Steam Winter Sale 2024 Has Begun!

Valve really needs to space the autumn sale better and stop attacking my wallet like this.
- I ignored the autumn sale because I knew the winter sale would be right behind it and assumed it would have better deals
  
  Identical deals I believe. Except maybe that deep discount section that's different. Everything else should be 100% the same
  
  I feel less likely to buy now because I know another sale will come soon when I'm ready. I'm not mad at it and less impulse buys.
- 😂

I love how the Winter Sale starts and the entirety of all gamers DDoS the site. The prices are practically the same from the Autumn Sale.
- Yeah, but I got $100 from my uncle for my birthday that I didn't have for the Autumn sale
  
  So it's all your fault lol.
- Isthereanydeal.com is also down.
  There are some new surprises that I found before everything went kaput.

https://steamdb.info/sales/?min_discount=80&min_rating=80&min_reviews=500
Steam sale items with a 80% discount, 80% rating, and 500 reviews!
Stolen from @Blaze@sopuli.xyz 's autumn sale post
- Ohh, handy! Thanks for that link.
- Very useful link! I didn't realize Tormented Souls was so cheap during this sale. I highly recommend this one for anyone who likes the classic Resident Evil games.

Celeste $4.99 -75% - A platformer with 8-way airdashes. I'm sure you've already heard enough about how amazing the base game is, so I just want to take a moment to shoutout the incredible modding scene for more content. My favorites are Spring 2020 Collab, Strawberry Jam, Glyph, Conqueror's Peak, and Into the Jungle.
CrossCode $9.33 -65% (for base game and DLC) - Phenomenal action RPG. Combat is fast and explosive, dungeons are very obviously Zelda inspired but with way more puzzles. Packed with tons and tons and tons of sidequests, many of which put unique twists on the combat system to keep you on your toes. Make sure to grab the epilogue DLC.
Crypt of the Necrodancer $11.21 (bundle with DLC) - Rhythm game/roguelike sounds like the strangest mashup ever. But what's even stranger is just how well it works. It's just a matter of keeping 4/4 time, but forcing a steady pace forces you to think fast and not make any mistakes. Every death is clearly your fault as every enemy is designed to be beatable using only a base dagger without getting hit (and indeed there's a challenge character that forces exactly this), but dealing with swarms is where it gets complicated. I especially recommend trying to speedrun, playing for speed really makes this game adrenaline-fueled as you have to pace yourself judging how much time you can afford to gather items if you want to make sub-15 or sub-10. Danny Baranowsky's soundtrack absolutely delivers. Get both the Amplified and Synchrony DLCs.
Mega Knockdown $7.99 -20% - A turn-based fighting game that's fun for complete beginners to pick up and play, while still offering a lot of depth. Use this to entice your non-fighting game friends in.
Skullgirls $2.49 -90% base game, $14.83 bundle with DLC - Still the best damn fighting game of all time. Almost never not on sale, hell you probably already own this by now and may not even realize it.
Slay the Spire $6.24 -75% - Roguelike deckbuilder, basic idea is that after each combat you get to add a card to your deck, plus collect relics from elites/events/shops/bosses which provide passive effects. There's a ton of depth in trying to assemble the perfect deck one card at a time, resource management gets very complicated balancing what you need in the short-term versus what you want to take to the endgame. Tons and tons of possibilities, you can pretty much expect to never build the same deck twice. Oh, and did I mention there's 20 levels of hard modes once you think you've gotten A0 down? Also has a very powerful mod API with Steam Workshop support, check out Packmaster and Adventurer for my favorite must-plays.
Them's Fightin' Herds $3.99 -80% - Another great fighting game, been waiting a long time for this port to bring us up to a grand total of two good fighting games on Linux. Has a lot of really cool features like a big story mode with overworld exploration, a cute lobby system with cosmetics to collect and treasure chests to fight for, a dynamic music system that reacts to the fight, and even a semi-cooperative dungeon crawler mode. Has crossplay with consoles as well. Full review. Word of warning: Baihe DLC is very busted and banned from tournament play. Long story about how the publisher fired the entire dev team and released her in an unfinished state. If you buy the DLC, just get the other three characters and skip her.
Anything by Zachtronics - A bunch of different engineering puzzle games where you have to write code or build a machine to solve problems. Once you've solved the puzzle, you can see a histogram comparing your solution to everyone else's on a few different metrics, encouraging you to go back and try to optimize it further. I recommend Opus Magnum as the best entry point.
- Woah CrossCode looks right up my alley. How have I missed that for the past... 6 years?!? Thanks!
  
