Discount planning on Steam: before, during and after each discount

Planning Steam discounts means placing each one where the cooldown of 30 days between discounts allows it, choosing a depth that reaches the wishlist email, and then reading what it really did: the extra units while it ran, the quieter days after it, and the money it adds to the forecast and to the next payouts.

Last reviewed · SteamStats team

The period and its timeline

One Steam discount, from planning to payout
WhenWhat happensWhat decides it
Weeks aheadThe next allowed start date and the coming Steam events are known30 days after the last discount ended; seasonal sales are exempt
Before schedulingDepth and length are chosen10.00% to 95.00% off for one to 14 days; the wishlist email needs 20.00% or more
The day beforeThe discount is scheduledFrom the next calendar day; editable until it starts
DuringUnits per day riseDepth, the wishlist email and whether a Steam sale runs at the same time
The seven days afterUnits per day settle, sometimes below the level beforeSales pulled forward by the discount
The month afterThe discount's sales month is paidBy the 30th of the following month

The four seasonal sales anchor the year: the Winter Sale from 17 December 2026 to 4 January 2027, the Spring Sale from 18 to 25 March 2027 and the Summer Sale from 24 June to 8 July 2027, with the Autumn Sale's dates not yet published. A game released at least 30 days before a sale starts can join it. Themed fests and Valve's weekly deals are not seasonal sales and count toward the cooldown like any custom discount.

Questions studios ask when planning discounts

  • When is the next discount allowed, and which Steam sales can the game join?
  • Will this discount trigger the wishlist email: 20.00% or more, longer than 8 hours, and covering the lowest-priced package?
  • Did the last discount add sales, or only move sales from the weeks after it?
  • What does a planned discount add to the forecast, to year end and over the first year?
  • When will the money from the discount month arrive?
  • Which past discount worked best for this game?

Which SteamStats views answer them

Discount questions and the view that answers each
QuestionView
Next allowed date and eligible salesCalendar: the Rules row with each cooldown, the Next discount ring, Eligible or Not eligible on seasonal sales
Wishlist email thresholdCalendar: the discount depth shown on each of your planned discounts
Did it work?Sales: units per day with each discount shaded, and the average day Before, During and After
Effect on the forecastForecast: planned discounts edited in place, and the drivers with what each one adds
When the money arrivesMoney: the payout calendar, each month Confirmed or Expected
Best past discountCalendar: past discounts with their change in sales against the week before

A planned discount starts in the forecast from the typical lift for its depth and for whether it falls inside a Steam sale; once it has run, the game's own result replaces the estimate. The Inbox sends a note before a festival, before a discount ends and before a cooldown ends.

Example: reading a Pebblewick discount

Illustrative inputs for Pebblewick, the fictional demo game by Hollow Fern Games: 96 units a day in the seven days before a 25.00% discount, 410 a day during it and 71 a day in the seven days after.

Pebblewick: average units per day around one discount
WindowUnits per dayAgainst Before
Before96Base
During410+327.08%
After71−26.04%

During ran 327.08% above Before, which is the headline. After ran 26.04% below it, which says part of the discount's sales would have come anyway in the following week. Both numbers together, not During alone, answer whether the discount worked.

Timeline

Steam
Yours
Money
Rules
Pebblewick's timeline: Steam events, its own discounts, payouts and the discount cooldown.

Plans

Steam events are the same for everyone. Your discounts, cooldowns, the discount check and the forecast come from sales, which refresh every 4 h on Indie and every 60 min on Studio and Publisher, so they are part of Indie, Studio, and Publisher.

Sources