Steams annual winter sale is here — these are the best games to get

If you’re lucky enough to have a bit of time off around the holidays, we have great news: Steam’s annual winter sale kicked off today, and will run through Monday, January 5th at 1PM ET. Now’s a great time to stock up on some of the best games of 2025 at a solid discount, or add some classics to your backlog if you’ve got a hole in your library. Thousands of games are on sale, but we’ve picked out some highlights to help you get started.

We were surprised to see Hollow Knight: Silksong for $15.99 ($4 off) given its modest price and how recently it came out. You can also pick up Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for $39.99 ($10 off), Silent Hill F for $41.99 ($28 off), and Assassin’s Creed Shadows for $34.99 ($35 off). These games are all on sale just a few months after their release.

Some of the most notable remakes and remasters of 2025 have also been discounted. You can snag Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles for $39.99 ($10 off), Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter for $44.99 ($15 off), Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 for $29.99 ($20 off), Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake for $35.99 ($24 off), and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater for $41.99 ($28 off). These titles are worth trying even if you’re familiar with the originals.

Steam’s sales are an opportune opportunity to pick up older titles that have stood the test of time, some of which you can get for under a couple of bucks. Too many great games fall into that category, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t call your chance to grab Stardew Valley for $8.99 ($6 off), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition for $9.99 ($30 off), Slay the Spire for $2.49 ($22.50 off), Resident Evil 4 for $15.99 ($24 off), Castle Crashers for $1.49 ($13.50 off), Bastion for $2.99 ($12 off), and To the Moon for $1.99 ($8 off).

You can go even further back in the history of gaming and pick up collections of 8- and 16-bit games, including the chance to pick up Mega Man X Legacy Collection for $7.99 ($12 off), Castlevania Anniversary Collection for $7.99 ($12 off), and Contra Anniversary Collection for $7.99 ($12 off). There’s a little something for everybody in the sale, and we encourage you to mix and match contemporary and classic games to avoid getting bored.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is a tough-as-nails Metroidvania whose boss battles and platforming sequences reward your tenacity as you slowly get better. As Hornet, you’ll cautiously ascend to the top of the world, using weapons and traps to take down over 200 enemies and more than 40 bosses. Be mindful that letting your guard down can be lethal. If you haven’t gotten around to playing the original Hollow Knight, you can pick it up for $7.49 ($7.49 off) during the sale. Read our hands-on impressions.

Silent Hill F is an exceptional survival horror game set in 1960s Japan. Protagonist Hinako Shimizu is a high school student who has to defeat actual monsters with whatever weapons she can find while also wrestling with inner turmoil caused by familial trauma. Her personal growth, a great script, and terrific score may compel you to replay the game to see all five of its possible endings. Read our review.

If you prefer a healthy dose of action in your horror games, the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4 is an excellent choice. Federal agent Leon Kennedy is sent to retrieve the president’s daughter from a remote Spanish village, and ends up uncovering a murderous cult and plenty of gnarly monsters. The original game’s story has been fleshed out, and its script has been reworked without losing all of its campiness. Read our review.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG with an engaging battle system that rewards you for mastering its dodge and parry system. Pulling off the right parry, which takes time to learn, and you can turn the tide of a battle. The game has an atmospheric soundtrack along with a story our reviewer found heart-wrenching, stirring, and humorous. It won Game of the Year at the 2025 Game Awards, too. Read our review.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has two big strengths: Its setting (medieval Japan) and its two lead characters, Naoe and Yasuke. Each character has a unique gameplay style, which gives you a couple of ways to approach each situation stealthily or by using brute force. Shadows’ open world is huge, and the little activities we found on our way to the big quests, and codex entries offering exhaustive details about the game’s setting made it fun to traverse. Read our review.