  The game is legit one of the best I've played in the past like 10 years. The story starts kinda slow but I promise, it picks up later
  
  I recommend secrets of grindea too!
  
  nods
- Played all these except mega knockdown and would highly recommend any of em. Great list.

No, not again, I didn't have time to play all the stuff I bought on last one...
- So grows the backlog.
- But you'll get around to them at some point, and it's a good deal so if you buy it later it might cost more. No it's fine you definitely won't get distracted by another game and will start it after the one you are playing just now.
  I don't know what you mean "I've had that unplayed game for 17 years," I'm going to play it next, (after this one I'm about to buy.)
  
  I don't know what you mean "I've had that unplayed game for 17 years," I'm going to play it next, (after ~~this one I'm about to buy~~ replaying this old one for the fifth time.)
  😭
  
  As a hoarder, I'm frequently finding games I bought 3-4 sales ago or through the many bundles I buy. I've accepted it.
  Only because often, I'd read about a cool game, look for it, only to find i own it already. And then I play it immediately and have a lot of fun.

And steam is already down hahaha
- Right, I cannot access my wishlist on the mobile app or mobile website.
  
  i can't access it from the desktop.
- Everyone got on real quick.

Hope no one minds me asking here, but does anyone have any suggestion for games on sale that a 13 year old boy might like? Need a cool uncle gift for the nephew
Edit: thank y'all for the replies!
- Teardown might be a good one.
- Make a family and add them to it. They'll get access to your entire library. As account manager you can hide any games you think are inappropriate.
  I'm sharing with my brother who has 4 sons and it has been great for everyone.
  
  You can do that‽ Oh hell yeah. Cool uncle status achieved!
  
  I love how they changed library sharing, too, so group members are only accessing individual games rather than entire libraries.
- Any hints what kind of games they're into? Racing, sports, shooters? My nephew mostly plays fortnite, he's easy and happy with vbucks.
  
  Honestly? Not really. I haven't seen them in about 4 years, and the last I really checked in one was super into reading fantasy novels and the other one like Lego. Lol. They're family friends, not children of siblings.
- Deadcells is one I enjoyed and my brother enjoyed. Lots of content and very fun.
  
  Dead Cells: The leading cause of gamepad breakages among PC players. 9 out of 10 ninjas agree.
- Satisfactory. If they like Minecraft they'll like this
- Here are some cool/memorable games:
  Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  Return of the Obra Dinn
  Braid
- Risk of Rain 2
- Need for speed heat is like 4 bucks, as a former 13yo boy I woulda liked it

- Steam sales 10 years ago were a thing of myth and majesty.
- I disagree.
  I've been though the Steam Sales for well over 10 years now, and I remember when they switched up how they did it.
  Yeah you no longer have a 90% discount for a single day on a game so there isn't anywhere near as much chatter, which I miss, but there are plently of big names with 90% off. I think that is either what you miss, or you are now 5 years older and just don't get as excited, or there hasn't been much released that interest you.
  https://www.pcgamer.com/games/only-15-percent-of-all-steam-users-time-was-spent-playing-games-released-in-2024/
  Games with good reviews and 90% off:
  https://steamdb.info/sales/?min_discount=90&min_rating=80&min_reviews=500
  Is it the sales, or are there just less games coming out at the moment that interest you at any price?
- I've noticed this too with Steam. Sales aren't nearly as good (also, didn't we just have one?!?) and "release dates" on decade-old games can be listed as say, two years if there was an update or a slight change
  Dunno if it's Steam themselves or others 'gaming' the system, apologies for the pun
- In a way, I accept that. I think too many super discounts were starting to poison the industry such that indie devs with a limited audience couldn’t even make their costs back, and couldn’t raise their price because they’d compete with so much $4 slop.
  (By the way, my other post highlights some great $4 slop)

Any sale recommendations for co-op games or remote play together games that are on sale?
- Rotwood is a good one. Co-op Roguelite beat-em-up from the Don't Starve guys.
  Lethal Company is just lots of fun, we've gotten too much time out of that dumb game. Maybe check out Content Warning if you like LC but want a change.
  Outward is a fantastic old-school RPG for two people, has all the traits of a game from 2002
  Palworld - haven't hopped back into this one since its launch but have been meaning to. But this type of game is definitely not underrepresented on the market.
  Escape Simulator is a nice stress-free co-op escape room game, lots of official content and also has Steam Workshop so there's tons of great content.
  PlateUp! if you're not worried about getting into a fight over how awful your buddy is at making food
  Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos is a Zelda-like RPG that's a surprising amount of fun for how simple the game first looks.
  Other bigname recs: Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Baldur's Gate 3, Sea of Thieves, Deep Rock Galactic, Stardew Valley
  
  Outward is definitely not for everyone, but it felt to me like playing Morrowind for the first time. Not in the dialogue or character writing but in terms of looking at a weird thing on the horizon and asking myself 'WTF IS THAT'.
  
