How long after release do Steam games go on sale? We tracked 519 launches

Every new release brings the same question: buy it now, or wait for a sale? And if you wait, how long, and how much will you save? Instead of guessing, we tracked the Steam price of 519 popular games, all released between January 2023 and September 2025, from the day they launched to today.

How we measured: we took every game released on Steam between January 1, 2023 and September 30, 2025 with 3,000+ user reviews (716 games) and pulled its complete Steam price history (US store, from IsThereAnyDeal). We left out 156 that were already sold, and discounted, before their release date (mostly Early Access games), 17 that arrived on Steam already 40% or more off (older games ported to Steam, like Ubisoft's and Activision's back catalogue in 2023–2024) and 24 with incomplete data. That leaves 519. A "sale" is a discount of at least 10% after the first two weeks; launch-week discounts are counted separately. "Best price" is the lowest Steam price a patient buyer could have paid by that point. Data as of October 23, 2026.

When does the first discount come?

Sooner than most people expect. These are the shares of games that had been on sale at least once, by time since launch:

The typical game had its first sale 48 days after launch, and that first discount is modest: 20% off in the typical case. Only three of the 519 games, all more than a year old, have never been discounted on Steam: WEBFISHING, Elin and Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES.

Many games don’t even wait: 56% launched with a discount already, nearly always 10%. That’s mostly an indie habit, though: 83% of games under $15 launched discounted, against 7% of $60–70 games.

How much cheaper it gets, month by month

The first sale is small; the real drops come later. This is the best Steam price the typical game had reached, as a share of its launch price:

Median game in each launch-price group. 18- and 24-month values only count games that old (425 and 326 games).

Across all 519 games:

“Range for most games” is the middle half: a quarter of games did better than that, and a quarter worse.

Expensive games drop the most

The price a game launches at changes the curve completely. $60–70 games almost never launch discounted, but they fall the fastest once sales start:

So the most expensive games are where waiting pays off most: a $70 game is typically $35 within a year. A $10 indie, on the other hand, usually launches at $9 and is still $7 a year later.

Publishers: who discounts fast, who holds the price

Who publishes the game matters about as much as its price. The publishers with at least six games in the sample, sorted by how far their games had dropped after a year:

With six to thirteen games each, read it as a tendency rather than a rule. Two patterns are clear, though: sports games collapse (EA SPORTS FC 25 was 50% off 49 days after launch and 80% off within a year, once the next edition loomed), and PlayStation and Capcom hold their prices the longest, with first sales around four months after launch.

Real examples

Some of the biggest releases in the sample, at their US Steam prices:

The “Today” column is live: the cheapest price right now on Steam or at the key stores we compare, for your region.

Not every drop is a sale: permanent price cuts

Some games simply get cheaper for good. Among all 519 games, 8% lowered their regular price at least 5% for good; among $60–70 games it was 28%. Monster Hunter Wilds and Dragon’s Dogma 2 went from $69.99 to $39.99, as did TEKKEN 8; Lords of the Fallen went from $59.99 to $29.99, and Starfield, Diablo IV, DOOM: The Dark Ages and Avowed from $69.99 to $49.99. Sales then come on top of the new, lower price.

When the first sale lands: Steam’s seasonal sales

Half of all first sales (49%) started during one of Steam’s four big seasonal sales: Summer (60 games), Autumn (51), Winter (50) and Spring (28). The rest came with publisher weeks, themed festivals or midweek deals. The busiest week of all was the 2024 Autumn Sale, when 27 games of the sample had their first discount.

So if a game you want came out a few months ago, the next seasonal sale is the likeliest moment for its first discount. The next one is the Steam Winter Sale, from December 17 to January 4 (full calendar).

Can’t wait? What a key costs right after launch

Key stores don’t follow Steam’s calendar. Of the paid games released in the last six months with 500+ reviews, about half (49%) already had a key for Europe in our price data, and for those the cheapest key was typically 37% below Steam’s list price, or 32% in the first month after launch. It isn’t always cheaper: the day we checked, keys for a few new releases cost more than Steam (EA SPORTS FC 27 and Halo: Campaign Evolved among them), so compare before buying.

Some of 2026’s big releases, live:

So: buy now or wait?

• If you’ll play it in the first weeks anyway: compare key prices first. For a recent release, a key is often around a third cheaper than Steam’s price.
• If you can wait three months: most games (78%) have had their first sale by then, typically 20% off, and often during the next seasonal sale.
• If you can wait a year: a $60–70 game is typically half price; a cheaper game around 30% off.
• If you can wait two years: half of all games reach half price.
• Know the exceptions: PlayStation and Capcom games hold their price longer; sports games, EA and 2K drop fastest.
• Let the price come to you: on any game’s SteamSage page, the “Email me if it gets cheaper” link sets an alert, and we’ll email you when the best price you can activate drops to your target.

FAQ

How long does it take for a new game to go on sale on Steam?

For the typical game, 48 days. 78% of games had their first Steam sale within three months of launch and 95% within six months, usually at 20% off.

How long until a game is 50% off on Steam?

For $60–70 games, about a year in the typical case (58% were half price within a year, 88% within two). For all games, about two years: 56% had been half price by then.

Do Steam games go on sale at launch?

Often, but only a little: 56% launched with a discount, nearly always 10%. That’s mostly cheaper games: 83% of games under $15, against 7% of $60–70 games.

Do some games never go on sale?

Almost none. Of 519 popular games released from 2023 to 2025, only three have never been discounted on Steam: WEBFISHING, Elin and Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES.

Is it better to wait for a Steam sale or buy a key?

Right after launch, a key is usually the cheaper option: typically 37% below Steam for games released in the last six months. After a year, Steam sales close most of that gap. SteamSage compares both for every game, so you don’t have to choose blind.

Do PlayStation games go on sale on Steam?

Yes, but slowly: their first Steam sale came about four months after launch in the typical case, and their best price after a year was about 33% off, the most stable prices of any big publisher in the sample.

Related guides

• Steam sale calendar 2026–2027
• How to check any Steam game’s price history
• When is the best time to buy cheap Steam games?
• Steam Wishlist: how to never pay full price
• Eneba vs Instant Gaming: which is cheaper?