Steam Reveals Upcoming Sales and Festivals for 2026 and 2027
Steam has outlined its schedule of major seasonal sales, themed festivals and Steam Next Fest events extending into 2027, giving players and developers an early look at some of the platform’s biggest upcoming promotional events.
The calendar includes the Steam Autumn Sale and Winter Sale later in 2026, followed by the Spring and Summer sales in 2027. Alongside these major promotions, Steam is preparing a wide range of smaller events focused on specific genres and gameplay themes, from survival crafting and programming to racing, fighting games and real-time strategy.
For players, the schedule provides an opportunity to plan around upcoming promotions and discover games through themed events. For developers and publishers, the calendar provides advance notice of promotional opportunities for eligible titles.
Steam Seasonal Sale Dates for 2026 and 2027
Steam runs four major seasonal sales during the year. Unlike the platform’s more narrowly focused festivals, seasonal sales are broad events covering games across many genres.
According to Steamworks, games released at least 30 days before the start of a seasonal sale are eligible to participate if they are offered at a discount.
The upcoming seasonal sales currently announced by Steam are:
| Steam Sale | Dates |
| Steam Autumn Sale 2026 | October 1 to October 8, 2026 |
| Steam Winter Sale 2026 | December 17, 2026 to January 4, 2027 |
| Steam Spring Sale 2027 | March 18 to March 25, 2027 |
| Steam Summer Sale 2027 | June 24 to July 8, 2027 |
The Autumn Sale will be the next major seasonal Steam sale, followed by the Winter Sale in December. The Winter Sale will cross into the new year, running until January 4, 2027.
After that, the next major seasonal events currently listed are the Spring Sale in March and the Summer Sale beginning in late June.
Steam Themed Festivals Continue Through Late 2026
Steam also runs themed sales, often referred to as festivals or fests. Instead of covering the wider Steam catalogue, these events focus on games that match particular genres, mechanics or subjects.
Discounted games receive priority during these promotions, but Steam also allows qualifying free-to-play games, upcoming releases and games with demos to participate. The events are promoted on the Steam homepage and can be divided into relevant subcategories.
As of August 19, several more themed festivals are scheduled for the remainder of 2026.
PvE Survival Crafting Fest
Steam’s PvE Survival Crafting Fest is scheduled for August 31 to September 7.
The event focuses on games built around survival and crafting in player-versus-environment gameplay. This distinguishes the festival from survival games primarily focused on competition between players.
Programming Fest
Programming Fest will follow from September 10 to September 14.
Eligible games focus on programming or solving programming-related challenges, including puzzle games built around coding concepts.
Party-Based RPG Fest
From September 14 to September 21, Steam will turn its attention to party-based role-playing games.
The festival is intended for RPGs in which different characters are brought together as a party.
Cooking Fest
Cooking Fest is scheduled for October 12 to October 19.
The event covers games centred on cooking, feeding people and other culinary activities.
Steam Scream 5
Steam Scream 5 is scheduled to run from October 26 to November 2.
The event is dedicated to horror games and titles associated with Halloween themes. Its timing places the festival immediately around Halloween and shortly after the October Steam Next Fest.
Auto-Battler RPG Fest
The final themed festival currently listed for 2026 is Auto-Battler RPG Fest, scheduled for November 16 to November 23.
The event focuses on games where battles largely play out automatically, while players influence the outcome by developing and upgrading the units participating in combat.
Steam Has Already Announced Several 2027 Festivals
Steam’s promotional calendar already extends well into 2027, with themed events announced from January through early June.
The year begins with Desktop Companion Fest from January 14 to January 18. It is intended for games that occupy the desktop and provide interactive companionship while users perform other activities.
Shop Keeper Fest follows from January 25 to February 1, focusing on games built around managing a shop.
