The era of the Steam Daily Deal is coming to an end. Valve has told developers it will stop using the curated calendar behind the store’s Discounts & Events section in early 2027 — and it has already paused scheduling new Weekend Deals, Midweek Deals and Daily Deals while the booked ones run their course.
The news arrived via a Steamworks announcement made to developers on September 29, which Valve summed up bluntly: it expects to “fully cease using a curated calendar for the Discounts & Events Section” in early 2027, and “in the meantime, we have paused scheduling curated placements in that section (Weekend Deals, Midweek Deals, and Daily Deals).”
Booked Deals Will Be Honored
Developers don’t need to cancel anything. Any Weekend, Midweek or Daily Deal already on the calendar “will be honored and you don’t need to take any action,” Valve wrote — the slots will simply empty out as the calendar runs down toward the 2027 cutoff, rather than vanishing on a fixed date.
An Algorithmic Future
What replaces the curated slots is a system of “dynamic and personalized” recommendations. In tests, Valve says it “was able to show 10x more games to customers in a given day in that section,” with “meaningful increases in store page visits, wishlists, and cart additions.” The argument is scale: more discounted games will have the chance to be visible on the homepage and elsewhere on Steam, rather than be limited by a small, fixed number of slots that everyone sees.
Valve frames the change as a win for studios too, which can now “focus on crafting the most compelling games and deals for customers, and not spend time trying to convince someone at Valve to feature their products.” New and updated tools for managing discounts and sale events are promised alongside the change — though Valve has no definite date yet, saying it is “still tuning the details,” with more clarity due in the coming weeks.
The Big Sales Keep Rolling
There’s a certain symbolism to the timing: the announcement landed mid-way through the Steam Autumn Sale, which runs until October 8 — a reminder that while the small rotating slots fade away, the big seasonal sales remain the marquee discount moments on Steam.