In brief: Steam's Winter Sale event has arrived, bringing with it the usual deluge of discounts on titles old and new. It's also an opportunity to discover what games have been nominated for the Steam Awards and vote for your favorites.
The Steam Winter Sale runs until January 5 at 10 AM PT. Being the company's biggest sale of the year means plenty of bargains to be found. One of the highlighted deals is Deathloop, reduced by 50% to $29.99.
Those who don't subscribe to PC Game Pass can grab Back 4 Blood with 40% off ($35.99) and get 10% off Forza Horizon 5 ($53.99). Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is down to $14.79, while Days Gone, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and No Man's Sky are all $29.99. And if you're one of the few people who don't already own it, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is just $7.99---make sure to add all the graphics mods for an amazing experience.
In addition to all the games on offer, the nominations for the Steam Awards have been revealed. Users can vote for their most-loved titles in ten categories, including Game of the Year, which consists of Valheim, New World, Resident Evil Village, Forza 5, and, in what marks a remarkable turnaround in fortunes, Cyberpunk 2077; it arrived too late last year to be considered for the 2020 Awards. This writer has a feeling Valheim will take the honors here.
As with previous sales, buyers get Steam points to spend on cosmetic items. There are also free mystery animated stickers given out each day of the sale.
Steam isn't the only platform with a sale right now. The Epic Games Store's event runs until January 6 and has some offers not available on its rival's store, including Far Cry 6 for $38.99, and GOG is also holding a seasonal sale. Here's hoping someone buys us a new SSD for a Christmas present.