Remember when Steam sale date leaks were a big deal? I don't, really. The dates for Steam sales have been leaking for so long and so far in advance that it seems like the natural order of things now: The start date floats to the surface somewhere, we tell you about it, Valve acts like it doesn't even notice, and then on the appointed day the sale kicks off, Steam becomes inaccessible for an hour, and then we spend the next week or so blowing all kind of money on cheap games.
It's both the natural order of things and my roundabout way of telling you the Steam Summer Sale dates have leaked. Again.
Confirmed now, Jun 25 to Jul 9May 8, 2020
Pavel Djundik is one of the minds behind the Steam Database, a site known for occasionally leaking things happening on, or coming to, Steam. Last week, for instance, a SteamDB listing revealed that Yakuza: Like a Dragon is headed for PC. (The Steam listing is live now, by the way.) At least one other source cited the same dates, and June 25 is when the 2019 Summer Sale kicked off, so that tracks too.
The Steam Summer Sale is one of the biggies, and this year's event could have some extra surprises in store. Djundik also said on Twitter that Valve is working on some sort of loyalty program that could give users rewards including digital items, Steam badges, and possibly even discounts on game purchases. It will also apparently enable a wider range of reactions to user reviews on Steam.
These are possibly the reactions. pic.twitter.com/yEH0STES0vMay 9, 2020
A big Steam sale, when huge numbers of people are throwing money willy-nilly at thousands of different games, would be an ideal team to roll out a new loyalty rewards program, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see it announced when the Summer Sale begins. Naturally, we'll wait for the official word from Valve on those Sale dates before we sound the "grab your wallets" klaxon, but just as a matter of preparation you might want to circle it on your calendar.
