Top games to buy before Steam Summer Sale ends

July 7, 2021

by Jessica Scharnagle

Gamers around the world open up their wallets during the summer because Steam has their annual Summer Sale, which is one of the best sales of the entire year along with their Winter Sale.

There isn’t much time left to pick up deeply discounted games since the sale ends Thursday. If you need help deciding what to pick up before the Steam Summer Sale ends, here are 11 games that are solid additions to any gamers’ Steam collection.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection $19.99 (50% off)

Halo Infinite comes out later this year, which means longtime fans and newcomers alike would benefit from having the entire collection in one place. Halo: The Master Chief Collection includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo 4 and Halo: Reach. The only game missing from this collection is Halo 5, but for $19.99, it’s hard to beat all of those games packaged into one.

The Sims 4 $4.79 (88% off) / Cats and Dogs bundle $17.14 (81% off)

The Sims 4 is a highly versatile game that most anyone can play. Create-A -Sim and get to controlling every single aspect of their life. For under $5, the base game is a good start to getting new Simmers immersed in the world of The Sims 4.

One of the most loved expansion packs for The Sims 4 is Cats & Dogs, which is currently bundled with the base game for $17.14. Players can adopt dogs and cats, or create their own in Create-A-Sim. The pack also adds a plethora of new items, hairstyles, clothing and the ability to run your very own veterinary practice!

Ori and the Will of the Wisps $14.99 (50% off)

If it were up to me this game would have won all the awards at least year’s Game Awards. Start your journey with Ori in the first iteration of the game, Ori and the Blind Forest, which is currently selling for $4.99. Then, once you’ve cried your eyes out over that one, jump straight into the conclusion to the series with Will of the Wisps.

Fans of rich story, beautiful art and music that will multiply every emotion 100 times over will love this series. In addition to the visuals, the gameplay is fun and challenging. Achievement hunters will love the challenge of beating the entire game without dying, and casual players will love the exploration and story the game provides.

Detroit: Become Human $19.99 (50% off)

For fans of games that tell a story that has multiple outcomes, Detroit: Become Human is a good one to add to their Steam libraries. Players are given many choices and then shown how their choices influence the way the story is molded. There is a web of scenes that the player gets to see after every chapter in order to see what they might have missed.

With a star-studded cast that includes the likes of Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy), Clancy Brown (Carnivale) Lance Henriksen (Aliens), Bryan Dechart (True Blood) and Valorie Curry (Twilight), players are sure to get well-told stories with branching narratives.

Dark Souls III $14.99 (75% off)

Although this is not my cup of tea, the Dark Souls franchise is loved by many gamers and is on a pretty steep discount of just $15.99. Players interested in the franchise can also pick up Dark Souls II for $9.99, but in order to complete the collections, it looks like the only available version of the first game is through the remaster, which is currently listed for its full price of $39.99.

This game is a no-brainer for fans of difficult RPGs set in a fantasy world. Just try not to rage too hard when you die for the hundredth time.

Planet Zoo $20.24 (55% off)

Coming from it’s successful predecessor Planet Coaster, Frontier released Planet Zoo in 2019, and they haven’t stopped putting out DLCs since. The base game of Planet Zoo is expansive enough that players could play it and not feel like they are missing anything, but the DLCs do have some pretty awesome animals in them, and most of them are also discounted for the Summer Sale.

With the exception of its most recent Africa Pack, all of the DLC packs are between $6.49 and $7.99. Those who already enjoy the game and looking to pick up one of the DLCs can’t go wrong with the Arctic pack, which not only adds Arctic animals such as polar bears and seals, but also adds some new decorations that make building more fun.

Sea of Thieves $26.79 (33% off)

Ever wanted to be a pirate? Sea of Thieves allows players to live out their pirate fantasies in the game, and players will get a free update that went live late June that added Captain Jack Sparrow from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean expansion.

There are new stories, new areas, new enemies and new cosmetics for players to grab with the new content. It’s a great time for new players to join in on the fun, and although it isn’t the deepest discount on this list, the brand new content makes this game worth picking up at the sale price.

Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition $29.99 (40% off)

In this action RPG, you will play as Aloy, who is determined to explore and unravel the mysteries of a future Earth ruled by machines. Stunning visuals and fun gameplay will get fans interested, and the story and Aloy’s character will keep fans playing.

The machines get bigger and bigger as you progress, but players will be able to upgrade Aloy’s abilities, weapons and gear in order to conquer the next big machine.

Originally released on the PlayStation 4, Horizon Zero Dawn was ported to Steam late last year. Although fans are hoping the sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, will eventually come to PC, the continuation of Aloy’s story will only be playable on the PS4 and PS5 upon its release. There is no release date for the sequel (although it’s supposed to be later this year), so players have plenty of time to pick up Horizon Zero Dawn and get caught up on the story by the time Horizon Forbidden West comes out.

It Takes Two $29.99 (25% off)

There aren’t many co-op RPG games out there, at least none that are good enough for me to pick up and play with my gaming partner. While we haven’t finished it, we’ve been quite enjoying the diverse gameplay It Takes Two has to offer and are quite invested in the story.

It Takes Two centers around two parents who have been turned into dolls after their daughter learns of their impending divorce and cries magical tears on their doll forms. The feuding pair are then forced to work together to figure out how to get back into their human bodies.

There are some hysterical moments in the game, but the best moments come when I make my friend fall when he’s depending on me to keep his platform floating, or when I can literally nail him into the floor at the beginning of the game. Beware who you play this one with.

Although this is not a very steep discount, it should be noted that the $30 price tag gets you a copy of the game and a buddy pass for whoever you decide to play with. For both you and your friend to play, only one of you needs to purchase the game.

Death Stranding $23.99 (60% off)

Action fans will enjoy this Hideo Kojima-directed game that follows a cataclysmic event in which destructive creatures began roaming the Earth. The player controls Sam Porter Bridges, voice acted by Norman Reedus, who is a courier tasked with delivering supplies to isolated colonies.

Kojima refers to the game as a “strand game,” which is an original genre characterized by the game’s social features. Kojima himself compared Death Stranding’s genre to his previous game, Metal Gear which is now considered a stealth game, but at the time it came out, there was no such thing as a stealth genre game.

The game's “strand” feature comes about in the form of the Chiral Network, where players can leave supplies, structures, and messages that can be used and viewed by other players. Cargo lost by other players also can be recovered and used to complete deliveries.

For a game that was just released on PC a year ago, the $23.99 price tag is a great price for a game with new and unique gameplay.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI $14.99 (75% off)

“Just one more turn” strikes again with the sixth version of the Civilization franchise, and boy is Gandhi still spicy. Although Meier finally debunked the theory that Gandhi’s trigger happiness isn’t a bug, you’ll still want to steer clear of him in Civ 6 if you don’t want to be nuked into oblivion.

The game is on a steep 75% discount and fans will get hours and hours of gameplay out of it once they’re truly invested. A typical game lasts eight or more hours, but it depends on how the game is set up.

Narrated by the great Sean Bean, players enter into a world and try to settle their civilizations better than all of the other civilizations. Gameplay can be quick or take place over multiple play sessions. For a normal-paced game, players should be aware that time passes very quickly while they’re having fun pissing off other civs, but there’s always just one more turn!

Lead image credit: Microsoft / Xbox