News
Dec 25, 2025
Steam Winter Sale pulls massive PC gaming traffic using discounts, features, and ecosystem lock-in. Here’s how Steam beats Epic Games for attention. Photo by: Reddit
During the Winter Sale, Steam and the Epic Games Store have different ways to give you deals.
Steam goes all-in on big price cuts and what else it offers, while Epic mixes discounts with coupons and free games. One isn’t necessarily better; they just attract different PC gamers.

The Steam Winter Sale is known for cutting prices big time on lots of games.
What you often see on Steam:
Up to 90% off older and beloved games
50-75% off many AAA games
30-80% off indie games
Discounts when you buy bundles
Steam also gives you:
Deals picked just for you
Heads-up when games on your wishlist get cheaper
Rewards and badges for using Steam
Steam usually doesn’t do store-wide coupons, but it does cut prices directly.

The Epic Games Store does things a bit differently.
Epic’s Winter deals usually include:
Store-wide coupons (like $10-$33 off some games)
25-50% off many AAA games
Free games every week, even when there's a sale
Some discounts only on Epic
Epic’s coupons work after the sale price, so some games might be cheaper than on Steam.
Feature | Steam | Epic Games Store |
|---|---|---|
Max discounts | Up to 90% | Usually lower base discounts |
Coupons | No | Yes (for a limited time) |
Free games | Not often | Free games every week |
Game library | Huge | Smaller but growing |
Personalization | Lots | Some |
Community features | Lots | Not much |
There’s no single “best” store; it just depends on how you shop.
If you want deep discounts and lots of games, Steam is great.
If you want extra savings with coupons or free games, Epic is cool.
Lots of gamers use both, depending on the deal.
That’s why PC gamers jump between stores when there's a sale.
It depends on the game. Steam often has bigger discounts, but Epic can be cheaper with coupons.
Epic gives away free games pretty often, even during sales.
Nope. Steam also focuses on wishlists and other tools to find games you'll like, plus the community stuff.
Yep. Many players switch between stores depending on the prices and deals.