It’s that time of year again, gamers: the time of buying a horde of games at a discount only to never play them. That’s right, the long-awaited 2024 Steam Winter Sale kicked off today, and the deals are plentiful this year.
The 2024 Steam Winter Sale ends on Jan. 2 at 12pm CT, giving PC users exactly two weeks to gift themselves or their friends a new gaming experience. Several publishers, like Capcom and BioWare, pushed their own individual sales to the Valve storefront early so fans could pick up their games with enough time before Christmas. But a number of titles have also been marked down now that Steam’s official store sale is live, adding a host of new options for gamers looking to play on a budget.
We’ve compiled a list of the best deals this holiday season with links to each store page.
It Takes Two
Game of the Year 2021 recipient It Takes Two tells a touching story of Cody and May, a struggling married couple that have been transformed into dolls. They must make it through obstacles and solve puzzles, but only if they can figure out how to work together to do so. And all the while, they’ll be navigating a tumultuous marriage and overcoming their differences.
The co-op title is currently 80 percent off on Steam for the 2024 Winter Sale, down from $40 USD to just $8. It’s a perfect time to pick up the game—and the best part? Your friends can play for free as long as one of you own a copy of it. So why not give yourself and your friends the gift of Hazelight Studio’s visually stunning world this holiday season?
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
Although this sale went live prior to the 2024 Winter Steam Sale, we’re tacking it onto this list because it’s just too good of a deal not to mention. The Mass Effect series has remained one of the most critically acclaimed franchises throughout the video game history, and the Legendary Edition is currently on sale for less than $5 USD. It’s such a steal that it’s borderline criminal.
The Legendary Edition includes all three games from the trilogy and its DLC content, and has been remastered and optimized for 4K Ultra HD. If you’ve yet to see what all the game’s accolades and hype were about, now’s a great time to jump into the shoes of Commander Shepard and find out.
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
The Civilization franchise might be known as some of the greatest 4X strategy games of all time. Civ 7, the next game in the series, hits digital shelves in February 2025. But if you’re wanting to see if the genre is right for you prior to its release, we recommend picking up Civ 6 while it’s on sale in the 2024 Steam Winter Sale.
The game typically costs $59.99 USD. But it’s 95 percent off, meaning you’ll only have to pony up a whole $2.99 for the title—not a bad price to start your empire, huh?
Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition
If you consider yourself a gamer (and let’s be real: if you’re reading this, you probably do), there’s a good chance you’ve fallen in love with Baldur’s Gate 3. If you haven’t, you at least know how popular it is in the games industry. And that popularity didn’t come about for no reason.
Larian Studios, the developer behind the Game of the Year 2023 winner, worked on the Divinity: Original Sins games long before BG3, and the first title from the franchise is on sale at a 90-percent discount, meaning it’s only $4 USD. If you’re a fan of BG3’s turn-based combat and party RPG system, it’s worth giving the Divinity: Original Sins games a go. And at such a low price, what do you really have to lose?
Borderlands Game of the Year Edition and Borderlands 2
The Borderlands 4 announcement appeared at Gamescom Opening Night Live in August, informing fans to expect the newest installment of the popular franchise in 2025. Ever since this reveal and the subsequent trailer at The Game Awards 2024, there’s been plenty of hype building for this upcoming action RPG.
But some players have never stepped foot on Pandora and may want to catch up on the action before Borderlands 4 releases. And it’s probably a good idea if you care about story and lore in these games at all—the first two Borderlands games set up several of the series’ most important, recurring main characters, such as Lilith, Tannis, and Maya, and they’ll introduce you to faces you’ll likely see in Borderlands 4. Yes, that does include Claptrap.
If that sounds like you, you might want to consider picking up the original Borderlands, which is currently on sale for $3. Its sequel, Borderlands 2, is also on sale for less than $5, making it a perfect pair to add to your backlog.
