The Steam Autumn Sale kicked off on Thursday, October 1, and runs through the 8th. There are thousands of discounted games, but the truth is most of the sale catalog won't change anyone's life. What matters is finding the handful of deals that are actually worth it, and that's what we did here.

We went through the sale's top sellers on the US store and grouped the highlights by profile: big recent releases, must-own classics, dirt-cheap games and picks to play with friends. All prices below were checked on the US Steam store on the afternoon of October 1.

Recent releases with the biggest discounts yet

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth drops from $49.99 to $14.99, a 70% discount. It's the second part of the Final Fantasy VII remake and one of the most acclaimed RPGs of the generation. At under $15, it's probably the best deal of the entire sale.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II falls from $59.99 to $23.99 (60% off). Warhorse's realistic medieval RPG was one of the biggest PC highlights of the past year and the kind of game that easily lasts dozens of hours.

Metaphor: ReFantazio, from the Persona team, goes from $69.99 to $27.99 (60% off). Assassin's Creed Shadows is also 60% off, down from $69.99 to $27.99.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered gets a smaller 33% cut, from $49.99 to $33.49. Supergiant's roguelike Hades II is 30% off at $20.99.

Cloud and the party in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Classics everyone should own

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered is half price, from $49.99 to $24.99. If you still haven't played one of the greatest RPGs ever made, there's no better time.

The whole Dark Souls trilogy is 50% off: Dark Souls III for $29.99, Dark Souls Remastered for $19.99 and Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin for $19.99.

JRPG fans get a strong lineup. Persona 5 Royal and Persona 3 Reload are $17.99 each (70% off), and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade drops to $9.99 (75% off). You can grab Remake and Rebirth together for about $25.

The Last of Us Part I is also 50% off at $29.99.

Henry in a medieval village in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Games under $10

These are the most aggressive discounts, with full games for the price of a coffee.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps goes from $29.99 to $2.99 (90% off). It's one of the most beautiful platform adventures ever made, and at that price there's no excuse.

Watch Dogs 2 is $2.49 (95% off) and the original Watch Dogs is $1.99 (90% off). Tom Clancy's The Division 2 and Metro Exodus are both $2.99 (90% off).

Hades, the roguelike that became a genre benchmark, is $6.24 (75% off). Immortals Fenyx Rising is $3.99 (90% off), Far Cry 4 is $5.99 (80% off) and Far Cry 3 is $4.99 (75% off).

Sim fans win too: Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator are $4.99 each (75% off).

Ori crossing a glowing forest in Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Games to play with friends

Overcooked! 2 is $6.24 (75% off) and remains one of the most fun (and most chaotic) co-op games to play in a group. PEAK, the co-op climbing game that blew up, is $4.95 (38% off).

If you prefer team shooters, The Division 2 at $2.99 and Ghost Recon Wildlands at $9.99 (80% off) are great options. And Dragon Ball FighterZ, one of the best fighting games of recent years, drops to $9.59 (84% off).

A chaotic four-player kitchen in Overcooked! 2

Warming up for GTA 6

With GTA 6 arriving on November 19, it's worth looking back. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition is $5.99 (70% off), and GTA: San Andreas The Definitive Edition is $19.79 (67% off). Both are good ways to get your fix, or discover the series, before the return to Vice City.

Our take: where your money goes furthest

If you only buy one game, our pick is Final Fantasy VII Rebirth at $14.99. It's rare to see a release this big at 70% off this soon.

On a tight budget, the best strategy is building a bundle of games under $10: Ori, Hades and Metro Exodus together cost about $12 and add up to dozens of hours of excellent games.

One warning: not every discount is a good deal. Some games show up with just 10% off, like Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, down from $59.99 to $53.99. Small discounts like that usually get bigger in future sales.

Tips to make the most of the sale

Use your wishlist. Steam emails you when a wishlisted game goes on sale, so it's the easiest way not to miss anything.

Check price history. Sites like SteamDB show a game's all-time low. If the current discount is far from the record, it might be worth waiting for the Winter Sale, which starts December 17.

Remember refunds. Steam refunds games bought within the last 14 days and played for less than 2 hours, which helps you try things risk-free.

FAQ

When does the Steam Autumn Sale 2026 end? On October 8, 2026.

Can prices change during the sale? Yes. The prices in this story were checked on October 1. Always confirm the final price on the game's store page before buying.

Are these prices the same everywhere? No. Steam uses regional pricing, so prices vary by country. The prices here are from the US store.

When is the next big Steam sale? The Winter Sale, from December 17, 2026 to January 4, 2027. Before that, Steam Next Fest runs October 19 to 26 with free demos.