Steam's discounts tab is going algorithmic
Valve is swapping hand-picked deals for a feed tailored to each player. For small games that's mostly good news, and there's work worth doing now.
On 29 September, Valve announced it will stop running Steam’s Discounts & Events section from a curated calendar. Instead, each logged-in player will see discounted games and events picked for them. If you sell a small game, this one’s worth a few minutes.
What’s changing
Valve has paused scheduling new curated placements: the Daily, Midweek and Weekend Deals. Slots already booked will still run, so don’t cancel yours. A timetable is promised in the coming weeks, with the curated calendar fully retired in early 2027 alongside new tools for managing discounts and events.
It isn’t dynamic pricing, so you still set your own discounts. And there’s nothing to opt into.
Why it’s mostly good news
Under the old system, only a handful of the games on sale each day reached the front of the tab, and they leaned towards bestsellers. Valve says its tests showed players ten times more games a day, with clear rises in store visits, wishlists and cart adds. It hasn’t published the numbers yet.
Developers are seeing it too. Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender shared one indie game that got 7,341 visits from the grid in one month, against 14 in the previous five. That’s one example rather than an average, but it’s a promising one.
The catch: you can’t pitch your way onto the tab any more. The algorithm decides who sees you, and vague tags or a weak store page mean being shown to the wrong people.
What to do now
- Tighten your tags. Your top tags should say what the game really is. A cosy farming game tagged “Action” will meet the wrong players.
- Tune the page for a cold click. These visitors have never heard of you, so check the capsule, the first five seconds of your trailer, your first screenshots and a one-line pitch. Store page basics still apply.
- Grab a baseline. Note your Discounts & Events traffic in Steamworks now, then compare it after your next sale.
- Discount more often, not deeper. Each sale is another chance to be picked. Valve hasn’t said bigger discounts rank higher, so there’s no need to slash prices.
- Join themed events and publisher sales, and keep an eye on your review score.
Next up, watch for Valve’s timetable and the new Steamworks tools. That’s where we’ll learn what you control and what you don’t.
Sources: Steamworks announcement, Game Developer, 80 Level.
