The Best Deals to Grab as Part of the Steam Summer Sale 2025

Hoo boy, here we go again. It’s that time of year once more where the Steam Summer Sale rolls around to mercilessly add to our growing backlogs, and this year’s sale is arguably one of the best we’ve had in quite a while. There are nearly 6,000 games discounted as part of the 2025 edition of the Steam Summer Sale, and many of them are down to their historic lows following their showing up in previous incarnations of Steam’s seasonal discount events. As usual, we’re sifting through hundreds of the best deals currently available to pinpoint a selection of games that are absolutely essential additions to your library if you haven’t already added them.

• Release Date — January 23, 2025
• Developer — Square Enix
• Publisher — Square Enix
• Genre — JRPG, Action RPG
• Steam User Score — 77% (Mostly Positive)
• Price — $41.99 (Normally $69.99, 40% off)

While I didn’t have as many issues with Final Fantasy VII Remake‘s pacing as some did, it’s safe to say that Square Enix did a much better job with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Rebirth feels like a more faithful modern reimagining of the bulk of the original Final Fantasy VII‘s disc 1, and it’s packed with so much worthwhile content that you could easily spend 150 hours trying to see and do everything. Rebirth has gone on sale before, but this year’s Steam Summer Sale sees it dropping down to its lowest-ever price of just $42, a hefty 40% discount from its normal $70 asking price. Even better, you can grab both Remake and Rebirth as part of a bundle that nets you the full Final Fantasy VII remake experience ahead of its conclusion for the price of a single game.

• Release Date — May 16, 2024
• Developer — Sucker Punch Productions, Nixxes Software
• Publisher — PlayStation Publishing
• Genre — Action-Adventure, Open-World
• Steam User Score — 93% (Very Positive)
• Price — $40.19 (Normally $59.99, 33% off)

Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima is perhaps one of the best PlayStation exclusives to make its way to PC, and it’s once again back down to its historic low as part of 2025’s Steam Summer Sale. For just $40, you get to experience one of the best open-world action games that also happens to be one of the best-looking games, period, and it’s well optimized for a wide variety of hardware configurations. There are lots of feudal Japan-set open-world games in 2025, but most of them pale in comparison to the strength of Ghost of Tsushima‘s gameplay and narrative.

• Release Date — February 24, 2022
• Developer — FromSoftware
• Publisher — FromSoftware, Bandai Namco
• Genre — Action RPG, Soulslike
• Steam User Score — 93% (Very Positive)
• Price — $35.99 (Normally $59.99, 40% off)

Would it even be a Steam sale without a discount on Elden Ring? FromSoftware’s open-world magnum opus is once again back down to its traditional 40% discount from the last year or so of Steam sales, offering players one of the best action RPGs ever made for just $35. The launch of Elden Ring Nightreign has once again reinvigorated player interest in the base game of Elden Ring, and if you have yet to add it to your library, there’s arguably never been a better time than now to get lost in The Lands Between.

• Release Date — November 8, 2021
• Developer — Playground Games
• Publisher — Xbox Game Studios
• Genre — Driving/Racing
• Steam User Score — 88% (Very Positive)
• Price — $29.99 (Normally $59.99, 50% off)

Even if you don’t normally like racing games, it’s good to have at least one genre title in your library somewhere. And with Gran Turismo 7 being one of the few PlayStation exclusives to not make its way to PC yet, the next likely candidate becomes Forza Horizon 5. The Forza Horizon series has always been great, merging arcade and simulation driving mechanics and merging them with some incredibly fun open-world driving, and Forza Horizon 5 is the best the series has been yet. For just $30, you can pick up Forza Horizon 5 and fill the racing game-shaped hole in your library.

• Release Date — June 13, 2024
• Developer — Atlus
• Publisher — Sega
• Genre — JRPG
• Steam User Score — 92% (Very Positive)
• Price — $29.99 (Normally $59.99, 50% off)

There are a surprising number of phenomenal JRPGs currently discounted as part of the 2025 Steam Summer Sale, but one that deserves a little bit more of a spotlight is Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. Despite being just as good as Persona 3 Reload or Metaphor: Refantazio, SMT V: Vengeance was largely overshadowed by its other Atlus JRPG contemporaries, and it’s a shame that more fans of the genre haven’t played this modern masterpiece. At half off, you’ve got all the more reason to give the latest Shin Megami Tensei game a chance and get immersed in its post-apocalyptic tale.

• Release Date — March 20, 2020
• Developer — id Software
• Publisher — Bethesda Softworks
• Genre — FPS
• Steam User Score — 91% (Very Positive)
• Price — $9.99 (Normally $39.99, 75% off)

Now that DOOM: The Dark Ages has come out and left its mark, it’s now clear that DOOM Eternal might be the best game in the modern DOOM trilogy. While 2016’s DOOM helped establish the push-forward, momentum-based combat that the new generation of the series is built on, DOOM Eternal evolved it in every possible way, throwing an almost unmanageable amount of new mechanics and abilities to juggle at players but somehow making it all click in a way that feels intuitive. Considering the length of the campaign and the ability to extend it through some excellent DLC, DOOM Eternal might be the best FPS you can get for $10 or less right now.

• Release Date — January 23, 2019
• Developer — Mega Crit
• Publisher — Mega Crit
• Genre — Roguelike, Deckbuilder
• Steam User Score — 97% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Price — $6.24 (Normally $24.99, 75% off)

I will likely never stop shouting from the rooftops about how perfect of a roguelike Slay the Spire is, and it’s currently down to its lowest-ever price of just $6.24. Slay the Spire perfectly nails the addictive, “just one more run” feeling that the best roguelikes are defined by, and it does so while being consistently rewarding and challenging in a way that flexes the brain more than your hand-eye coordination. Along with other genre highlights like Balatro and Hades, Slay the Spire is an absolute essential in any Steam library.

