By Chris Pereira | @TheSmokingManX, Chris Reed, Matt Espineli, Michael Higham | @michaelphigham, Phil Hornshaw | @philhornshaw, Steve Watts, and Jordan Ramée | @JMRamee on
Steam is bringing mobile game streaming to Android and iOS with a new Steam Link app which will let gamers stream games off their Mac or PC over the internet to their smartphones. The Steam Intergalactic Summer Sale is live, delivering discounts on countless PC games. Here are picks and recommendations for the best deals you can get. Best upcoming Nintendo Switch games to look forward to in 2018 and beyond Best Nintendo Switch deals for Black Friday 2018: Switch bundle bargains and more. Football Manager 2018 is the latest release in the best-selling, smash-hit series. Putting you in the hot seat of any soccer club in more than 50 countries across the world, Football Manager 2018 is the closest thing to doing the job for real.
Best Steam 'Autumn Sale' Cyber Monday 2018 Game Deals
Black Friday is over, but Cyber Monday deals are now taking over the internet. On Steam, nothing specifically has changed; the Autumn sale is still ongoing with the same offers, which is good news for those who might not have gotten to check it out yet. The sale ends Tuesday morning (US time), making this your last chance to take advantage of its discounted prices. Of course, this being a Steam sale, there's a ton to digest, so we've done our best here to round up our favorite deals. Be sure to share your picks in the comments below.
This isn't an official Black Friday sale, but don't let that stop you from saving lots of cash on PC games. Steam has launched its annual Autumn Sale, which serves as the equivalent of the digital storefront's sale for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Steam operator Valve is known for offering games at a discount for most of the year round, so it takes the annual shopping event as an opportunity to dig even deeper than usual. As a result there are plenty of sales to be had.
The Autumn Sale lasts through November 27 at 10 AM PT. Alongside some of the software listed below, Steam is also offering discounts on its own hardware, like 30% off a Steam Controller, or the soon to be hard-to-find Steam Link for $2.50. In some cases you may be better off using a third-party that distributes Steam codes like Fanatical, so be sure to comparison shop even when the bargains look great.
Alongside the Steam Autumn Sale, the company is hosting the Steam Awards. These user-voted awards are giving accolades for some expected categories like Game of the Year and VR Game of the Year, along with more esoteric categories like The Labor of Love Award and the Best Alternate History Award. Participating by casting your ballot can earn you XP and badges on your Steam profile.
Check out below for a selection of some of our favorite games discounted in the Steam Autumn Sale, and plan your purchases accordingly.
Best Black Friday Deals
All The Game Deals
Valkyria Chronicles 4 - $30
Valkyria Chronicles has had its ups and downs as a series, but this latest entry is a return to form. The strategy series follows a loose retelling of World War 2 as a dreadful fascistic army ruthlessly takes over lands. This being an RPG, of course, the telling is supplemented by magical elements, but Valkyria Chronicles was first and foremost memorable for its strong characters and surprising themes. Valkyria Chronicles 4 takes the series to a new theater of war and adds some new mechanics, but it ultimately keeps all the systems in place that made the original a cult classic.
Buy Valkyria Chronicles 4 on Steam
Read our Valkyria Chronicles 4 review
Yakuza 0 -- $13.39
The long-running Yakuza series is known for its juxtaposition of a serious story and wacky side activity hijinks, and Yakuza 0 makes for a perfect entry point. Set years before previous entries, this serves as a fine introduction to Kiryu and company. While its combat system is fairly basic, it's still satisfying to beat fools down with a giant motorcycle in between karaoke sessions.
Buy Yakuza 0 on Steam
Read our Yakuza 0 review
Hollow Knight -- $10
You're a fragile beetle when you first start Hollow Knight and begin your descent into its massive subterranean world. As you explore, you'll find many powerful enemies, including intimidating bosses that can overtake you in just a few swipes. But if you stick with it, you'll gain all sorts of new powers and abilities, unlocking new areas, and unraveling the many mysteries of this gorgeous underground world. It's an adventure worth taking.
Buy Hollow Knight on Steam
Read our Hollow Knight review
Shadow of the Tomb Raider -- $30
Crystal Dynamics' reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise has been met with quite a bit of acclaim. While Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the third post-reboot entry, stumbled a bit with fans and critics, there's still a lot to like about the game--especially at half off. An even stronger focus on exploring tombs and an emphasis on the dark and spooky dangers within means there are lots of cool depths into which to delve. New stealth mechanics make Lara Croft even deadlier and encourage new strategies. And new DLC through the season pass introduces cooperative play through some puzzle-heavy levels that shift the dynamic of the game. If you're a Tomb Raider fan, this is a great price at which to check out Shadow.
