Games By James Plafke Jun. 20, 2014 4:51 pm
Valve’s Steam Summer Sale is like tax season. It causes you to reduce general spending beforehand so you can save up for games,*and — just like going over the year’s past bank statements looking for write-offs — you experience a very deep level of buyer’s remorse when all is said and done because you realized you’ll likely never play the games.
You*can’t avoid buying the games even though you know the outcome — none of us can — but you can at least make it a little less painful in the end by following these tips.
[h=3]Wait until the end of the sale[/h]The dirtiest but worst-kept secret of the Steam Summer Sale is that, generally, games go on sale more than once, and the discounts fluctuate.*Your best bet to land*greater discounts usually lies toward the end of the sale. If a game goes on sale during the second day, you can gamble that it will go on sale sometime later during the event; if it does, it’s usually even cheaper than the first time. This isn’t a hard-coded Steam Sale rule, but it’s more or less unsaid tradition at this point. It’s a bit of a gamble, but one that pays off if you successfully play the odds.
[h=3]Your wishlist is your*secret weapon[/h]If it’s too difficult to babysit the rotating deals — because you have a heavy workload at the office this week, or you’re pretending to*have a life that doesn’t revolve around video games — you can make Steam do the heavy lifting. If you add the specific games you want to your wishlist,*Steam will send you an email alert when a game on the list goes on sale. It’s super easy, and if you have the Steam app on your phone, you can even hop*on a sale while*you’re out keeping up the facade of having a life.
[h=3]Certain sale categories offer better discounts[/h]Flash sales, the deals toward the bottom of the page store’s sale page, tend to offer the best discounts. They refresh every eight hours, so make sure to check back often. The daily deals, the sales toward the top of the page in the featured grid of rectangles, aren’t usually as steep as the flash sales, but are still some of the best you’ll find during the event. They refresh every day at 1PM EST. It’s also good*to remember that the daily deals actually last for about two days. The previous day’s deals get pushed to the bottom of the sale page, so don’t worry if you miss a day.
Also, you probably already bought*Don’t Starve*and XCOM*42 other times over the years, so no rush. Then there’s the community deal, in which gamers vote on which sale they’d prefer. They change around once a day, so pay attention. Usually, the best discount or the biggest title wins out.
[h=3]Buy bundles[/h]During the Steam Summer Sale, the bundles tend to offer great value assuming you want the majority of the packaged games. The bundles are usually safe to purchase whenever — you generally don’t have to wait until the end of the sale for that big discount day. However, you could always wait to see, as the bundles tend to be permanently available throughout the sale.
[h=3]Games are still on sale even if they aren’t featured[/h]If you can’t find a game you want in the flash and daily deals, simply navigate to its regular page as you normally would. There’s a good chance it’s on sale, but it likely won’t be discounted as much as the flash or daily deals. Regardless, 15% off is better than full price.
As always, it’s worth noting again that you should really wait a day or two to purchase a game. If the impulse passes, then you just saved yourself throwing money at a game you likely would not have played — or ever installed in the first place — anyway. If the desire to purchase the game isn’t an impulse, then you should still try to have the resolve to wait until the last day when you might benefit from the steepest discount.
More...
You*can’t avoid buying the games even though you know the outcome — none of us can — but you can at least make it a little less painful in the end by following these tips.
[h=3]Wait until the end of the sale[/h]The dirtiest but worst-kept secret of the Steam Summer Sale is that, generally, games go on sale more than once, and the discounts fluctuate.*Your best bet to land*greater discounts usually lies toward the end of the sale. If a game goes on sale during the second day, you can gamble that it will go on sale sometime later during the event; if it does, it’s usually even cheaper than the first time. This isn’t a hard-coded Steam Sale rule, but it’s more or less unsaid tradition at this point. It’s a bit of a gamble, but one that pays off if you successfully play the odds.
[h=3]Your wishlist is your*secret weapon[/h]If it’s too difficult to babysit the rotating deals — because you have a heavy workload at the office this week, or you’re pretending to*have a life that doesn’t revolve around video games — you can make Steam do the heavy lifting. If you add the specific games you want to your wishlist,*Steam will send you an email alert when a game on the list goes on sale. It’s super easy, and if you have the Steam app on your phone, you can even hop*on a sale while*you’re out keeping up the facade of having a life.
[h=3]Certain sale categories offer better discounts[/h]Flash sales, the deals toward the bottom of the page store’s sale page, tend to offer the best discounts. They refresh every eight hours, so make sure to check back often. The daily deals, the sales toward the top of the page in the featured grid of rectangles, aren’t usually as steep as the flash sales, but are still some of the best you’ll find during the event. They refresh every day at 1PM EST. It’s also good*to remember that the daily deals actually last for about two days. The previous day’s deals get pushed to the bottom of the sale page, so don’t worry if you miss a day.
Also, you probably already bought*Don’t Starve*and XCOM*42 other times over the years, so no rush. Then there’s the community deal, in which gamers vote on which sale they’d prefer. They change around once a day, so pay attention. Usually, the best discount or the biggest title wins out.
[h=3]Buy bundles[/h]During the Steam Summer Sale, the bundles tend to offer great value assuming you want the majority of the packaged games. The bundles are usually safe to purchase whenever — you generally don’t have to wait until the end of the sale for that big discount day. However, you could always wait to see, as the bundles tend to be permanently available throughout the sale.
[h=3]Games are still on sale even if they aren’t featured[/h]If you can’t find a game you want in the flash and daily deals, simply navigate to its regular page as you normally would. There’s a good chance it’s on sale, but it likely won’t be discounted as much as the flash or daily deals. Regardless, 15% off is better than full price.
As always, it’s worth noting again that you should really wait a day or two to purchase a game. If the impulse passes, then you just saved yourself throwing money at a game you likely would not have played — or ever installed in the first place — anyway. If the desire to purchase the game isn’t an impulse, then you should still try to have the resolve to wait until the last day when you might benefit from the steepest discount.
More...
