1. When Does Steam Go on Sale? The Four Major Seasonal Sales
Steam runs discounts throughout the year, but the largest events with the deepest discounts are the Four Seasonal Sales. During these events, over 90% of the catalog goes on sale:
In addition to seasonal events, Steam features weekly promotions like "Midweek Madness," "Weekend Deals," and themed genre festivals (e.g., Puzzle Fest, Scream Fest).
2. What is "Historical Low" (史低) and How to Get the Best Price?
The golden rule of Steam shopping is: never buy at full price unless necessary. To shop smart, keep these concepts in mind:
📉 Historical Low (史低)
This refers to the lowest price a game has ever reached on the Steam Store since its launch. If a game is at its "Historical Low" (or "New Historical Low"), it is the absolute best time to buy.
📊 Utilize Price Trackers
Do not rely solely on the discount tag shown on the Steam Store front page. Utilize trackers like our Steam Free Games Tracker's Popular Deals Section. We aggregate ratings and discount percentages, ranking games by overall value. Always check a game's price history—if a game regularly goes on a 75% discount but is currently only 20% off, add it to your wishlist and wait.
3. Smart Shopping Tips: Avoid Common Buying Mistakes
To keep your wallet happy, follow these guidelines:
🚫 Trap 1: Avoid buying at full price right before a seasonal sale
If a game has been out for a while and a major seasonal sale (like the Summer or Winter Sale) is less than a month away, do not buy it at full price. It is highly likely to receive a significant discount once the sale starts.
🚫 Trap 2: Understand Bundles vs. Individual Purchases
Games on Steam often come in various editions: "Deluxe," "GOTY" (Game of the Year), or packaged together in "Bundles". Sometimes, purchasing a complete bundle is cheaper than buying the base game and DLCs separately due to dynamic bundling. Check the contents of each package carefully.
🚫 Trap 3: Do not buy games just because they are cheap
During sales, many decent indie games drop to 90% off (under $2 USD). It is easy to hoard dozens of cheap games, only for them to sit in your library unplayed forever (a phenomenon known as "buying games is a game itself"). Be mindful and buy what you actually intend to play.