Buy Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Read our Shadow of the Tomb Raider review
Sonic Games -- 66-85% off
Sega's output of games starring its iconic blue hedgehog certainly hasn't slowed down in the mascot's 27-year history. Sonic has had some serious ups and downs in that time, but if you're a hardcore series fan, you're likely in it for the long haul. Luckily for you, many of the blue blur's most iconic adventures and spin-offs are on sale, so if you've been holding off on grabbing certain entries you might've missed, now's your chance.
If you've yet to play any Sonic games, the original Sega Genesis trilogy and the Sonic Adventure games are each priced below $5. You can also pick up the wonderful Sonic Generations for $5, as well as both his kart racing spin-offs together for under $10. But let's face it, the game you should really be playing is Sonic Mania, an astounding throwback adventure that showcases why Sonic games were so fun, while also expanding its fast-paced 2D platforming in new and exciting ways. It'll be the best $6.79 you spend in a long time.
Buy Sonic Mania on Steam
Buy Sonic Generations on Steam
Buy Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on Steam
Buy Sonic the Hedgehog on Steam
Buy Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on Steam
Buy Sonic 3 & Knuckles on Steam
Buy Sonic Adventure 2 on Steam
Read our Sonic Mania review
Read our Sonic Generations review
Read our Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed review
Far Cry 5 -- $30
Traditionally, Far Cry games find Americans traveling to faraway lands that are overtaken by enemy groups you can kill on sight. This year's installment takes place in Hope County Montana, a swath of land that's been seized by an apocalyptic murder cult. Your job is to run, drive, fly, and wingsuit your way into the many enemy compounds dotting the landscape, bringing them down with as much or as little firepower as you see fit. In short, it's a whole lot of dumb fun.
Buy Far Cry 5 on Steam
Read our Far Cry 5 review
Final Fantasy Series -- 50% off
The Final Fantasy series has been around for decades, making big-budget games in the not-always-popular JRPG genre. And unlike some other series--ahem, Dragon Quest--each installment brings new ideas (and usually entirely new worlds) to the table. Most Final Fantasy games are half off on Steam right now, making it a perfect time to fill out your game library with any that are missing. And if you're new to the series, you can try the latest one, Final Fantasy XV, or one of the time-tested classics, like Final Fantasy VII.
Buy Final Fantasy IV on Steam
Buy Final Fantasy VII on Steam
Buy Final Fantasy IX on Steam
Buy Final Fantasy XV on Steam
Read our Final Fantasy XV review
Read our Final Fantasy VII review
Nier Automata -- $30
Nier Automata is much more than the hack-and-slash action RPG you see at first glance. Gameplay-wise, you’ll be tasked to fight from different perspectives and occasionally take control of a mech that transforms the game into a top-down shooter. Being effective in traditional combat means you’ll be dodging at the precise moment and firing off your pod, and you’ll be configuring a chipset that acts as a set of abilities to cater to your playstyle.
However, that’s not what makes Nier Automata the tremendous game it is. Series producer Yoko Taro has a knack for unconventional storytelling, and he pulls out all the stops here. There are many layers to this tale of android existentialism with multiple playthroughs, alternate endings, and ambiguous story elements all contributing its overall impact. Its soundtrack has a significant role, too, as it communicates tone as strongly as any line of dialogue. You’ll be thinking about this game well after you’ve completed all its story paths.
Buy Nier Automata on Steam
Read our Nier Automata review
Resident Evil franchise -- 35-80% off
The granddaddy of the survival horror genre has gone through so many iterations, reboots, alterations, and retcons that there's something for just about anyone to enjoy. The series has been hugely influential through the years, setting the stage for survival horror games of the 1990s with Resident Evil, then upending the formula and redefining third-person shooters with Resident Evil 4. You can get zombie-blasting co-op play in Resident Evil 5 and 6, dial back to a more story-focused experience with the Revelations series, or watch RE simultaneously cover new ground and return to its roots with the excellent Resident Evil 7. If you're a horror fan, there are plenty of Resident Evil games you shouldn't miss, and Steam has them all at deep discounts.
