The Steam Winter Sale is currently in full swing, and deals on the distribution platform are available until January 4th. But we all know that this isn’t going to be the last Steam Sale in the coming months; so, it’s smart to prepare for future sales as well.
Despite being home to so many amazing games, it can be pretty frustrating to navigate through Steam’s clutter due to how it is set up. Luckily, the internet has two helpful ways of finding the best deals at the right time.
Is There Any Deal?
“Isthereanydeal.com” is the perfect place to find and compare the best deals in gaming. Their motto, “When the price is right, you will play all night,” not only rings true for Steam but other retailers and distributors as well. AnyDeal has a long list of gaming deals too.
The site reveals promotions being put on by some of the largest companies around, like Amazon and Blizzard. Small companies aren’t excluded though, as niche sites like the Indie Gala Store and Gemly are featured as well. And while Austrailia might get screwed over all the time when it comes to the prices of their games, AnyDeal even offers the ability to sort by well known regional retailers like Savemi.
In fact, the site allows users to sort their options in a multitude of ways all via its Master Filter. The process can be as simple as wanting to only look at single retailers, like only looking at discounted games on Steam. Its filter can also be used very meticulously, allowing the ability to select multiple retailers, specific platforms, and even sorting via DRM.
Filters aren’t entirely necessary to find what you are looking for though. Near the top of the main page, there are plenty of bundles and specials laid out. AnyDeal makes things simple by showing how much time is left before the offer expires right next to the title. Right below that is a comparison of the game’s value next to the lowest sales price the site can find. Like the filters, there are options to get more detailed information in this area. All you have to do is select the “All Specials” tab right next to the “Bundles” tab. Once you do, it will list all of the specials in the same format, allowing to sort by date published or expiration.
The sites coolest feature has to be the history feature. With one simple click, you can look at detailed stat sheet and graph regarding the game’s pricing and history. Just like everything else on the site, there are many different ways to comb over sales history; Quick stats, region comparisons, and other details just to list a few.
Creating an account with the site comes with the added benefit of allowing its users to add games to a wishlist. In doing so, they will then be notified when said game is at its lowest price, informing them of the best time to buy. For more information, head over to Isthereanydeal.com for yourself to check it out.
Enhanced Steam Browser
As I mentioned earlier, Steam can be a bit of a mess when it comes to navigation. Unlike AnyDeal, the platform’s filters aren’t fluid. While it gives the option to select multiple filters, the majority of the filters present simply don’t seem necessary. Instead of focusing on genre segmentation or adding price sliders, Steam has less meaningful sections like “narrow by feature.” This feature allows for segmentation for things like Steam achievements and Steam playing cards. So how can you solve this problem in a way that will find you the best sales? The Enhanced Steam Browser!
Enhanced Steam is a free open-source browser extension for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Microsoft Edge that adds a lot of new features to the Steam website. The extension automatically syncs up with your Steam account. So, there is no need to worry about ease of access.
Below is a list of features the extension offers, taken straight from its details page in the store.
- Highlighting games you already own
- Highlighting games on your wishlist
- Correctly calculating bundle discounts based on games you already own
- Showing you how much money you’ve spent on Steam for the lifetime of your account
- Highlighting DLC you own on a game page
- Fixing “No Image Available” game icons on your wishlist for any game or DLC
Just like AnyDeal, the enhanced browser compares prices from popular and lesser-known bundle/sales websites. It will also show you how much money you have saved by buying a specific bundle, as listed below.
Unfortunately, as the name suggests, Enhanced Steam isn’t available for the Steam client. While a client version was available at some point, it has since been discontinued.
Do you have any suggestions of your own on how to find the best sales on Steam? Or maybe just in general? Be sure to leave a comment below! And don’t forget to check back to the site for all of your other nerdy news and needs!