The Steam Summer Sale Has Started! Here's What to Expect

The Steam Summer sale is here, deal-seekers! As expected, you can save up to 90% off on a huge range of games.

Whether you want relaxing single-player puzzlers, story-rich indie titles, or huge blockbuster games, the Steam Summer Sale will have a PC game deal to fit your tastes and budget.

When Does the Steam Summer Sale Start?

The 2020 Steam Summer Sale is expected to start June 25 and run through July 9.

PC Gamer reported these Steam sale dates a few weeks ago, but we haven't seen a wide announcement for the dates yet. Still, PC Gamer was correct when it announced the dates ahead of time for 2019's sale, so we expect they're legitimate for 2020, too.

When Does the Steam Summer Sale End?

The Steam Summer Sale tends to run for at least a couple of weeks, and this year it's expected to last until July 9.

What Is the Steam Summer Sale?

The summer and winter sales are arguably Steam's biggest sales of the year. Each one runs for about two weeks and provides a multitude of chances to snag deep discounts on video games. Some games — older titles, indie games, and downloadable content — could see discounts of up to 90% off.

What Is a Good Discount for a Video Game?

Steam often reserves the absolute best discounts for older games. However, if you're lucky enough to see an item on your wish list discounted to at least 75% off, you likely won't find a better deal. Go ahead and jump on that deal, and you won't have to worry about finding a better price later.

Even newer titles can see solid discounts during Steam sales. For instance, we expect games that are around six months old to still see price drops of up to 50% off. The only new games with really deep discounts tend to be ones that aren't performing well.

What Steam Summer Sale Deals Can You Expect?

Watch for the Steam Summer Sale to have attention-grabbing discounts on popular games. And long-standing blockbusters can see even better price cuts. Two years ago, we saw The Witcher 3 fall to $20, but last year, it dropped as low as $12. And Portal 2, which is still a game worth playing if you haven't tried it, was $2 in the Steam Summer Sale of 2018, but last year it hit 99 cents. Even Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which was released last March, saw a modest but impressive drop to $48 during the Steam Summer Sale; it's normally $60.

And if you love story-rich puzzle games, watch for titles like What Remains of Edith Finch (a longtime favorite of many here at DealNews) and Gorogoa to be bundled together for less than $20. As one of those games goes for up to $20 alone, that's a deal you shouldn't pass up — even if you're only interested in one of the titles.

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Watch for other games to see discounts, as well, like Firewatch (another DealNews favorite) and the entire lineup of Life is Strange titles. Last year, Firewatch once again fell to $5. Meanwhile, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a game meant only for the brave of heart, fell to just $2. That's a small price to pay for nightmare fuel.

What About Other Sales?

GOG tends to run its own summer sale, but earlier in the month of June. While the event doesn't occur at the same time as the Steam Summer Sale, there's a chance it could match deals found in the Steam sale. And since titles at GOG are DRM-free, it's a great option if you won't be paying more, anyway.

The Epic Games Store is another online store that hosts its own big sale around the start of summer. The good news, though, is that Epic has also been offering at least one free game a week, and seems to be planning to do so until at least June 11. These games are completely free, with no strings attached — you don't even have to enter any credit card info! And the titles aren't unheard of, either — one of the most recent totally free games was Grand Theft Auto V.

Readers, what will you be shopping for at the Steam Summer Sale? Let us know in the comments below!