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Oct 30, 2023

Steam now tells you if a game was recently on sale, but with a catch

A new Steam update informs buyers if a game was recently available on sale, but

A new Steam update informs buyers if a game was recently available on sale, but as it stands, Valve is introducing this change only in select countries.

Ed Smith

Published: Jun 6, 2023

A new Steam update tells you whether a game you are purchasing has recently been available as part of a Steam sale, or otherwise discounted, allowing you to determine whether you want to pay the currently listed price, or perhaps wait for another reduction to arrive. Whether you play RPGs, platformers, or FPS games, Valve is introducing the change in order to comply with consumer laws across a variety of different countries. Currently, though, there are no plans to extend the Steam pricing update beyond select EU nations.

It works like this. When you check a game's page on Steam, as well as the current price, you will also see a listing for what the game is normally priced and also its lowest price during the last 30 days. If a game has been discounted or part of a sale in the previous month, Steam will tell you.

The change brings Valve's platform into compliance with EU omnibus laws, which include strong protections for consumers using online marketplaces and digital services. SteamDB shared an image of the new listings for survival game Above Snakes, which PCGamesN has verified to be using the updated pricing style.

However, at the moment, the change only applies to consumers using Steam from select European Union countries, with no word on whether it will be rolled out to the UK or the US.

The advantage of this pricing system is that it alerts buyers to the possibility that the game they intend to buy will eventually be available again at a discount, and also allows them to compare the current price to previous prices to determine whether it is currently being sold above the normal rate. It follows a recent debate about the likelihood of Steam altering game listings to provide more information about DRM.

You can find some of the best free Steam games right here. Alternatively, keep an eye on our list of the best new games, continually updated to offer you all the latest and greatest available on PC.