  My wife and I loved Escape Academy. The narrative structure made it more interesting. And the puzzles were more sillier in nature, like solving things while escaping a flood. Or trying to land a airplane.
  We bounced off of Escape Simulato.
- I enjoyed "It Takes Two" quite a bit. "A Way Out" is another co-op game from the same publisher that I've only heard good things about.
- For the more chillax remote co-op, these are the games I've played with my family. (Wife and kids)
  Valheim - survival building stuff.
  Grounded - survival building stuff but it's Honey I shrunk the kids.
  Raft - survival building stuff but on a raft.
  Dinkum - building stuff like Animal Crossing but Australia
  Enshrouded - survival building stuff but Zelda Breath of the Wild
  V Rising - building stuff but vampires and MOBA
- Bone's Cafe is a slower non roguelite cafe game were you get to kill and cook your customers. It has been lots of fun.
  Kingdom 2 Crowns is a great little game of frustration but it's only 2 people but it's pretty and the soundtrack slaps and it's a fun settlement building and protection game.
  Everyone is already recommending Hazelight Studio games but I will jump on that too cause they are amazing.
  And just to shake things up:
  The Lego games. They are classic and usually a good time. Campy humor. Murder your friends. And they are pretty cheap as the whole collections these days.
  Edit: Oh and Ship of Fools was fun. Simple crowded bullet hell slapstick roguelite on a tiny ship with guns.
  
  Bone's Cafe and Kingdom 2 Crowns is right up my alley! Thank you
- It's a game from 2014, but I love Double Dragon Neon which is 50% off. I have songs from the game in my regular music playlist they're so good. I enjoy it more than the recent Double Dragon Gaiden. Great coop.
- Brotato is always a recommendation. Single player or co-op doesn't matter. Both modi are great
- Full Metal Furies is a very fun “beatemup-style” game very much focused on unique character abilities and cooperation. The writing is very funny, and each character operates very different. Currently $5.
  Oh, and on the topic of coop games with primarily female casts: Assault Android Cactus is a lot of fun even for people who haven’t played games much. Rather than use a teammate reviving mechanic, players can pick themselves up - but everyone is fighting their timer to complete the mission before their batteries run out. Levels are quick and chaotic. $5.

Was in a thread recently where people talk about heavy story games being popular because of Watcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Disco Esylium and Baldurs Gate 3.
I'm going to recommend some fantastic story-rich/story-heavy games that people might have missed during the 2010-2020 era.
Shadowrun Returns and Shadowrun Hong Kong: RPG tactics. if you're not familiar with Shadowrun, it's Cyberpunk but with Elves/Trolls, and Dragons as president. Story is dark and fantastic.
West of Loathing and Shadows of Loathing: RPG tactics. Really great and funny writing. One reviewer said they smiled ear to ear during their whole play. I did too.
Danganronpa series and Steins Gate series visual novel territory. Starts really slow but sucks you in. Paradise Killer was my introduction to this world.
Rusty Lake games Puzzly. Rusty Lake Roots storytelling is so good. Don't sleep on Rusty Lake Paradise and Rusty lake Hotel. Those stories are a bit more abstract, as are all the Rusty Lake games.
Firewatch this is the game that made me sit up and pay attention to Walk Simulators. There's a lot of good ones to name, but Firewatch is top tier.
All on sale for a few bucks. All of them will make you think about them while showering and reflecting on life.
- Just a reminder that the designer of the West of Loathing games is an accused abuser.
  
  What an absolutely disgusting crowd she fell in with at a young age, that poor woman. I despise these cliques of narcissistic abusers and their sycophants. Thanks for raising awareness.
  
  I was absolutely part of the KoL community in the 2000s-2010s, and left when I aged out of their KoL Radio/podcast stuff.
  I remember hearing about it during West of Loathing launch and definitely one of the reasons I avoided the game during release. But I came around during the pandemic and I wonder if there was an aftermath.
  I'm digging through the internet right now. This was one of their apologies, also from that 2019 time.
  Would you happen to know of any recent updates?
- I FORGOT TO INCLUDE DRAGONFALL! 😭
  I love all three.

I think I'm going to get the base Grim Dawn. A complete package might drop eventually for a good price though, so I'm undecided.
A shame Paradox games are DLC/subscription farms. It just ain't worth getting invested.
Overall still, I'll probably browse in hesitation and buy nothing in the end.
- If you like ARPGs I'd recommend checking out Last Epoch, I found the customization and skill trees much more satisfying than Grim Dawn.
  
  checks price ... Perhaps.
  
