Do you remember the days when predicting the dates of the next big Steam sale was a national pastime? It seems like such a long time ago, and looking back, it feels a bit strange. As someone responsible for writing Steam sale announcements, it was a stressful time. But now, Valve has made things much easier for us by releasing the dates of every Steam sale and fest coming in 2023.
Valve has made some changes to their Steam sale structure in September 2022, removing the Lunar New Year sale from their schedule in favor of a more evenly spaced seasonal schedule. The reason for this was simple: Lunar New Year sales typically followed closely after the wallet-draining Winter sales, resulting in too many Steam sales in too little time.
However, Valve surprised us with a Chinese New Year sale instead, a slightly smaller event that still provided plenty of discounts for eager gamers. And the sales won’t be stopping anytime soon. With big seasonal events, three Steam Next Fests, and various themed fests popping up throughout the year, 2023 is going to be a challenge for anyone trying to save money.
Here’s a breakdown of the events planned for the year, excluding the Mystery Fest which is already underway. Please note that the links do not lead to sale pages, but rather to Steamworks documentation for developers who wish to participate:
- Mystery Fest: February 20 – 27
- Spring Sale: March 16 – 23 (major seasonal sale)
- Puzzle Fest: April 24 – May 1
- Sports Fest: May 15 – 22
- Next Fest: June 19 – 26
- Summer Sale: June 29 – July 13 (major seasonal sale)
- Stealth Fest: July 24 – 31
- Visual Novel Fest: August 7 – 14
- Strategy Fest: August 28 – September 4
- SHMUP Fest: September 25 – October 2
- Next Fest: October 9 – 16
- Return of Steam Scream Fest (Halloween): October 26 – November 2 (additional details to come)
- Autumn Sale: November 21 – 28 (major seasonal sale)
- Winter Sale: December 21 – January 4, 2024 (major seasonal sale)
At a quick glance, it’s clear that the longest break between Steam sales in 2023 will only be one month, between the end of the Spring Sale on March 23 and the beginning of the Puzzle Fest on April 24. On the other hand, the shortest break is only three days, from the end of the Next Fest on June 26 to the start of the Summer Sale on June 29. For the most part, there will be at least a week or two between sales, which may not be enough time to finish playing all the games you purchased but should provide enough time to earn some money to afford more.