Buy Resident Evil Remaster -- $7.99
Buy Resident Evil 0 Remaster -- $7.99
Buy Resident Evil 4 -- $4.99
Buy Resident Evil 5 -- $4.99
Buy Resident Evil 6 -- $7.49
Buy Resident Evil Revelations -- $6.89
Buy Resident Evil Revelations II: Episode 1 -- $0.89
Buy Resident Evil 7 -- $19.49
Read our Resident Evil 7 review
Dead Cells -- $20
The core of Dead Cells is a hack-'n-slash rogue-lite that sees you fighting your way through a satisfying cycle of killing, dying, learning, and repeating. The game keeps things interesting by interspersing a few minor moments of Metroidvania-inspired exploration, allowing you to find abilities that permanently unlock certain areas. New enemies pop up in every level, and each one proves more challenging than the last. However, Dead Cells' responsive controls and easy-to-grasp mechanics means you're never at a complete disadvantage. Even when you do die, the quick respawn time has you itching to get back into the fight and try out a different strategy or weapon combination against whatever killed you.
Buy Dead Cells on Steam
Read our Dead Cells review
Danganronpa series -- $45
The murder-mystery series of Danganronpa games are all well worth a look for visual novel fans. Each game's cast of distinct, eccentric characters makes the story well worth seeing through, and the class trials where you determine who carried out a murder are almost always full of fun twists. The entire core series can be had for $45 right now, or you can pick up just the first game (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, pictured above) for a mere $10 if you'd prefer to just try a taste. Just be sure to start from the beginning rather than jumping right to the most recent game, Danganronpa V3.
Buy Danganronpa 1/2/V3 -- $45
Buy Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc on Steam -- $10
Buy Danganronpa 1+2 on Steam -- $18
Buy Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair on Steam -- $10
Buy Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony on Steam -- $30
Read our Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc review
Read our Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair review
Read our Danganronpa V3 review
Top Steam Games For Winter Sale 2017
Dragon Quest 11 -- $42
Even in a year rife with marquee releases, the latest chapter in Square Enix's illustrious RPG franchise, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, stands as one of the best games of 2018. Featuring a touching tale, a charming cast of characters, and traditional turn-based combat (accentuated by new mechanics like the pep system), Dragon Quest XI is a must-play for RPG fans. And as one of the more recent releases on this list, Dragon Quest XI hasn't been on the receiving end of too many discounts, making this a good opportunity to pick the game up if you haven't yet.
Buy Dragon Quest XI on Steam
Read our Dragon Quest XI review
Into the Breach -- $10
One of the year's best new strategy games, Into the Breach hasn't seen many discounts, so hacking $5 off an already reasonable price makes this one of the most irresistible deals in Steam's sale. From the same developer as the excellent FTL, Into the Breach puts you in command of a group of mechs on a tile-based map and tasks you with defending buildings from invading monsters. What distinguishes it is the level of transparency it provides: You know exactly what enemies will do on their turn and what effect your actions will have, making it into a game of chess that does away with the guesswork. It's immensely satisfying, particularly when manipulating enemies' positioning to make them attack each other rather than their intended targets.
Buy Into the Breach on Steam
Read our Into the Breach review
Mega Man 11 -- $24
The classic action platforming hero Mega Man just had a return to form with the recent Mega Man 11, and it's on sale along with other games from the blue bomber's back catalog in case you need to catch up. Mega Man 11 can be had for $24, while the Mega Man Legacy Collection Combo Pack is $15 and the Mega Man X Legacy Collection Bundle is $30. If you just need a tiny taste of the classic platformer, your cheapest option is the first piece of the Legacy Collection for just $6.
Buy Mega Man 11 on Steam -- $24
Buy Mega Man Legacy Collection Combo Pack on Steam -- $15
Buy Mega Man X Legacy Collection Bundle on Steam -- $30
Read our Mega Man 11 review
Read our Mega Man Legacy Collection review
Read our Mega Man X Legacy Collection review
Full Metal Furies -- $10
Teamwork makes the dream work in Full Metal Furies, a challenging game that features strategic brawler combat and puzzling riddles. You can either go it alone as two of the four women who compose the Furies, or team up with three others in co-op play. The Furies' quest across their war-torn world to kill the monstrous Titans is not without its drama, but it's mostly a humorous collection of tongue-in-cheek skits. When Triss, Alex, Erin, and Meg aren't goofing off or killing monsters, they're trying to solve the collection of riddles marked on mysterious stones hidden throughout their world. Figuring out each riddle is key to unlocking Full Metal Furies' extended ending, but you'll have to think outside the box--and sometimes even look to resources outside the game itself--to figure them all out.
Buy Full Metal Furies on Steam
Read our Full Metal Furies review
Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe -- $12
In the fictional kingdom of Victusia, Brigadiers protect the land by killing monsters and cooking them into delicious dishes for the hungry population. In Battle Chef Brigade, you play as Mina, an aspiring Brigadier, who runs away from home to pursue her dream. To prove her skill, you'll control Mina through several cooking competitions where you'll have to hunt down specific monsters for the correct ingredients and then play through an intuitive, yet challenging puzzle game in order to cook your dishes to perfection--all while keeping an eye on how much time you have left. It's satisfying to pull off perfect last second combinations in the kitchen, and the well-written story will leave you smiling ear-to-ear from start to finish.
