This Week’s Steam Game Sales: Is the Hype Worth It?
This week’s major Steam game sales center on two limited-time events: Steam Train Fest, which discounts a wide range of rail-themed PC games, and a separate Need for Speed franchise promotion that cuts nearly every modern entry in EA’s racing series to single-digit prices, giving budget-conscious players a short window to grab complete collections at unusually high percentage discounts. Verdict: for anyone who enjoys racers or train sims, these are worthwhile deals, especially if you plan to build out a long-term library rather than buy one or two titles. The combined promotions feature discounts that reach as high as 95 percent on individual games, which is the kind of sale depth that rarely appears outside of themed Steam events and big seasonal campaigns.
In one line: every Need for Speed game on Steam is currently 90–95% off, while Steam Train Fest cuts more than a dozen rail titles by up to 90%, with Train Simulator Classic’s massive DLC library reduced by roughly 55%.
Need for Speed Discount: The Entire Series for Less Than One New Release
If you care about racing games, the Need for Speed discount is the standout deal this week. Until August 13, every Need for Speed game available on Steam carries a 90–95% discount, putting each entry under £5 and most under £3. That means you can cheaply fill out your library with classics like Hot Pursuit, newer arcade-style entries, and the latest title, Need for Speed Unbound from 2022. As one source sums it up, “Every game in the series (that is available on Steam) carries a 90–95% discount.” The catch: fan-favourite older PC versions such as Underground, Underground 2, the original Most Wanted, and Carbon have been delisted from online storefronts, so discs are your only route if you want those specific games.
There is also a long-term downside. EA has confirmed that Criterion is now focused solely on Battlefield, leaving Need for Speed without a primary developer and effectively freezing the franchise’s future. That makes this sale feel like both a farewell tour and a last chance to own the series on PC in an easy, legal way. If you ever considered grabbing Need for Speed entries during smaller Steam game sales, this promotion beats those offers by a huge margin and is unlikely to be surpassed often.
Steam Train Fest Deals: Rail Games and DLC Slashed Hard
On the simulation side, Steam Train Fest is running on the Trains category page until July 27, cutting prices on more than a dozen rail-themed PC games by as much as 90 percent. Valve’s official trailer highlights 14 titles, covering everything from hardcore simulators like Train Sim World 6 to network-building strategy in Railway Empire 2 and Transport Fever 2, plus lighter puzzle experiences such as Mini Metro and co-op construction game Unrailed 2: Back on Track. Several of these are at or near historic lows; one outlet notes that the murder-mystery adventure Loco Motive sits at 40% off, marking its lowest price to date. The range of games means that whether you want to drive trains, build timetables, or design networks, there is at least one discounted option that fits.
The deepest structural discount belongs to Train Simulator Classic’s enormous DLC catalog. A pricing breakdown puts the full-price value of its add-ons at USD 15,621.11 (approx. RM71,800), dropping to roughly USD 6,933.80 (approx. RM32,000) during Train Fest, a reduction of about 55%. Few players will buy the entire 790-piece catalog, but that figure shows how heavily individual routes and locomotives are cut for long-time fans. Meanwhile, Train Sim World 6 anchors the premium end of the lineup with an 80 percent reduction across Standard, Deluxe, and Special Editions on Steam, matching the discount the developer is running through the event. In short, if you play rail sims regularly, this is one of the better windows to expand your collection without paying full price for multiple DLC packs.
How These Sales Stack Up for Budget PC Gamers
From a value perspective, this week’s promotions are targeted at players who want long-lasting libraries, not quick one-and-done purchases. On the racing side, the Need for Speed discount turns a full franchise buy-in into a small fraction of what you would normally pay, and every modern entry that remains on Steam is available for less than £5. On the rail side, Steam Train Fest folds together high-end simulators, indie puzzlers, and management games into one themed storefront run, putting many titles at steep discounts and chopping a famously expensive DLC ecosystem by more than half. Both events can be combined with other PC games on sale across Steam this weekend, which include notable markdowns on Resident Evil Requiem, Marathon, Hades 2, and more.
Because these are limited-time events, timing matters. Steam Train Fest is live from Monday, July 20 at 10am Pacific and closes Monday, July 27, giving you roughly a week to act on the rail discounts. The Need for Speed sale runs longer, until August 13, but it is still a defined window rather than a permanent price cut. Given the depth of these promotions and the uncertainty around future Need for Speed support, waiting for better deals is unlikely to pay off. For budget-focused PC players who want either racers or train sims, the answer is simple: these are strong offers, and skipping them should be a deliberate choice, not an accident.
Buy if / Skip if
- Buy the Steam sales if you want to build a large Need for Speed collection at once for far less than usual while the 90–95% discounts last.
- Skip the Steam sales if you only dabble in racers or sims and prefer to wait for individual PC games on sale that you will play immediately.
- Buy the Steam sales if you are invested in rail simulators and want to expand Train Simulator Classic or Train Sim World 6 with DLC while the catalog is down roughly 55%.
- Skip the Steam sales if franchise ownership is not important to you and you would rather subscribe or stream games than commit to permanent library purchases.
- Buy the Steam sales if themed events like Steam Train Fest and deep Steam Train Fest deals appeal to you as rare chances to grab multiple rail titles together.
- Skip the Steam sales if you are aiming for only the oldest delisted Need for Speed entries, since those specific versions are not available on Steam.
