Voting also begins today for the Steam Awards
As of December 22nd, at 1pm EST, the Steam Winter Sale is ready to roll. On top of that, the 2020 Steam Awards are now open to voting. As always, huge savings are inbound. The sale lasts until January 5th at 1pm EST. The summer sale was a real life-saver during quarantine, but it feels like I have been waiting all year for this.
Like Steam sales of the past, huge discounts span across many different genres and titles. This article isn’t meant to be a list of good deals, but here are a couple of big ones: Notably, there is a 40% discount on Halo: The Master Chief Collection. 7 incredible games for $24? Sign me up. Street Fighter V is available for only $7.99. For fans of JRPGs (I know you are), Octopath Traveler is 50% off. Fantastic deals abound, while Steam users can collect badges and playing cards for their purchases.
Similar to previous Steam sales, users receive 100 points for every $1 spent. Those points go to avatars, badges, and all sorts of different flair for their Steam accounts. Previously only available seasonally, the points shop is now open year-round. Seasonal sales are the best way to wrack up these points, if you’re interested in that sort of thing. Make sure you don’t skip your rent payment to get the most points on Steam.
As far as the Steam Awards goes, ballots were cast during the Autumn Steam Sale, and the nominees are decided. A lot of people were stuck at home this year due to the plague-that-shall-not-be-named, so voter turnout was massive.
Spanning 10 categories, players can now vote for their favorite in each. Steam users get a trading card for each category they vote in. The full list includes:
Game of the Year
- Red Dead Redemption
- Hades
- Doom Eternal
- Fall Guys
- Death Stranding
VR Game of the Year
- Half-Life Alyx
- Phasmophobia
- The Room VR: A Dark Matter
- Thief Simulator VR
- Star Wars Squadrons
Labor of Love
For games that have been out for a while, but are still regularly taken care of by their developers
- Counter Strike: Global Offensive
- Among Us
- Terraria
- The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
- No Man’s Sky
Better With Friends
for games that are predominantly co-op
- Fall Guys
- Sea of Thieves
- Borderlands 3
- Deep Rock Galactic
- Risk of Rain 2
Most Innovative Gameplay
- Death Stranding
- Control: Ultimate Edition
- Superliminal
- Noita
- Teardown
Outstanding Story-Rich Game
- Red Dead Redemption II
- Detroit: Become Human
- Mafia: Definitive Edition
- Metro: Exodus
- Horizon: Zero Dawn
Best Game You Suck At
for difficult games
- Apex Legends
- Crusader Kings III
- Ghostrunner
- FIFA 21
- GTFO
Outstanding Visual Style
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Battlefield V
- There is No Game: Jam Edition 2015
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Black Mesa: Definitive Edition
Best Soundtrack
- Doom Eternal
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- Helltaker
- Need for Speed: Heat
- Persona 4 Golden
Sit Back and Relax
Casual/ simulation titles
- The Sims 4
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Satisfactory
- Untitled Goose Game
- Factorio
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You have until January 3rd to vote, so get out there and make your voice heard. Personally, my ballot is straight indie this year. What about you? Let us know which games you voted for, and which games you’re buying in the Steam Winter Sale.
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