Steam
Digital
Steam Summer Sale
June 24 to July 8, 2027
Confirmed datesVery dependable timing
The big summer PC sale, timed exactly for the start of school break.
Tools
Video Game Sales Calendar
Games go on sale in a rhythm, and once you can see it, you stop paying full price out of panic. This calendar maps the year: which stores to watch, when they typically discount, and how to get alerts straight from the store, so a birthday or a "please can I have it" doesn’t catch you at the worst moment.
Showing sales for the United States
Switch to CanadaStrongest period ahead
Black Friday through early January
The broadest stretch of the year: Black Friday and Cyber deals flow into December holiday sales, then post-holiday clearance.
Next confirmed event
Steam Autumn Sale
Oct. 1 to 8, 2026. Announced by the store, so this one you can actually plan around.
Two honest caveats before you plan: some timing below is confirmed by the store and some is just a recurring pattern (each window says which), and no sale discounts every game. Prices and participation vary by title.
The calendar
Sale windows, month by month
Pick the stores your family actually uses, or browse everything. Each window says whether its dates are confirmed or just typical, and links to its sources.
6 sale windows shown for June in the United States.
Research last verified August 31, 2026 · 6 windows shown
June 2027
6 windowsGOG
Digital
GOG Summer Sale
Mid-June to early July
Typical window · not announcedDependable timing
GOG’s big summer event, overlapping Steam’s. Worth comparing the two before buying a PC game.
Recent examples & sources
- Summer Sale ran June 17 to July 9, 2026
A recurring pattern based on recent years, not a promise. Wait for the store’s current-year announcement before treating dates as set.
Sources
Nintendo eShop
Digital
Nintendo Summer Sale
Late June to early July
Typical window · not announcedTiming varies
Nintendo’s recurring start-of-summer digital sale, landing right as school lets out.
Recent examples & sources
- 2025 Summer Sale ran June 26 to July 9
A recurring pattern based on recent years, not a promise. Wait for the store’s current-year announcement before treating dates as set.
Sources
Amazon
Physical
Prime Day
Usually June or July
Typical window · not announcedDependable timing
Amazon’s summer members-only event is strongest for controllers, headsets, and storage, and it pushes other retailers to compete.
Your move: The month is predictable; the exact dates move. Wait for the current-year announcement.
Recent examples & sources
- U.S. Prime Day ran June 23 to 26, 2026
A recurring pattern based on recent years, not a promise. Wait for the store’s current-year announcement before treating dates as set.
Sources
PlayStation Store
Digital + physical
Days of Play
Late May to early June
Typical window · not announcedDependable timing
PlayStation’s celebration event, often pairing digital game deals with hardware and accessory offers at retailers.
Your move: If a console or controller is on the list, compare retailer prices during this window.
Recent examples & sources
- Days of Play ran May 27 to June 10, 2026
A recurring pattern based on recent years, not a promise. Wait for the store’s current-year announcement before treating dates as set.
Sources
Epic Games Store
Digital
Epic MEGA Sale
Roughly May through June
Typical window · not announcedDependable timing
Epic describes MEGA Sale as an annual campaign running about a month, with discounts, giveaways, and extra perks. If your kid plays Fortnite, this is the store their account already lives on.
Your move: Treat Epic Rewards as future store credit, not as money off today’s price.
Recent examples & sources
- Epic’s 2026 FAQ describes it as typically running between May and June
A recurring pattern based on recent years, not a promise. Wait for the store’s current-year announcement before treating dates as set.
Sources
Alerts, straight from the source
Stores worth watching, and how to hear from them directly
Every store below runs its own wishlists, newsletters, or deal alerts. They’re free, they come from the store itself (not from us; MPC doesn’t operate any of these), and they’re the most reliable way to catch a discount on a specific game. All of these links leave our site.
Steam
Very dependable timing · DigitalPC games. Valve publishes its four big seasonal sale dates months ahead, so you can genuinely plan around them.
Watch out: Smaller themed "Fests" are narrower events, not store-wide lows.
Open your Steam wishlist (external link, opens in a new tab)
Saving a game to your wishlist (a free watch list tied to your account) lets Steam email you when that game goes on sale. Delivery is not guaranteed for every promotion, so check notification settings.
Nintendo eShop
Timing varies · DigitalSwitch games. The broad windows repeat every year, but names, exact dates, and which games join are announced close to each event.
Watch out: Nintendo’s own games (Mario, Zelda) join sales selectively. A store-wide sale does not mean the game your kid wants is in it.
Get Nintendo email offers (external link, opens in a new tab)
Turn on promotional emails in your Nintendo Account settings to hear about sales and offers. For alerts on one specific game’s price, a tracker like Deku Deals works better.
PlayStation Store
Dependable timing · DigitalPlayStation games. The four big sale labels come back reliably every year, which makes them good comparison windows.
Watch out: Individual games can end their discount before the sale banner does. Confirm the price and end date on the game’s own store page.
Turn on PlayStation wishlist updates (external link, opens in a new tab)
Wishlist a game (save it to your account’s watch list), then enable Wishlist Updates on the PS5 so the console tells you when it goes on sale.
Xbox / Microsoft Store
Timing varies · DigitalXbox and Windows PC games. Smaller deals run all year; the big seasonal events are less pre-announced than Steam’s.
Watch out: Before buying, check whether the game is already included in Game Pass (Xbox’s subscription) your family may already pay for.
Open your Xbox wishlist (external link, opens in a new tab)
Wishlist a game (save it to your account’s watch list) and the console can notify you when it goes on sale.
