Video game sales calendar: Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo

If you share game deals, your year revolves around peaks: the big Steam sales, PlayStation's Days of Play, Black Friday. Knowing the dates in advance is what separates the group that announces first from the group that reposts a deal after it has ended. This video game sales calendar brings together the official dates the stores have published, explains what doesn't have a date yet and shows you how to track each platform.

Steam's seasonal sales and Days of Play are global events, but prices, regional pricing and exact start times depend on your country's store. Always confirm on the store page for your region before you post.

Steam: the most predictable calendar

Valve publishes the dates of Steam's major events well in advance on its official upcoming events page. It's the best source for planning a PC group's year. The dates below were checked on October 2, 2026. Valve can change them, so check again close to each event.

1. Oct 1–8, 2026
   Steam Autumn Sale

   Running as this guide is published. A good moment for "under $10" lists and well-reviewed games on sale.

2. Oct 19–26, 2026
   Steam Next Fest

   A festival of demos for upcoming games. Not a sale, but great content: "demos worth trying" and wishlist ideas.

3. Dec 17, 2026 – Jan 4, 2027
   Steam Winter Sale

   Spans the holidays and New Year. A long sale: spread your highlights across the days.

4. Feb 22 – Mar 1, 2027
   Steam Next Fest

   The first demo festival of 2027.

5. Mar 18–25, 2027
   Steam Spring Sale

   One week of discounts. Prepare your list beforehand, because it goes by fast.

6. Jun 14–21, 2027
   Steam Next Fest

   The June demo festival, right before the Summer Sale.

7. Jun 24 – Jul 8, 2027
   Steam Summer Sale

   One of Steam's biggest sales of the year. Two weeks to work lists by genre and by price.

PlayStation: Days of Play and PlayStation Store deals

Days of Play is PlayStation's yearly sales campaign. In 2026, according to the PlayStation Blog, it ran from May 27 to June 10. The 2027 edition hasn't been announced yet. Based on past editions you can expect it somewhere between late May and June, but only share dates after the official announcement.

Outside Days of Play, the PlayStation Store runs sales throughout the year, collected on its permanent deals page. That's the page to check every week.

Xbox and Nintendo: no official calendar published

Unlike Steam, Microsoft and Nintendo don't publish an official calendar of their major sales in advance. Deals show up on the store pages when they start. So the strategy is monitoring, not planning around dates:

1. 1
   Bookmark the official pages

   Save Xbox sales and specials and Nintendo sales and deals (switch to your region's version).

2. 2
   Check on fixed days

   Pick one or two days a week to open the pages and note what changed. A routine beats memory.

3. 3
   Watch the retail calendar

   Black Friday and the holiday season usually bring deals across many stores; check what each one actually publishes.

4. 4
   Follow the brands' official channels

   Sale announcements usually come out on the official websites and social profiles. Only share once you see the deal in the store.

5. 5
   Let the group help

   Sharp-eyed members will tell you when they spot a sale. Check it in the store and give them credit.

Retail dates that also move gaming deals

Consoles, accessories and physical games follow the general retail calendar. The key dates through the end of 2027:

Other shopping events, such as 11.11 or Amazon Prime Day, are set by each retailer every year, and their exact dates and participation vary by country. Confirm the official program of each store before you plan around them.

What to prepare before every big sale

When a sale starts, the race is to post a good deal first. The preparation happens before:

How to pace highlights during a long sale

Sales that last two weeks or more, like Steam's Winter and Summer sales, wear the group out if everything goes out on day one. Split the period into blocks, each with a theme:

• Opening: the games most requested in your poll and the biggest discounts you found;
• Middle: themed lists by genre (horror, racing, co-op), by price or "short games you can finish over the weekend";
• Final stretch: a round-up of the best prices and a last-day reminder.

That way the group gets something new every day without dozens of messages at once, and people who join mid-sale still find good deals.

A weekly monitoring routine

Since not every store announces sales in advance, a routine is what keeps you from missing anything. Here's a simple example to adapt to your time (for consoles and physical games, combine it with the routine in how to find good deals every day):

Message templates for game sales

📅 *Save the date: {SALE NAME} at {STORE}*
From {START DATE} to {END DATE}.
Which games do you want me to watch? Comment below 👇
I'll post the best discounts on the most-requested ones as soon as it opens.

🚨 *The {SALE NAME} is live!*
Runs until {END DATE}. First highlights:
🎮 {GAME 1}: {PRICE}
🎮 {GAME 2}: {PRICE}
🎮 {GAME 3}: {PRICE}
👉 {SALE PAGE LINK}

💸 *{SALE NAME}: games under {AMOUNT}*
1. {GAME}: {PRICE}
2. {GAME}: {PRICE}
3. {GAME}: {PRICE}
4. {GAME}: {PRICE}
5. {GAME}: {PRICE}
Prices checked today at {TIME}; they may change.

👀 *New sale spotted at {STORE}!*
🎮 {GAME} ({PLATFORM}): was {OLD PRICE} → *{PRICE}*
⏰ Until {DATE, IF THE STORE SAYS}
👉 {LINK}

⏳ *Last days of the {SALE NAME}!*
Ends {END DATE}. Round-up of the best prices I've seen:
{LIST}
Grabbed something? Tell us what you got 🎮

What a well-written sale post looks like

For more hooks and structures, see how to write a deal message that sells.

Plan your gaming year

With Steam's dates, Days of Play and the retail calendar, you can plan your group's year:

• Predictable peaks: Steam's Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn sales; Black Friday; Christmas.
• Yearly peaks without a date yet: Days of Play (late May to June; wait for the announcement).
• Unannounced peaks: Xbox and Nintendo sales; check them weekly.
• Content for quiet periods: Steam Next Fest, monthly releases, polls.

During peaks, the volume of deals grows and splitting groups by platform matters even more. If you run several groups, see how to structure them in how to start a gaming deals group on WhatsApp, and check the best times to post deals to spread your posts across the day.

Common mistakes when sharing game sales

Wrapping up

Use Steam's official events page to plan your PC year, wait for the official Days of Play announcement for PlayStation and build a weekly routine to check the Xbox and Nintendo deals pages, since they don't publish a calendar. Add the retail dates, prepare lists and messages before every peak and always post with curation.