunity for grabbing a large number of titles at a discounted price. Last year, it introduced Game Profiles in the Points Shop, and included a Choose Your Own Adventure-style mini-event. Each day, you could also get an event trading card for going through your Discovery queue.
Steam Halloween Sale 2022
Expected to be active between: October 28 - November 1
While horror games will also be discounted throughout the year, the Steam Halloween Sale 2022 mainly focuses on them. If you're a fan of the genre, this is the one to look out for, especially since it tends to be accompanied by multiple in-game Halloween events. That being said, you should also find some of those non-horror titles on your wishlist discounted.
Steam Autumn Sale 2022
Active between: November 22 - November 29
The Steam Autumn Sale 2022 targets the period around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, making sure that PC gamers don't miss out on some sweet discounts. Aside from cheaper games the Steam Autumn Sale 2022 should also let players nominate their favorite titles for the end-of-year Steam Awards.
Steam Winter Sale 2022
Active between: December 22 - January 5
The Steam Winter Sale 2022 is the final countdown of the year, 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 its own, but this wasn't the case in 2020 and 2021.
Valve has also revealed that, starting in 2023, it will host a Spring Sale that will receive the same amount of support as its autumn, summer, or winter counterparts. This change means that the Lunar New Year sale will, however, no longer be part of the yearly schedule.
Also check out our Epic Games Store 2022 sale schedule to keep track of more opportunities to buy cheaper games.
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