Steam festival calendar · 2026
Every Valve-published fest date and deadline, on one page.
Steam's festivals are the biggest free visibility a small game can get — and every one of them is won or lost on a deadline. This calendar carries only dates Valve has published: no rumors, no "expected windows", no invented countdowns. When Valve announces the next slate, this page updates.
generated 2026-10-02 UTC · an independent calendar, not an official Valve page · source: partner.steamgames.com · if it isn't announced, it isn't here
The one that matters most
Steam Next Fest — October 19–26, 2026
A title can enter only one Next Fest, ever — timing it is a real decision, not a formality. How To Market A Game's survey (n=182, Feb 2026 fest) found that demos live at least a month before the fest saw roughly 2.5× the wishlists of demos launched during it — the deadline that matters most isn't on Valve's list: it's your own demo date.
All upcoming Valve events
Themed fests are genre-keyed: eligibility comes from your store tags. The tag column shows the tags that literally name each fest's theme — if your game carries one, you likely qualify (Valve's per-event page has the final word).
| Event | Window | Starts in | Qualifying tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Sale | Oct 1 → Oct 8 | live now | — |
| Cooking Fest | Oct 12 → Oct 19 | 9 d | Cooking |
| Steam Next Fest | Oct 19 → Oct 26 | 16 d | — |
| Steam Scream Fest | Oct 26 → Nov 2 | 23 d | HorrorPsychological HorrorSurvival Horror |
| Auto-Battler RPG Fest | Nov 16 → Nov 23 | 44 d | Auto Battler |
| Winter Sale | Dec 17 → Jan 4 | 75 d | — |
Why this page exists
GameTrend watches this calendar against your game. Connect your Steam page and the festival radar matches every fest to your real store tags, nudges you before each deadline, and after Next Fest grades your week against a labeled fest benchmark band — an honest, shareable Report Card. Every account starts with 14 days of full access, no card.
Track your game's festival fit — free