  I just couldn't get into Last Epoch. Can't really put a finger on why, since other ARPGs grabbed me that are not that dissimilar...
- Grim Dawn is a no brainer at $2.50.
  The base game is great, expansions are often on sale, and there’s another coming next year
  
  The second game is why I'd rather wait for a good deal on a full package of the first.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is such a steal at this price.
- I want it so much but
  Incorporates 3rd-party DRM: EA on-line activation and Origin client software installation and background use required.
  
  Screw that, I won't buy it then.
  Checks Steam -- Already in my library
  Dammit.
  
  Oh. Hard pass then =/
  Edit: Thanks for the info.
  
  Each to their own, doesn't bother me. I like the games way too much to care.
  
  Yeah, it runs on the steam deck, but it requires always online drm, so what's the point
- Ooo, it’s all three main games and all DLC…
  
  Hell yeah! Amazing package for the price.

Wasnt the autumn sale just 2 weeks ago?
- Yes it was, though the autumn and spring sales are considered not as big as the summer and winter ones.

Firewatch is a must buy at $2. Great story. The Forest at $2 is great to grab for you and a few friends who like to play survival games and don't mind some gore.

Any recommended indie strategy, tower defense, or rogelikes you enjoyed? I recently enjoyed cobold core and peglin.
- Not sure if it's on sale but Creeper World is a super unique tower defense style game. The 4th one just came out.
  Edit- meant 5th one just came out
  
  The 4th one came out in 2020 i thnik but yeah really good game all 4 of them
  Edit : IXE just came out which i did not know
  
  I loved cheaper world. Great series. I didn't like the newest one unfortunately. Played the demo wasn't for me. I liked 3/4 though.
- I really enjoyed Heretic’s Fork
  
  Heretic’s Fork
  wild music!
- Rogue legacy 1 and 2 are great roguelikes.
  20XX and 30XX are great Megaman clones that are roguelikes.
  
  Rogue tower is another great game with rogue in its name.
  Fantastic tower defense.
- I tried looking up kobold core and instead found KoboldKare. In the future, please be more specific about your recommendations
- Paper planet.
  It's a doodle game roguelite though I do wish it was still priced a bit lower. But hey if Peglin can be $13....

Are you ready for a miracle?!

The Sexy Brutale is a fun Groundhog Day puzzle game set in a casino where you must sneak around to prevent the staff from murdering the guests. The story seems insignificant but becomes astounding towards the end. It’s currently $5.
Unmetal is a very fun Metal Gear parody that isn’t totally lax with its writing - maintaining just enough serious tone to keep you invested and break your expectations when it uses the storytelling format to throw you for a loop. Currently $4.
Homebody is another Groundhog Day puzzle game, also about preventing your friends from being murdered - but with a very different tone. Creepy at times, and requires a slow unraveling of every one of the mansion’s puzzles. $5
Tyrion Cuthbert is an astoundingly-done indie take on the Ace Attorney format, set in a fantasy universe with its own magical rules. 5 full cases, with some big character moments in the later ones. Currently $10.
Near Death is a short horror game based on surviving arctic chill at an abandoned base at night. It feels much like an indie game version of The Martian, especially when you contact personnel that can give you tips but can’t send a rescue party. Currently $2.
- Unmetal is a love letter to classic Metal Gear. If you are a Kojima fan and love the wacky world building, this is right up your alley.

Picked up GTA 4 Complete Edition for $6 so i can relive my middle school xbox 360 days

Grabbed Children of the Sun (Reg 14.99, 40% off to 8.99) and A Little to the Left (Reg 14.99, 50% off to 7.49) personally. Both are puzzlers but the former is far darker then the latter.
- Had my eye on Children of the Sun a while back. Thanks for the reminder it's on sale, I think I'll pick it up too.

Already got a couple games/DLC because they were a good deal. Got 2 games and 2 DLC for $22.22 before tax. Pure luck, baby.
Been thoroughly enjoying Sonic Origins but have yet to play Sonic Mania, though.
I think Sonic Mania is currently less than $10 and Sonic Origins was something like $16.99 with the Plus DLC. No idea if those are good deals, but definitely better than the $30+ for Origins on its own in my opinion.
- Sonic Mania is absolutely worth it to anybody who grew up with 2D Sonic.

Can anyone recommend games similar to Deep Space Cache?

Yaaaayyyy capitalism!
- It's call the Christmas Spirit. Now get prepared for the boxing day, the yelow sunday, the New Year sales, the cyber deals week and the Super Specials Promotion month.
  
  Crazy how they can spend nearly the whole year offering "discounts". Its almost like they mark them up way more than they need to on purpose so they can pretend they're giving us a deal the rest of the time.