Other announced events include:
| Festival | Dates |
| Desktop Companion Fest | January 14 to January 18 |
| Shop Keeper Fest | January 25 to February 1 |
| Sheep Fest | February 4 to February 8 |
| Couch Co-Op Fest | February 8 to February 15 |
| Rhythm Fest | March 8 to March 15 |
| Dinosaurs vs. Robots Fest | March 29 to April 5 |
| Racing Fest | April 12 to April 19 |
| Witches Fest | April 22 to April 26 |
| Fighting Games Fest | April 26 to May 3 |
| Real-Time Strategy Fest | May 10 to May 17 |
| Mountaineering Fest | May 31 to June 3 |
The themes range from established genres such as racing, fighting games and real-time strategy to much more specific concepts.
Sheep Fest, for example, is intended for games featuring sheep, goats and other members of the goat-antelope subfamily. Dinosaurs vs. Robots Fest covers games featuring dinosaurs, robots or both, while Mountaineering Fest focuses specifically on games about climbing mountains.
Couch Co-Op Fest has a more specific eligibility requirement. Participating games need to support local cooperative play, allowing players to play together on the same device.
Steam Next Fest Returns in October 2026
Alongside sales and themed festivals, Valve will continue running Steam Next Fest, known as “Играм быть” in the Russian version of the Steamworks documentation.
Steam Next Fest is held three times a year and focuses on upcoming games rather than primarily on discounts. During the event, players can try demos, interact with developers, watch broadcasts and discover games preparing for release on Steam.
The next announced edition runs from October 19 to October 26, 2026.
For developers, Next Fest provides an opportunity to collect early feedback and build an audience ahead of release. Eligible titles must be upcoming releases with a playable demo.
The October event will take place shortly after the Autumn Sale and immediately before Steam Scream 5, making October a particularly busy month on Steam’s 2026 promotional calendar.
Steam Next Fest Dates for 2027
Steam has also confirmed the first two Steam Next Fest events scheduled for 2027.
The first will run from February 22 to March 1, while the second is scheduled for June 14 to June 21.
The currently announced Next Fest schedule is:
| Event | Dates |
| Steam Next Fest October 2026 | October 19 to October 26, 2026 |
| Steam Next Fest February 2027 | February 22 to March 1, 2027 |
| Steam Next Fest June 2027 | June 14 to June 21, 2027 |
These events are distinct from Steam’s seasonal sales. Their main focus is the discovery of upcoming games through playable demos, broadcasts and interaction between developers and players.
What Steam’s Upcoming Calendar Means for Players
The announced calendar gives Steam users several different types of events to follow.
Major seasonal sales provide the broadest shopping periods, while themed festivals make it easier to explore games within particular genres or gameplay categories. Steam Next Fest has a different focus, giving players an opportunity to try demos of games that have not yet been released.
The schedule also means that Steam events will occur frequently through the remainder of 2026. Following the PvE Survival Crafting Fest at the end of August, Steam has programming and party-based RPG events in September. October brings the Autumn Sale, Cooking Fest, Steam Next Fest and Steam Scream 5, followed by Auto-Battler RPG Fest in November and the Winter Sale in December.
Steam’s currently announced calendar extends into July 2027, with the Summer Sale scheduled to run through July 8.
Preparing for Upcoming Steam Sales
With the Autumn Sale arriving on October 1 and the Winter Sale following on December 17, players have two major seasonal Steam sales still ahead in 2026.
Those planning purchases can prepare by adding games to their Steam wishlist and checking the store when the relevant promotion begins. Themed festivals can also be useful for discovering titles within specific genres or gameplay categories.
Players who prefer to add funds to their Steam Wallet using a digital code can also find Steam vouchers through the Baxity Store Steam Gift Cards section. The Baxity Store catalogue includes Steam codes in multiple currencies and denominations, with availability depending on the selected product.
Before purchasing a Steam code, users should check its currency and regional requirements against their Steam account, as compatibility can depend on the specific card and account region. This is particularly important for players preparing their Steam Wallet ahead of upcoming seasonal sales and festivals.
