2020’s Steam Summer Sale Dates Have Leaked

It is almost the most wondrous of times once again, my friends. It’s mid-May and the days are steadily growing longer and warmer, which means summer is quickly approaching. That can only mean one thing: this year’s Steam Summer Sale will be upon us before we know it. As is tradition, thanks to leaks that I suspect are highly-credible; we now theoretically know exactly when Valve’s biggest sale of the year will commence and how long it will stick around.

This is far from the first time the commencement dates of significant Steam sales have leaked well in advance of the sale actually starting, and Valve has thus far elected not to so much as bat an eye in light of these leaks. According to two Tweets posted by Pavel Djundik, one of the masterminds behind the quite useful website known as Steam Database; this year’s Summer Sale will run from June 25th to July 9th, 2020. I suspect that, the same way virtually every Steam sale I can remember within the nine years I’ve been a Steam user worked, the sale will commence and end at precisely 10am PST on those specific dates.

Of course, just because the sale will likely begin at ten o’clock on the dot the morning of June 25th unfortunately doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll all actually be able to use Steam’s storefront at that exact moment. You see, another integral component of any noteworthy Steam sale, especially one so prominent as the Summer Sale, is the traditional overloading and subsequent temporary crashing of the Steam store.

The typical mass rush to buy all of the games usually calms down within an hour or two after the sale goes live, but I feel I should mention it regardless for those of you who may be new to Steam and may be unfamiliar with what usually happens when a Steam sale begins. Additionally, I think it’s worth mentioning that there might be something of a twist that could kick off alongside this year’s Summer Sale.

What I mean by that is that, according to PC Gamer and another Tweet posted by the aforementioned Pavel Djundik, Valve is reportedly working on a sort of “loyalty system” for Steam users. Djundik stated on Twitter that this system supposedly contains such aspects as the ability to redeem loyalty points for badge levels, and possibly even a mechanism whereby players could also redeem these loyalty points for game discounts.

If this report turns out to be true, I’d imagine that last bit would work at least somewhat similarly to the current game coupons that seem to be given out randomly to certain Steam users based on specific criteria. All I can say with certainty at this point is that I’m quite intrigued by these reports, and that I am equally excited to see what (if anything) may come of them. Beyond that, as PC Gamer also speculated, the start of the Summer Sale would likely constitute an ideal time to implement such a loyalty system.

I think that idea is especially relevant because, from my understanding of what little has been leaked about this supposed “loyalty system,” earning points within that system largely has to do with posting game reviews via Steam. At least, that’s what I’m theorizing based on what little information I have to go on. Supporting this possibility, is a statement present within one of Mr. Djundik’s Tweets that suggests this system will also add the ability to add reactions of some description to published Steam reviews. I’m not sure what exactly is meant by that, but I’m intrigued by the concept.

Whenever the Steam Summer Sale actually begins, you can rest assured that I’ll be continuing my tradition of making a list of recommendations on discounted games that I would suggest you check out before the sale ends. Keep an eye out for that if you so desire. Beyond that, dear reader, I’m eager to hear your thoughts about this year’s Summer Sale. Are there any games you’re hoping get significantly discounted? What might those titles be? Do feel free to let me know in the comments below!