Best Time to Release a Game on Steam: Date Picker

Choose the months you could release in, say whether you are joining a Steam Next Fest first, and get every candidate release week with the Steam events around it. Each week shows why it is a good or risky pick, using the sale and festival dates Valve publishes on Steamworks and Steam's own rules for review time, Coming Soon pages, Next Fest eligibility and discount cooldowns.

Step 1 of 3: Target months

When would you like to release?

Steam event dates as of November 4, 2026 from Steamworks Upcoming Events; check Steamworks for changes. Announced without dates so far: Autumn Sale 2027, Steam Next Fest: October 2027.

How to use it

  1. Pick your Earliest month and Latest month and press Next.
  2. Choose whether you are joining a Steam Next Fest, tick My store page is already live as Coming Soon if it is, and press Next.
  3. Optionally enter your wishlists and tick the themed Fests that fit your game, then press Find release weeks.
  4. Start with the Best weeks, then scan Every week for the sales and Fests around each one. Notes marked Advice are judgment calls; the rest are Steam rules.
  5. Press Copy plan to keep the list, and confirm the dates on Steamworks before you commit.

Steam sale and Next Fest dates (as of November 4, 2026)

Seasonal sales, as published on Steamworks Upcoming Events: Winter Sale December 17, 2026 to January 4, 2027; Spring Sale March 18 to 25, 2027; Summer Sale June 24 to July 8, 2027. The Autumn Sale 2027 is listed without dates. Seasonal sales take over Steam's front page with a sale theme.

Steam Next Fest: February 22 to March 1, 2027 (registration deadline January 10, demo and store page submitted for review by February 1) and June 14 to 21, 2027 (registration deadline April 25, submit by May 24). Valve says Next Fest runs in February, June and October and lists an October 2027 edition as planned, without dates yet.

Themed Fests announced for the coming months: Auto-Battler RPG Fest November 16 to 23, 2026; Desktop Companion January 14 to 18; Shop Keeper January 25 to February 1; Sheep February 4 to 8; Couch Co-Op February 8 to 15; Rhythm March 8 to 15; Dinos vs. Robots March 29 to April 5; Racing April 12 to 19; Witch April 22 to 26; Fighting April 26 to May 3; Real-Time Strategy May 10 to 17; Mountaineering May 31 to June 3, 2027. Valve changes and adds events, so always check the Upcoming Events page before you commit.

Steam rules that limit your release date

Review time: Valve's store page and build reviews typically take 3 to 5 business days each, and Valve asks you to allow at least 7 business days. A new game must also be visible as Coming Soon for at least two weeks before it can release. That is why the picker's earliest date is 7 business days out if your page is live, or about three and a half weeks out if it is not.

Next Fest: a game can join only one Next Fest, needs a published store page and a public playable demo by the start, and must not release before that edition ends. Early Access and free games can join as long as they are unreleased. Releasing before or during the Fest makes the game ineligible.

Discounts: a game cannot be discounted for 30 days after release, apart from an optional launch discount of up to 40% for 7 to 14 days. A game still in that 30-day release cooldown cannot enter a seasonal sale discount ahead of time, but can join part way through once the cooldown ends. Release dates can be changed until two weeks before the date you set; after that the game starts showing in upcoming releases lists and the date is locked. Steam's date picker hides weekends because the Steam team is not available to help then.

How the picker ranks weeks

Weeks that overlap a seasonal sale are marked Avoid, and Next Fest weeks get a caution. Both are this tool's advice, not Steam rules: during a seasonal sale the front page is about discounts, and during Next Fest it is about demos, so a new launch competes with far more for attention. Weeks shortly before a seasonal sale get a caution because the 30-day release cooldown keeps you from entering its discount up front.

Themed Fests you tick add points to nearby weeks. Fests welcome Coming Soon games, so a matching Fest shortly before launch can bring in wishlists, and one that starts 30 or more days after launch lets you join with a first discount. Fests do not require a discount, but they feature discounted games most prominently.

Wishlists do not change the ranking. Valve says wishlists are not a factor in algorithmic visibility outside a few places such as Popular Upcoming, but wishlisters do get an email when you release and when you discount 20% or more. To turn wishlists into a sales estimate, use the wishlist to sales calculator.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to release a game on Steam?
There is no single best date. This picker steers you away from seasonal sale and Next Fest weeks, when the store is focused on discounts or demos. Pick a weekday in a quiet week, after any Next Fest you join, with enough time for review and two weeks as Coming Soon.
When is the next Steam Next Fest?
As of November 4, 2026, Valve lists Steam Next Fest for February 22 to March 1, 2027 and June 14 to 21, 2027, with an October 2027 edition planned. Check the Steamworks Upcoming Events page for changes.
Can I release my game during Steam Next Fest?
If you are taking part, no. A game must not release before the Next Fest it joined has ended, or it becomes ineligible. If you are not taking part you can, but the store's attention that week is on demos of upcoming games.
Can I put my game in a Steam sale right after launch?
Not for the first 30 days, except for an optional launch discount set up before release. If your cooldown ends during a seasonal sale, you can join that sale part way through once the 30 days are up.
Can I change my Steam release date?
Yes, until two weeks before the date you set. Inside that window the game starts showing in upcoming release lists and the date can no longer be changed.

See all tools