Buy Battle Chef Brigade on Steam
Monster Hunter World -- $40
Capcom's long-running Monster Hunter series has cultivated a passionate following thanks to its deep loot and crafting systems, but the franchise has traditionally struggled to attract a wide audience. That all changed with the release of Monster Hunter World, which makes some smart tweaks to the series' formula in order to to open it up to newer players, all without sacrificing any of the depth that has made it so beloved among fans. With a regular stream of updates and seasonal events, there is plenty to see and do in the New World, whether you're a new hunter or a seasoned veteran.
Buy Monster Hunter World on Steam
New Mac Os 2018
Read our Monster Hunter World review
We’ve just passed the half-way point of 2018, so Ian Gatekeeper and all his fabulously wealthy chums over at Valve have revealed which hundred games have sold best on Steam over the past six months. It’s a list dominated by pre-2018 names, to be frank, a great many of which you’ll be expected, but there are a few surprises in there.
2018 releases Jurassic World Evolution, Far Cry 5 Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Warhammer: Vermintide II are wearing some spectacular money-hats, for example, while the relatively lesser-known likes of Raft, Eco and Deep Rock Galactic have made themselves heard above the din of triple-A marketing budgets.
The complete list is below, or you can find a more visual galley, replete with buy me-buy me-buy me Steam store links over here. The more interesting page for those of us whose jaws remain defiantly stuck to the rest of our faces in response to the news that a lot of people bought Plunkbat, CSGO and GTA V is this one, which breaks down by month which bona fide 2018 new releases sold best. Good work Genital Jousting, Into The Breach (how did that not make the overall best-sellers list? Scandal!) and Monster Prom, for example.
Valve don’t give out any sales details, because they never do (information control is everything), but they do split the overall bestsellers into categories. As such, anything under ‘Platinum’ almost certainly generated unfathomable wealth, while those under Bronze paid off a fair few mortgages. Here we go – and if you want to read any of our coverage on any of these, just click the tag in question below.
Platinum
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Rocket League
Far Cry 5
Grand Theft Auto V
Warframe
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Counter Strike: Global Offensive
Jurassic World: Evolution
Warhammer: Vermintide II
Dota 2
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Gold
Divinity: Original Sin II
Ark: Survival Evolved
Path of Exile
Final Fantasy XV
The Elder Scrolls Online
Assassin’s Creed: Origins
Stellaris
Black Desert Online
Subnautica
Total War: Warhammer II
Dragon Ball Fighter Z
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
Silver
Raft
Frostpunk
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Dead By Daylight
Fallout 4
The Forest
Cities: Skylines
Team Fortress 2
Human Fall Flat
Dying Light
Dark Souls III
Nier: Automata
Slay The Spire
War Thunder
Arma III
Bronze
Hearts of Iron IV
Sniper Elite 4
Surviving Mars
They Are Billions
Northgard
Elite Dangerous
Tom Clancy’s The Division
Eco
Squad
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Age of Empires II HD Edition
NBA2K18
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
theHunter: Call of the Wild
Factorio
Battletech
Final Fantasy XIV Online
Conan: Exiles
Vampyr
Bless Online
Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age
Smite
Stardew Valley
Paladins
Rust
For Honor
Cuphead
House FLipper
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia
Borderlands 2
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Sid Mier’s Civilization V
Payday 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Nioh: Complete Edition
Football Manager 2018
Rimworld
Hunt Showdown
H1Z1
Garry’s Mod
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet
Don’t Starve Together
XCOM 2
Terraria
Total War: Warhammer
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Dark Souls Remastered
Deep Rock Galactic
Crusader Kings II
Just Cause 3
The Sims 3
Darkest Dungeon
Europa Universalis IV
Planet Coaster
Shadowverse CCG
Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr
Watch Dogs 2
Call of Duty WWII
To compare this to last year (as in the whole of 2017), looky-here. Alternatively, for RPS’s own Wot To Play recommendations, take your pick from this lot:
The best PC games of all time
The 50 best FPS on PC
The 50 best strategy games on PC
The 25 best co-op games ever made
The best space games on PC
The best non-violent games
The 14 best Metroidvania
The 10 best hacking, coding and computing games
The 25 best horror games on PC
The 23 best VR games
The 50 best free games on PC
The 10 best games based on movies
The 25 best stealth games on PC
The 25 best action games on PC
The 50 best RPG on PC
The 25 best adventure games ever made
The 25 best puzzle games on PC
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