Six of the best games to pick up before the Steam winter sale is over

With the Steam winter sale running from December 22, 2022 to January 5, 2023, there is still time as I write this to make some last minute impulse purchases.

To help you out, we have picked six of our favourite games from across the entire Steam winter sale that are suitable for you good people in our audience. Most of these have hit a historical low price, which makes them well worth spending your hard-earned cash on, since these prices may not be matched ever again. Grab yourself a bargain with some of that Christmas cash!

Pyre – £3.87 (75% off)

It goes without saying that anything from Supergiant Games’ catalogue of works is well worth picking up in the Steam winter sale, but as an older title that is not the overwhelmingly popular Hades, Pyre deserves not to be overlooked. With emotional storytelling that derives from the growing bonds between a band of exiles and winning your way through sports-like Rites to secure the freedom of the select few of your comrades, it’s one of the most immersive experiences of 2017.

Its excellent high fantasy visuals, design and world building are a sight to behold, and its writing strikes the core with its heartfelt character arcs. Innovative, original and wholly unique, if you have yet to play Pyre then the Steam winter sale is the prime time to do so.

Grab it in the Steam winter sale here.

AI: The Somnium Files – £7.19 (80% off)

With the frequency with which I bring this game up, I sure hope you have already experienced it at least once by now. AI: The Somnium Files had its sequel release in 2022, and with its release we saw the original game’s price dropping to a historical low. You absolutely must experience the original game first due to how the metaphorical torch is passed to the “daughter” character in nirvanA Initiative.

From the mind of Zero Escape’s Kotaro Uchikoshi, the game goes heavy on murder mysteries, an overarching plotline starring an amnesiac detective and his origins, and serial killers. The game features Japanese adventure game-style story sequences with interactive dream intrusion “Psync” segments as you dive into the subconscious of suspects and witnesses. The original game alone does a lot with its features, and it never stops being delightfully entertaining with its layers of twists and revelations.

Grab it in the Steam winter sale here.

Resonance of Fate 4K/HD Edition – £16.67 (40% off)

Resonance of Fate is one of the most stylised, distinctive and challenging JRPGs that I have ever experienced. Everything about the game is a one-of-a-kind deal, starting with the difficult to master combat system that only gets trickier to grasp as the difficulty spikes kick in. Meanwhile, a storyline that becomes as convoluted as Kingdom Hearts ends up providing 30-60 hours of enjoyment, depending on how many side quests you want to commit to.

With a satisfying gameplay loop, a surprising amount of character customisation and a stunning overall design of a futuristic setting with a steampunk motif, Resonance of Fate is endearing due to how innovative it is, even with its flaws.

Grab it in the Steam winter sale here.

Senran Kagura (any and all) – up to 75% off

Senran Kagura has got a bunch of big discounts as of the time of writing, making it a tough call to point out just one of them, so how about taking note of all the discounts instead? They are as follows.

Burst Re:Newal	3D beat ’em up, reimagining of canonical first story	60% off	£9.99
Shinovi Versus	3D beat ’em up and follow-up to Burst Re:Newal	50% off	£7.49
Estival Versus	3D beat ’em up and follow-up to Shinovi Versus	60% off	£9.99
Bon Appetit! – Full Course	Rhythm game spin-off	75% off	£3.74
Peach Beach Splash	Third-person shooter, direct prequel to 7EVEN	60% off	£9.99
Peach Ball	Pinball spin-off	50% off	£12.49
Reflexions	Dating sim spin-off	50% off	£4.49

If you’re looking for some mildly lewd feel-good action with solid characterisation, then Senran Kagura is the way to go. Take your pick of plenty, but remember to consider the differences in the genres and gameplay, especially that of its spin-offs!

The core story is told over the course of Burst Re:Newal, Shinovi Versus, Estival Versus and Peach Beach Splash, with the other entries being considered non-canonical spin-offs.

Rune Factory 4 Special – £16.24 (35% off)

With the disappointment of Rune Factory 5 still keeping me up late at night, what better time than the Steam winter sale to check out a far superior entry in the series?

Rune Factory 4 Special truly is what it says on the tin – it’s legitimately special with how much content and polish it has, unlike its successor. Rune Factory 4 Special captures the feeling of an endless adventure that can be played and progressed through at your own pace. Better yet you will be wanting to return to it again and again.

Offering even more than the general farming sim, what with combat on the side, levelling up to do in every aspect of life in Selphia and a main story that can take over 60 hours to complete without considering all the side and bonus content to explore and complete, Rune Factory 4 Special is one of the hardest video games to put down. For £16.24, that sounds like a great deal.

Grab it in the Steam winter sale here.

Overboard! – 50% off (£5.69)

Overboard! is the hidden gem of all hidden gems if you’re like me and are quite partial to a good murder mystery. Only this time, you’re the culprit. Overboard! tests players in successfully getting away with murder. Take up every option available to you and try to get away with it using your wits, charm and quick thinking. Deceive, lie, cheat, blackmail and even kill your way through to solidifying your alibi and leave the boat having convinced everyone else that you are innocent.

You will be on your toes at all times for the game’s span of 8 hours before you can escape the scene of the crime. Plan ahead, use the characters to your own benefit, decide who can be trusted and who you have to silence. If you fail to pull off the perfect murder, try again and again.

Grab it in the Steam winter sale here.

Find all the available discounts on Steam’s official store page. If none of these tickle your fancy, there’s bound to be something worth grabbing — why not let us know what you’ve picked up for yourselves?

^{Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!}