Remember how you could get free Steam trading cards — plural, with an ‘s’ — just for exploring lists of games recommended to you? Sad to say that day has passed by and Valve has made collecting seasonal cards trickier starting this year. Yes, this means, you can still collect Steam Winter Sale 2024 trading cards to craft the Badge, but the amount and process have changed.
Does Discovery Queue Still Give Free Steam Winter Sale Trading Cards? Answered
Steam Sale cards no longer drop from completing a Discovery Queue; doing so only rewards you with stickers. To get Winter Sale trading cards, you now have to either buy games or craft new Badges during the Steam sale period.
For every $10 you spend during the sale, you’ll receive one Steam Sale trading card. Check your sale Badge page and click the ‘How do I get more cards?’ section to track your progress.
Nevertheless, you can still buy them or put them up for sale in the Steam Marketplace. Any Winter Sale card remains valid until February 2, 2025, as 30 days after the sale ends, it will no longer be tradable or marketable. Of course, trading them with friends is an option too, hence why the feature is called ‘trading cards’ in the first place.
If you don’t know it yet, you can also start collecting Steam Sale trading cards even one week before the event. From a week before the start of a sale, crafting a game badge earns you a mystery card. Only once the sale starts the platform will reveal which seasonal cards you get from crafting a Badge.
Back then, you would’ve been able to get three free Steam Winter Sale trading cards by completing Discovery Queues three times per day. It’s five cards if you buy games, craft Badges, and clear out the queues daily. However, it seems Valve changed the rules to just one card a few years ago. Voting in the Steam Awards 2023 also rewards you with a free card. Now, unfortunately, event or seasonal cards can only be obtained through buying games and crafting Badges.
