Will Steam Resurrect Its Monster Halloween Sale in 2025?
Brace your backlog: with spooky season closing in, the Halloween blowout PC gamers count on may be a no-show, as Steam Scream Fest 2025 looks likely to skip this year.
If your Steam backlog is already giving you side-eye, brace yourself: Halloween is about to make it worse. Valve is bringing back its big spooky blowout this fall — but not the one you might be expecting.
So, what is Steam Scream Fest 2025?
It is Valve's fourth annual Halloween event focused entirely on horror games, and it is locked in for October 27 through November 3. Expect deep discounts across hundreds of titles, plus playable demos for upcoming scary stuff. It is also a nice moment for smaller studios to shove their underrated creepfests into the spotlight, right alongside the big survival-horror franchises.
Short version: Halloween on Steam this year equals Scream Fest. That is the show.
Wait, what happened to the regular Halloween Sale?
According to Valve's official sales calendar, there is no separate, catch-all Halloween Sale on the schedule for 2025. Scream Fest 4 is it — and it is one of only four sales Valve says are still coming before the end of the year. The classic, non-horror Halloween Sale that used to run alongside Scream Fest is off the board, and there is no word on if or when it might return.
Traditionally, that broader Halloween Sale discounted games beyond horror — basically anything with autumn vibes or a ghost emoji somewhere in the marketing. If Valve pulled a last-minute surprise and brought it back, it would likely complement Scream Fest by cutting prices on non-horror favorites.
How the rest of the calendar lines up
Here is the slightly nerdy scheduling tidbit: Steam seems to be consolidating around clear themes for each window. After Scream Fest wraps, the plan is to roll straight into Animal Fest in November, then Sports Fest in December, and finally the big, everything-must-go Steam Winter Sale later in December. That pretty much explains why the standalone Halloween Sale is missing — the focus is on one headline per slot.
- Steam Scream Fest 2025 runs Oct 27–Nov 3: horror-heavy discounts, exclusive demos, and a spotlight on both indie psychological thrillers and AAA survival-horror staples.
- No separate Halloween Sale is listed for 2025: Scream Fest 4 is one of the four remaining Steam sales for the year, per Valve's calendar.
- What would a surprise Halloween Sale look like if it did appear? Broader, non-horror deals plus extras Steam has done before, like bonus Steam Points and special badges.
- What is next after Scream Fest: November's Animal Fest, December's Sports Fest, then the big Winter Sale in December.
The move to make if you are planning your cart
Plan around Scream Fest. If you want Halloween-season discounts on anything that is not spooky, do not count on a second sale showing up. Wishlist what you want now, keep an eye on demo drops during the event, and be ready for those smaller horror gems that tend to sneak in and steal the show.