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Most big Steam games get cheap at least once a year. We followed 208 popular games for twelve months, and the typical one reached 75% off at some point. More than half went to 75% or deeper.
A few just don't play along. Factorio went the whole year without a single discount. RimWorld, Balatro and Dwarf Fortress never went past 20% off. For these, waiting for the next big sale barely changes anything.
- deepest discount of the typical popular game in 12 months
- 75%
- Factorio’s deepest discount in the same period
- 0%
- popular games went the whole year without any discount
- 1 of 208
Each game's deepest discount in 12 months
How we measured
- Games with more than 40,000 Steam reviews, released before June 2024, that we've tracked since November 2025.
- We dropped any game whose price hadn't been refreshed in the last two weeks, so "no sale" never means "no data". That left 208.
- For each one we noted the deepest discount Steam gave at any point in the period.
The ones that hold their price
The famous one. Wube, the studio behind it, has said for years it doesn't plan to put Factorio on sale, and in our data it wasn't discounted on a single day in the twelve months we tracked. In 2024, alongside the Space Age expansion, the base price actually went up.
It's a game about building automated factories that grow until they cover the map. If the genre clicks, it's hundreds of hours.
Don't wait for a Steam sale. If the price bothers you, check the store comparison next to this, but only buy from a trustworthy seller.
A colony sim where every colonist has a backstory, quirks and traumas, and the stories write themselves out of the chaos. In the twelve months we tracked, it went on sale nine times, always at 20% off.
Twenty percent is the ceiling. Take it if you see it; otherwise, months of waiting gets you very little.
Poker with jokers that break the rules. One of the best-selling games of 2024, and in the twelve months we tracked it never went past 20% off on Steam. The price is already low, so waiting for a sale saves you a couple of dollars at most.
Between November 2025 and October 2026 it had seven 20% sales and two at 15%. Buy during one, or pay full price without guilt.
One of the best-reviewed RPGs in Steam's history. In the twelve months we tracked, it went on sale eight times, always at 25% to 30% off.
Thirty percent is the best you should expect. During Steam's big seasonal sales, it's worth a look.
Factorio in first person and in 3D, with up to three friends. It left early access in 2024. In the twelve months we tracked, it had eight sales, all at 30% off.
Wait for 30% during a big sale. Deeper than that is unlikely.
Ghost hunting in a group with your mic on: the ghost hears you when you say its name. One of the most-played co-op horror games on Steam. In the twelve months we tracked, it went on sale nine times, never deeper than 30%.
Thirty percent shows up during the big sales. Around Halloween is a good time to watch.
Why some games never go on sale
Nearly everything on this list has one thing in common: they're from independent studios that set their own pricing policy. A game that sells well at full price doesn't need a sale to get noticed. Some studios also argue that constant sales teach players never to pay full price, and they'd rather keep the price stable.
For buyers, the rule of thumb is simple: if a game has never gone past 20% or 30% off, waiting doesn't pay. Buy it when you want to play it, ideally during one of those small discounts.
FAQ
Does Factorio ever go on sale?
Not in the twelve months we tracked, November 2025 to October 2026: no discount on Steam at all. Wube, the developer, has said publicly it doesn't plan to run sales on the game.
How can I tell if a game usually goes on sale?
Every game page on GameValio has a price history showing each discount we've tracked. If the chart is a flat line, the game holds its price.
Are the prices in the boxes current?
Yes. Each game's price, recommendation and store comparison update daily. The percentages in the text cover November 2025 to October 2026.