• Release Date — June 21, 2021
• Developer — Live Wire, Adglobe
• Publisher — Binary Haze Interactive
• Genre — Metroidvania
• Steam User Score — 94% (Very Positive)
• Price — $9.99 (Normally $24.99, 60% off)

There are plenty of great Metroidvanias that are heavily discounted as part of the Steam Summer Sale, including modern genre highlights like Blasphemous and Hollow Knight down to their lowest-ever prices. But rather than highlight games that seem to have almost universal acclaim among Metroidvania fans, I think it’s pertinent to shine the spotlight on Ender Lilies. Ender Lilies feels more like Dark Souls than most Metroidvania games that claim to have Soulslike DNA, and its unique combat system is pulled straight from one of the Castlevania series’ best and most underrated entries: Order of Ecclesia.

• Release Date — June 18, 2020
• Developer — Mobius Digital
• Publisher — Annapurna Interactive
• Genre — Adventure, Puzzle
• Steam User Score — 95% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Price — $14.99 (Normally $24.99, 40% off)

If anyone ever doubts whether games can be truly emotionally affecting and capable of paradigm-shifting revelations, just show them Outer Wilds. Few games are capable of leaving an imprint on the player in the same way as Outer Wilds and its spacefaring mystery, and the less you know about the game before playing it, the better. Just know that Outer Wilds would be worth $100, much less $15, making it a no-brainer to pick up if you’ve yet to experience Mobius Digital’s masterpiece.

• Release Date — December 13, 2023
• Developer — VOID Interactive
• Publisher — VOID Interactive
• Genre — Tactical Shooter, FPS
• Steam User Score — 89% (Very Positive)
• Price — $24.99 (Normally $49.99, 50% off)

There’s probably never been a better time to get into Ready or Not with the title’s console launch right around the corner. While Ready or Not can definitely be played solo (and is surprisingly great when using AI companions), it’s ultimately a co-op experience that shines when squading up with friends. Ready or Not is back down to its recent 50% off discount as part of the Steam Summer Sale, and it’s probably the best tactical shooter that you can get at that price point.

• Release Date — March 30, 202
• Developer — Kojima Productions
• Publisher — 505 Games
• Genre — Action-Adventure, Stealth, Open-World
• Steam User Score — 92% (Very Positive)
• Price — $15.99 (Normally $39.99, 60% off)

Kojima’s Death Stranding is the kind of game that only he could make, especially when you consider that it was his first major project post his split with Konami and having to say goodbye to the iconic Metal Gear series he created. Death Stranding also somehow clairvoyantly predicted the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic months before it happened, arriving at a perfect time to tell a story about the importance of human connection in a bleak world. It’s a phenomenal game made all the better by its Director’s Cut, which is currently down to just $16 and worth every penny.

• Release Date — September 18, 2023
• Developer — Neowiz
• Publisher — Neowiz
• Genre — Action RPG, Soulslike
• Steam User Score — 91% (Very Positive)
• Price — $29.99 (Normally $59.99, 50% off)

Other than grabbing Elden Ring, one of the better Soulslike/Soulsborne titles that you can currently pick up on a hefty discount on Steam is Lies of P. Neowiz’s proper debut title ticks all the right boxes for a challenging and engaging Soulslike, complete with some nerve-wracking boss fights and an impressive amount of build variety. Lies of P also just got its first major DLC expansion with Overture, and you can grab both the base game and the DLC for $60 total instead of $90.

• Release Date — December 8, 2024
• Developer — MachineGames
• Publisher — Bethesda Softworks
• Genre — Action-Adventure
• Steam User Score — 89% (Very Positive)
• Price — $55.99 (Normally $69.99, 20% off)

When the dust settles on 2025’s major game releases and we get the list of nominations for the 2025 Game Awards ceremony, you can bet your bottom dollar that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be nominated in several prominent categories, including Game of the Year. Indiana Jones‘ release after the 2024 cutoff exempted it from last year’s awards ceremony, and players have now had several extra months to experience what’s one of the greatest adventures to feature the iconic character and one of 2024’s best action-adventure games. It’s currently on its first-ever major sale, down to just $56 from its normal $70, and absolutely worth the price of admission.

• Release Date — October 17, 2023
• Developer — Blizzard Entertainment
• Publisher — Blizzard Entertainment
• Genre — ARPG
• Steam User Score — 71% (Mostly Positive)
• Price — $24.99 (Normally $49.99, 50% off)

Blizzard’s Diablo IV is far from perfect, but the studio has done a commendable job at keeping its first live-service take on the franchise continually engaging, continually shifting the meta and making each new season an opportunity to dive into the world of Sanctuary once again. For all its faults, there’s a case to be made that the latest Diablo is still one of the best hack-and-slash ARPGs available, and its current 50% off discount makes now the perfect time to hop in and see what keeps players coming back season after season.

• Release Date — April 24, 2025
• Developer — Sandfall Interactive
• Publisher — Kepler Interactive
• Genre — RPG
• Steam User Score — 95% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Price — $44.99 (Normally $49.99, 10% off)

We still have 6 months left in 2025, but just about everyone who’s played Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is convinced that it’s the front-runner for Game of the Year — and it’s not even close. Expedition 33 is both a loving homage to the golden era of JRPG design and a stunning reimagining of the core elements and mechanics, landing somewhere between the best SNES and PS1 games from the Square Enix library and Dark Souls by merging engaging turn-based combat with parry mechanics and an emotionally affecting and esoteric narrative. Clair Obscur is about as close to “perfect” as games get, and it’s no wonder that its current 10% discount sees it becoming one of the best-selling games on Steam after having already occupied that position around its launch.