Valve reveal schedule of 2023 Steam sales and game fests and my backlog is scared

My backlog is practically overflowing at this point, hence my New Year's resolution to avoid buying a game until I’d actually play it. But, every now and then, an especially deep discount will catch my eye, my bad impulses wake up, and I spend a few quid on something I won’t touch for six months (seriously, Abzu has been floating on my hard drive for years.) My New Year's resolution won’t hold out for much longer, as Valve have announced their schedule for all of 2023’s Steam Fests and sales events.

Here’s the full schedule for Steam Sales and Fests:

• Mystery Fest: February 20 - 27
• Spring Sale: March 16 - 23 (major seasonal sale)
• Puzzle Fest: April 24 - May 1
• Sports Fest: May 15 - 22
• Next Fest: June 19 - 26
• Summer Sale: June 29 - July 13 (major seasonal sale)
• Stealth Fest: July 24 - 31
• Visual Novel Fest: August 7 - 14
• Strategy Fest: August 28 - September 4
• SHMUP Fest: September 25 - October 2
• Next Fest: October 9 - 16
• Return of Steam Scream Fest (Halloween): October 26 - November 2
• Autumn Sale: November 21 - 28 (major seasonal sale)
• Winter Sale: December 21 - January 4, 2024 (major seasonal sale)

February’s Steam Next Fest ended on the 13th, but two more are scheduled for June and October. Mystery Fest is also currently ongoing and it includes discounts on a ton of goodies, whether you’re into cosy crimes or the type that stalls your sleep. Frog Detective 3, Overboard, Tangle Tower and What Remains Of Edith Finch are among the highlights.

If mystery in general isn’t your vibe, there’ll be plenty of other specific Fests in 2023. The puzzle, sports, stealth, visual novel, strategy, and SHMUP (shoot ‘em ups) genres are getting their own sales events throughout the next year, too. Of course, the seasonal events (spring, summer, autumn, and winter, in case you didn't know) are all returning. I still consider March to be in Winter, but Valve disagree, kicking off their Spring Sale on March 16-23rd.