// PC GAMER — GAMING
The Steam Summer Sale goes live with 'deep-a** discounts' across thousands of games
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June 25 is a big day: After years of waiting, Grand Theft Auto 6 preorders are finally live! Well, y'know, for some people, anyway.
But it's a joyous day for us too (and, importantly, in a way that excludes them*) because today also marks the start of the 2026 Steam Summer Sale, the annual discount extravaganza that you're just not going to find on consoles.
(*Am I really cheesed about GTA 6 not coming to PC side-by-day with console? No. I find it a little baffling, given that PC gamers clearly are a "core" GTA audience despite what Strauss Zelnick may say, but cynical though it may be I think PC Gamer editor Ted Litchfield is correct in his assessment: Holding it back for a year or two is a very effective way of double-dipping. It's a strategy that's been successful for Rockstar and Take-Two in the past, so it's not terribly surprising that they're carrying on with it now. Anyway, back to the point: Steam sale!)
As always, although I'm pretty sure this is the first time Valve has ever used this specific term for it, the Steam Summer Sale includes "deep-ass discounts"—and hey, don't blame me, I'm just quoting the trailer here—on thousands of games across pretty much every genre you can think of.
Will we be putting together a list of some of our choicest picks? I think we will! To get the ball rolling, here are a few I like:
Of course there are also stickers to earn and fresh loot in the Steam Points Shop that you can use to spice up your profile page or chat messages, so don't miss out on that. The 2026 Steam Summer Sale is set to run until July 9.
Steam sale dates: When's the next event?Epic Store free games: What's free right now?Free PC games: The best freebies you can grab2026 games: This year's upcoming releasesFree Steam games: No purchase necessary
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.