Nancy Miller
Steam’s Winter Sale is live, and it’s one of the rare times you can pick up current-year releases for meaningful discounts without waiting months. The event runs from December 18, 2025 through January 5, 2026 at 10:00 AM PT, so you still have time to compare, wishlist, and build a cart that actually matches what you’ll play.
This guide focuses specifically on 2025 games—not evergreen classics—because the real value this time of year is catching new hits before they bounce back to full price.
How to use this guide (so you don’t buy 12 games and play 1)
Steam sale pricing is generally stable across the sale window (no “flash deal” panic-buying), so you can take a day or two to decide. PC Gamer
Use this workflow:
- Shortlist from the “Best Overall” sections below.
- Budget-check using the “Under $10 / Under $20 / Under $50 carts.”
- Wishlist anything you’re unsure about—Steam will notify you on discounts. Steamworks
- Remember the refund guardrails: refunds are typically available if requested within 14 days and with under 2 hours of playtime.
Best Overall AAA Deals (big games, real savings)
These are the headline discounts where the dollars saved actually matter.
- NBA 2K26 — $27.99 (was $69.99, ~60% off). One of the biggest raw savings in the 2025 list.
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows — $34.99 (was $69.99, ~50% off). A premium-price release hitting a true “buy now” threshold.
- Avowed — $34.99 (was $69.99, 50% off). Strong value if you want a modern, choice-driven fantasy RPG; also discounted Premium Edition and upgrades.
- DOOM: The Dark Ages — $34.99 (was $69.99, ~50% off). If you were waiting for a clean half-off entry point, this is it.
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II — $29.99 (was $59.99, ~50% off). A deep time-sink RPG at a fair “long game” price.
- F1 25 — $29.99 (was $59.99, ~50% off). One of the sharpest discounts in racing this year.
- Monster Hunter Wilds — $38.49 (was $69.99, ~45% off). Co-op longevity + an unusually early discount for a tentpole.
- Silent Hill f — $41.99 (was $69.99, ~40% off). Horror fans: rare to see a new entry cut this much this soon.
- Destiny 2: Year of Prophecy Ultimate Edition — $59.99 (was $99.99, ~40% off). Biggest “bundle-style” value if you’re all-in on the ecosystem.
Best “Deep Discount” Winners (50%+ off)
If you’re optimizing purely for discount percentage, start here.
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves — $19.79 (was $59.99, ~67% off). The steepest cut on this 2025 list.
- Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii — $23.99 (was $59.99, ~60% off). Big content, unusually aggressive discount.
- EA Sports FC 26 — $27.99 (was $59.99, ~53% off). If you buy yearly, this is the timing you want.
- Gears of War: Reloaded — $19.99 (was $39.99, 50% off). Straightforward half-off, easy recommendation for campaign/co-op value.
- Revenge of the Savage Planet — $14.99 (was $29.99, 50% off). Great “weekend game” price.
- Reignbreaker — $4.99 (was $9.99, 50% off). Cheap, low-risk pickup if you want a smaller, punchy game.
Best RPG & Narrative Picks (high hours-per-dollar)
- Avowed — $34.99 (was $69.99, 50% off). First-person fantasy RPG with meaningful choices; released Feb 18, 2025.
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — $39.99 (was $49.99, ~20% off). If you want a modern “story-first RPG” with polish, this is the safer bet than most new IP.
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector — $16.79 (was $24.99, ~33% off). A smart mid-price narrative buy when you want something finishable.
- The Outer Worlds 2 — $48.99 (was $69.99, ~30% off). Not a massive percentage cut, but meaningful dollars saved on a premium RPG.
- The Alters — $24.49 (was $34.99, ~30% off). A strong “concept game” discount—ideal if you like systems + story tension.
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered — $33.49 (was $49.99, ~33% off). A comfortable value point if you want a familiar open-world RPG with modernization.
Best Co-op, Multiplayer, and “Play With Friends” Buys
- Monster Hunter Wilds — $38.49 (was $69.99, ~45% off). Co-op grind that actually justifies a bigger spend.
- Arc Raiders — $31.99 (was $39.99, ~20% off). Good “try it while it’s hot” pricing if your group needs something new.
- Battlefield 6 — $48.99 (was $69.99, ~30% off). Solid cut for a premium shooter if you’ll play immediately.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 — $48.99 (was $69.99, ~30% off). Buy only if you know your squad is committing.
- Split Fiction — $37.49 (was $49.99, ~25% off). A good co-op candidate if you prefer structured sessions over endless queues.
- Rematch — $20.09 (was $29.99, ~33% off). Good mid-tier discount for competitive play.
Best Indie & “Something Different” Picks
These are where you can get the most variety per dollar.
- Hollow Knight: Silksong — $15.99 (was $19.99, 20% off). Still not a huge discount, but the game itself is the draw; Steam lists the promo ending Jan 5.
- Blue Prince — $19.79 (was $29.99, ~34% off). A standout “mystery/puzzle-forward” pick if you want novelty.
- Consume Me — $9.74 (was $14.99, ~35% off). Under-$10 experimental buy.
- Peak — $4.95 (was $7.99, ~38% off). Cheap “why not” pickup if you want a small surprise.
- R.E.P.O. — $6.99 (was $9.99, ~30% off). A low-cost add-on to round out a cart.
Racing, Sports, and Sim Fans
- F1 25 — $29.99 (was $59.99, 50% off). The cleanest racing deal in the list.
- Assetto Corsa EVO — $31.99 (was $39.99, ~20% off). For sim-first players.
- Assetto Corsa Rally — $23.99 (was $29.99, ~20% off). If you want rally flavor at a fair cut.
- EA Sports FC 26 — $27.99 (was $59.99, ~53% off). Big seasonal discount—worth timing around sales.
- NBA 2K26 — $27.99 (was $69.99, ~60% off). One of the best “sports game at non-sports price” moments.
Quick “Budget Carts” (copy these and stop scrolling)
Under $10 cart
- Reignbreaker — $4.99
- Peak — $4.95
Under $20 cart
- Gears of War: Reloaded — $19.99
- (Swap option) Blue Prince — $19.79
- (Swap option) Citizen Sleeper 2 — $16.79
Under $50 cart (best “one big game + one indie” value)
- Avowed — $34.99
- Revenge of the Savage Planet — $14.99
Steam Winter Sale “Smart Buy” Checklist (high ROI tips)
- Wishlist first, buy later. Wishlisted games can trigger discount notifications, which is the simplest anti-impulse tool.
- Use Steam’s Discovery Queue controls. You can wishlist, follow, or ignore titles directly from store discovery flows, which helps the algorithm stop serving you junk.
- Remember refunds are a safety net—not a strategy. Standard guidance: request within 14 days and under 2 hours played.
- No need to rush today. Discounts are typically stable across the full sale window, so take time to compare and avoid buyer’s remorse.
Closing thought: buy for January, not for the dopamine hit
Winter Sale carts get expensive when every purchase is “a future me problem.” If you can’t name when you’ll play it (or who you’ll play it with), wishlist it and move on—you’ve got until January 5, 2026 (10 AM PT) to decide.
👑 Stay Ahead. Play Without Limits.
Follow us for continuous updates and instant access to 5,000+ trainers & mods. Unlock resources, test builds, and try everything free right now.
👉 Try 5,000+ Mods & Trainers for Free
XMODhub_support