The PC Gaming Winter Sales have started on Gog, Steam and Epic Store
Every year, around the 24th of December, PC gaming stores launch week-long (or longer) Winter sales. This year is no exception, and Winter sales have started on many platforms, including Gog, Steam and the Epic Store.
Like every year, we are taking a look at the sales and post five tips for each of the stores, and encourage you to post your own game tips in the comment section below.
Epic Games
Runs until: January 6, 2022
Epic Games is the only Store with a coupon. You get $10 off any eligible transaction that you make on the Store. Any game priced $14.99 and up is eligible.
Here are our picks:
Alan Wake Remastered (13.99 €, with coupon) -- The remastered version of Remedy Entertainments Alan Wake game. It is an action game with strong story elements and excellent cinematics.
Back 4 Blood (25.99 €, with coupon) -- From the creators of the Left for Dead franchise comes a cooperative first-person shooter which plays very similar to Left for Dead. If you like co-op action games, this one is for you.
Hitman 3 (13.99 € with coupon) -- Hitman 3 is the next installment of the popular series about the assassin Agent 47. It is the third and final part of the World of Assassination triology (you can grab the other two parts on the Steam sale).
Legend of Keepers (€14.39) -- Legend of Keepers is a strategy game in which you play the bad guys, trying to defeat the "good guys" that enter your dungeon. Manage monsters and traps, spells, train them, hire and fire, and more.
R-Type Final 2 (21.99 €, with coupon) -- If you like side-scrolling arcade games, you may like this one a lot. It is the first R-Type game that has been released for PC in over two decades.
Gog
Runs until: January 5, 2022
Gog is a rather small store when compared to Steam and other major stores. One of the main reasons for that is that its approach is different. It focuses on DRM-free games, and while there have been a few controversies in the past regarding that, you can be sure that a very high percentage of games is entirely DRM free. Downside to Gog is, that it lacks many games that came out in the past couple of years, if they have been published by major publishers and game companies.
Over 3500 games are discounted on Gog, and you may even grab a free game -- I have no mouth and I must scream -- in the next couple of days.
Here are our top 5 Gog Winter Sale 2021 picks
- Cyberpunk 2077 ($33.85, 50% discount) -- Cyberpunk 2077 had a very rocky start when it launched last year. The game had lots of bugs and issues, especially on consoles, and ratings tanked quickly because of that. CD Projekt released several updates that improved the game significantly. It is a cyberpunk game with lots of action but also some adventure and roleplaying elements baked into it. Graphics are excellent, and if you like the Cyberpunk setting, it is almost certain that you will enjoy this game.
- Dishonored Complete Collection ($15.80, 80% discount) -- Dishonored is an action-stealth game series developed by Arkane Studios. The bundle includes Dishonored Definite edition, Dishonored 2 and Dishonored Death of the Outsider.
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic ($3.49, 65% discount) -- Arguably one of the best Star Wars games of all time, and one of the best roleplaying games, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, or Kotor, is a must buy if you like Star Wars or roleplaying games. A remake is in the making, but remakes may make things worse instead of better. You may also grab Kotor II for the same price during the sale.
- Terraria ($5.63, 50% off) -- Terraria is a wonderful game. It is a crafting game first and foremost, but it includes adventure elements, action and more. The digging is my favorite part, it is so relaxing. This is an excellent game.
- Warcraft I & II Bundle ($11.99, 20% discount) -- Warcraft I & II are excellent RTS games. The second part is a masterpiece in my opinion, especially with the expansion that adds lots of content and fun to the game. Blizzard created a remake, but it was underwhelming to say the least. If you want the real experience, these are the games to get.
Steam
Runs until: January 5, 2021
Steam Sales have been underwhelming in the past years, and the Winter 2021 Sale is no exception. Lots of games are discounted, but there are so many sales throughout the year, that the once-special Winter Sale is not really that special anymore.
Anyway, here are five picks for you:
- Dark Souls: Remastered (19.99 €, 50% off) I'm playing this game on the Playstation 5 currently (after finishing Demon Souls), and I love it. The Dark Souls series can be very frustrating, as it is designed to make you fail over and over until you manage to beat a boss or a passage. It is an action game with light RPG elements added to it.
