Once again, it’s summer. To a lot of people, that means hitting the beach, traveling, partying, or any other enjoyable endeavor there is under the sun and its season. And half a year from now, it’s going to be Christmas. Once again, it’s going to be a few weeks that are all about family dinners, shopping, and snow. So, what do these two times of the year have to do with one another? For a lot of gamers, it can be summarized in two words: Steam Sale. And aside from these two, Steam holds two minor sales – one during spring, and the other during Halloween. So for a total of four times a year, this giant online game store and platform slashes a few bucks off some of their games – complete with Steam CD Key.
The Art of Steam Shopping: Tips and Tricks
As tradition dictates, they’re going to be doing the same thing this year again, with summer just around the corner. So, are your credit cards ready? I’m pretty sure they are, but don’t just blindly putting titles on your cart. Because if affluent feminine ladies who are into fashion consider shopping as an art, then you should too so you can get a lot of digital bang for your hard-earned hobby-dedicated bucks.
Before anything else, you should know that during Steam Sales, games fall under the two different kinds of discounts, according to lifehack.org. There is the store-wide discount for games that are six months and older, and then there are “highlighted” deals, which are discounted games that get promoted on the store’s front page. For the latter, the discount rates are a lot lower than that of the other kind, but they’re still good bargains nevertheless, so you still definitely want to get your hands on them. And on a related note, keep in mind that just because a game is no longer on the front page doesn’t mean it no longer is on sale. It definitely still is; you just have to search for it.
On a different but related note, for those who are fond of recent – and somewhat recent – releases, then good news: they are also usually included on a Steam Sale. However, given the fact that they are quite fresh on the shelves, it should come as no surprise that the discount for them isn’t too high – at least 10%, and at most 40%. So if you think that the little bit of discount has already made the game worth the purchase, then you definitely should pick it up. On the other hand, if you think that the price-slashing it got isn’t big enough, then you should wait for a few months. Think of it this way: would you rather have it now, complete with all the hype the game is receiving, or wait for a few months, when the world has somewhat moved on to newer games? In the end, it’s your choice. But if it’s an online game, however, the sooner the better, as the longer the days, weeks, and months pass, the more likely the player base would dwindle.
Another thing you should know is that there has been a change in the rules of Steam sales. No longer are games on sale for only a particular day or week of the Steam sale; instead, they will be on sale throughout the entire span of the sale. So if you are busy with work, school, or your family, you no longer have to fret that you’d miss a sale on a particular title. But don’t just for title after title. Instead, you should also try to see if there are bundles – a group of Steam games that are made by the same developer – that are on sale. This way, you can buy many game titles for the price of one or two. And even if you’re not a fan of the other ones, it’s always a good thing to try out a game you would’ve never bought otherwise.
Last but definitely not least, if you are finding it difficult to keep track of sales, especially if you’re always on the go or away from your PC, then it’d be best if you’d download the Steam app, which is available on both Android and iOS. This way, you can see which games are on sale no matter how far away you are from your rig, and you no longer have to log in your Steam account to another PC and risk being hacked. And since we’re already talking about having Steam on your phone, then you might want to start putting a few game titles on your wishlist in preparation of the upcoming Steam Summer Sale. This way, you’ll be notified right away if the game you’re eyeing is a part of a sale. This is especially much more helpful if the game you would love to have is included in a Daily Deal, Midweek Madness, or Weekend Deal, saving you from potentially missing out.
When Will It Be? Does Only Lord Gaben Know?
So, now that you got some know-how on Steam Sale-ing, on to what some of you think as the more important question: when will the next Steam Summer Sale be? As of now, there is no official announcement yet. However, there is already much speculation among Steam-heads online.
According to whenisthenextsteamsale.com – a very specifically named and obviously niche website, to say the least – the next Steam sale will be on June 24, 2016. The site, which looks less of a game site and more of a Tumblr-inspired site that appears very feminine because of the use of soft and curvy script-styled font, features a countdown clock to when the upcoming Steam Sale will probably kick off. Beside the speculated date, which is located above the timer, is an indicator on whether their speculated date had already been confirmed or not. This way, they can remind the site’s visitors that what they’re showing is merely a guess, albeit an educated one. The site’s developers have come up with the prediction in consideration to the following factors:
- Dates Steam sales in the past had been launched.
- The day of the week Steam sales usually begin
- The duration of past Steam sales
- The important holidays and events Steam sales happen on
And while the site primarily uses speculations and algorithms, the site also keeps a close watch on announcements from Steam itself in order to avoid confusing the people or giving away misinformation.
Another source, an allegedly more“credible” one comes from Reddit user MrFreemanBBQ. This particular Reddit claims to have “serendipitously” and opportunely caught a screenshot of a piece of internal communication within Valve. And according to this particular tidbit of information which instructs the recipient not to leak it – too late for that – the Steam Sale will happen from June 24 until the 4th of July, just in time for Independence Day.
It’s easy to doubt “news” like this, but you got to give MrFreemanBBQ some credit and credibility, as he has a history of dropping (not so) surprisingly accurate leaked info, so you shouldn’t count him out just yet. Besides, it almost coincides with the predicted date of whenisthenextsteamsale.com with a one-day margin of error – that should already make you think that he could be the real deal. Still, however, it’d be best for you to wait for Steam to officially announce on when the sale will officially begin. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with going along some predictions, as this can help you save up and prepare for the upcoming Steam sale.
All The Steam Rage
So, why the hype for this year’s Steam Summer Sale, to the point that people are using advanced math and scouring the net for hints of the kickoff date? Well, because just like what was previously mentioned, games that are older than six months get significant discounts. And if you count back to more than half a year ago, you should be able to recall that some of the best games in the history of the industry have been released during that time. There is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, the last game legendary game creator Hideo Kojima will ever do under Konami, and is also perhaps the last Metal Gear ever; The Witcher 3, the latest and arguably the greatest installment to the Witcher franchise, which won IGN’s People’s Choice for Game of the Year 2015; and Fallout 4, the fourth game from Bethesda’s post-nuclear apocalypse franchise, and is another nominee for the same award the previous game won.
So, are you ready for this year’s Steam Sale? If you’re still not, then you better start shaping up, because it’s definitely just around the corner. And in case you miss it – a near-impossibility, as it’s an almost two-week long event – then don’t worry, because Steam will always have sales, giving you an opportunity to buy digital game copies that will collect dust, or should I say enjoy for a long, long time. So, happy shopping and more importantly, happy gaming, fellow Steamhead.