Epic Games Store
Dependable timing · DigitalPC games (it’s the store behind Fortnite). The MEGA Sale and Holiday Sale are dependable anchors, and there’s a free game most weeks.
Watch out: Epic Rewards are store credit for later, not money off today. Compare the actual cash price first.
Turn on Epic wishlist emails (external link, opens in a new tab)
Wishlist a game (save it to your account’s watch list) and enable the email setting so Epic tells you when it’s discounted.
GOG
Dependable timing · DigitalPC games you want to truly own. GOG sells games without copy protection (DRM-free), so they keep working even offline or if the store changes.
Watch out: Confirm the GOG version has the same updates and add-ons as other stores’ versions before assuming it’s identical.
Subscribe to GOG news (external link, opens in a new tab)
GOG’s newsletter covers deals, giveaways, and store news. You need to be signed in to manage subscriptions.
Amazon
Dependable timing · PhysicalBoxed games, controllers, headsets, and storage. Prime events and Black Friday bring fast-moving price competition.
Watch out: Check who the seller actually is (Amazon vs. a third-party marketplace seller) and the return terms before buying.
See Amazon’s deal-alert guide (external link, opens in a new tab)
Amazon’s app can alert you about deals you’re watching around Prime events. For a target-price email on one item, pair it with camelcamelcamel.
Best Buy
Dependable timing · PhysicalConsoles, controllers, storage, boxed games, bundles, and open-box (returned, inspected, discounted) hardware.
Watch out: Stock and promotion exclusions vary, and some listings come from marketplace sellers rather than Best Buy itself.
Manage Best Buy communications (external link, opens in a new tab)
Account email preferences cover member offers and personalized deal messages.
Walmart
Dependable timing · PhysicalMainstream boxed games, consoles, and family bundles, plus weekly rollback pricing between events.
Watch out: Watch for third-party marketplace sellers and their shipping terms.
Get Walmart promotional emails (external link, opens in a new tab)
Covers sale alerts, seasonal offers, and weekly-circular updates where offered.
Target
Dependable timing · PhysicalBoxed games, controllers, family titles, and order-pickup convenience, with extra deals through the free Target Circle program.
Watch out: Circle deals need the free membership activated, and local stock varies.
Sign up for Target email (external link, opens in a new tab)
Weekly Ad highlights and top deals by email.
Join Target Circle (external link, opens in a new tab)
Free membership that applies automatic deals and personalized bonuses.
GameStop
Dependable timing · PhysicalTrade-ins, pre-owned (used) games, collector editions, and store bonuses.
Watch out: Trade values, condition, and local stock vary store to store.
Sign up on GameStop’s homepage (external link, opens in a new tab)
The email signup lives in the homepage footer. It covers promotions, coupons, releases, and events.
Costco
Dependable timing · PhysicalConsole and game bundles, controllers, and discounted digital gift cards, mostly around the holidays.
Watch out: Requires a membership, and the gaming selection is a handful of items rather than a full catalog.
Get Costco email offers (external link, opens in a new tab)
Covers Costco news, promotions, and special offers. Gaming stock still varies by warehouse.
The curated layer
Store alerts tell you hundreds of games are cheap. They don’t tell you which ones are right for your kid.
That part is what MPC is for. When a sale worth your attention comes up, we send a short note with the handful of games we’ve actually looked at, and skip the rest.
The honesty check
Price-history tools that keep the badges honest
A "70% off" badge means nothing without knowing what the game usually costs. These free trackers show a game’s price history so you can see whether a sale price is genuinely good. They’re independent sites, not MPC projects.
Trackers we’d use
- Deku Deals (external link, opens in a new tab)
Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox price history and wishlist alerts.
Use U.S. pricing and verify the physical seller and shipping.
- IsThereAnyDeal (external link, opens in a new tab)
PC price history across authorized stores.
Covers authorized resellers; check the activation region.
- SteamDB (external link, opens in a new tab)
Steam-specific price graphs and recorded lows.
Use the U.S.-dollar history; it only covers Steam.
- camelcamelcamel (external link, opens in a new tab)
Amazon price charts and target-price email alerts.
Track Amazon’s own price and third-party prices separately.
- PriceCharting (external link, opens in a new tab)
Historic sold prices for physical and retro games.
Best for used and collector value, not new-retail promotions.
Before you bookmark it
Common questions
5 answers
What is the difference between confirmed dates and a typical window?
Confirmed dates are published by the store itself, so you can plan on them. A typical window is a pattern: the sale has come back around the same time in recent years, but the store hasn’t promised it will this year. We label every window so you can tell which is which, and we never dress a pattern up as a promise.
Will every game be cheaper during these sales?
No. Sales are store-wide events, but each game’s publisher decides whether to join and how deep the discount goes. The game your kid wants may sit a sale out entirely. That’s why a wishlist alert on the specific game beats watching the sale banner.
What is a wishlist, and why does it keep coming up?
A wishlist is a free watch list built into a store account. You save the exact game (and the exact edition) you might buy, and the store can notify you when it goes on sale. It’s the closest thing to a price alert the stores themselves offer, and it costs nothing.
Are sale prices the lowest of the year?
Not automatically. A big percentage badge can sit on a price that was matched or beaten earlier in the year. The reliable check is a price-history tracker: compare today’s price against the game’s recorded low before buying. The tools section below lists the trackers we’d actually use.
Where does this calendar come from?
It’s built from official store announcements, published sale schedules, and retailer event pages, compiled into MPC’s own research documents and last verified on August 31, 2026. Every window links to its sources, so you can check our work.