- Hitman 2 Gold Edition (17.99 €, 80% off) -- I always loved the Hitman series of games. It is a controversial series, as you play an assassin. Storytelling is excellent and you have lots of options to complete your objectives. Hitman 2 Gold includes all the content of the game in a convenient package. You may also grab Hitman 1 for more maps and content.
- It takes two (19.99 €, 50% off) -- It takes two surprised me; it is a fun co-op game with excellent story telling, that you can play locally or online. I played it with my 14 year old daughter, and she loved the experience. It is kid-friendly and offers lots of variety in terms of gameplay.
- King's Bounty: Crossworlds (2,24€, 85% discount) -- In my humble opinion, the best King's Bounty game of the series. While there is King's Bounty II, it has received mixed reviews so far. Crossworlds is a pimped version of Armored Princess, with lots of content added to the game. Combat is comparable to the Heroes of Might and Magic series, but there is no town capturing and building aspect in the game. If you like tactical turn-based combat, this is one to check out. Tip: the Ultimate Edition, with seven games/expansions of the series, is available for just a few Euros more).
- Yakuza Remastered Collection (30,12 €, 50% off) -- The collection includes Yakuza 3 Remastered, Yakuza 4 Remastered and Yakuza 5 Remastered. Yakuza is an action game series, that includes interesting stories, side-quests, and lots of action.
Now You: which games do you recommend?
From Steam I got just 3 games this Sale:
– GTFO
– ARMA 3
– Insurgency: Sandstorm
From the Black Friday Sale I got:
– Project Gorgon
– some LOTRO expansions.
Couldn’t be more pleased.
My recommendations:
Open World
Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla
Days Gone
Death Stranding
Dying Light + Following expansion
Farcry 3, 4, 5, New Dawn, and 6
Ghost Recon Wildlands
Grand Theft Auto V
Horizon Zero Dawn
Immortals Fenyx Rising (Zelda BOTW clone)
Monster Hunter World + Iceborne expansion
Shadow of Mordor and War
Watchdogs 1 and 2
Shooters
Borderlands series
Halo series
Hitman 3 with the expansions to unlock 1 and 2
Metro series
RPGs
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Witcher 3 GOTY
The Elders Scrolls V Skyrim
RTS
Age of Empires 2, 3, 4 and Mythology
Command and Conquer series
Company of Heroes 1 and 2
Spellforce 3 Reforged + Expansions
Grand Strategy/War
Europa Universalis 4
Total War Shogun 2, Warhammer 1 + 2, Three Kingdoms
City builder/management/tycoon
Anno 1800
Cities Skylines
Jurassic World Evolution 1 + RTJP + Dr.Wu expansions
Planet Zoo
Tropico 4
4x
Civilization 6
Endless Legend
Endless Space 2
Master of orion
Stellaris
Stars in shadow
Sandbox
Factorio
No man’s sky
Rimworld
Valheim
ARPG
Chronicon
Grim Dawn
Titan Quest
Torchlight 1 and 2
Realtime Tactics
Desperados 3 Deluxe Edition
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun + Aiko’s Choice
Commandos 2 (not the remastered one) and 3
Roguelites
Curse of the Dead Gods
Dead Cells
Dreamscraper
Hades
Skul
Slay the Spire
JRPGs
Chrono Trigger
Dragon Quest XI
Final Fantasy 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, X and X-2, XII, XV
Persona 4 Golden
Yakuza series
CRPGs
Disco Elysium
Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2
Shadowrun Returns
Shadowrun Dragonfall
Shadowrun Hongkong
Wasteland 3
Dragon Age series
Farming sims
Stardew Valley
My time at Portia
Slime Rancher
Others
Batman Arkham Asylum, City, Origins and Knight
Forza Horizon 4 and 5
Psychonauts 1 and 2
Some of these games are available on Xbox Game Pass PC which also includes EA Play. Check if the Epic Games Store has a title you like, you can avail a $10 discount coupon for eligible games, which makes several games cheaper than what they cost on Steam. I have not mentioned classics like Gothic, Baldurs Gate, etc, to keep the list modern and beginner-friendly.
Use Steamdb to check for the game’s price history in your currency.
Not on sale (on GoG), but I got Tormented Souls. It’s a lot like the old Resident Evil games, and it’s really nice.
It is on sale on Steam for 20% off, I got it on GoG because it’s DRM-free.