5 best Steam Summer Sales games 2023

an image showing an Elden Ring deal
(Image credit: FromSoftware)

The Steam Summer Sale is back, and you have until July 13 to stock up on its discounted goodies. After all, why go out in the actual summer sun when you could be adding to your Pile of Shame with a huge number of compelling reduced price games. Sunshine is so overrated. 

Below, you’ll find the very best PC games that are available in the Steam Summer Sale 2023. Yes, it’s a small list, but every game below is an absolute classic. We’ve picked a different genre for each entry, and every title below is at least 30% off its regular sales price. 

Whether you’re craving an open-world wonder, a savage shooter or an expertly crafted horror remake, these games are all worthy of your hard-earned cash. 

Elden Ring

elden ring

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

This ambitious rejig of the tried and tested Dark Souls formula took the world by storm upon release. And with good reason: Elden Ring is a modern classic. Mounted combat is perhaps a little messy at times, but hoo-boy what a world. Legendary game director Hidetaka Miyazaki takes everything he learned over the course of the Souls trilogy, infuses it with assured story flourishes added by George R. R. Martin and spreads these fantasy themes across an astonishing map. The Lands Between can take you from serene to suffering in mere seconds, with sights and sounds that dovetail between beauty and barbarism. Oh, and stabbing monsters who look like mummified hyenas is fun, too. 

Elden Ring: was $60 / £50, now $42 / £35 

Doom Eternal  

doom eternal

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Even though it only came out in 2019, Doom Eternal is already iconic. This fast-paced shooter is lean, brutal and utterly relentless. Playing as the Doom Slayer, your mythical mercenary stomps, gouges and garottes anything in his absurdly macho path. This is gaming as its most primal; all searing flashes of violence and instinctive acts of murderous muscle memory. You come, you conquer… you leave every hell beastie in a puddle of its own excrement. Gunplay is tight, monsters are gloriously squishy and every ‘Glory’ kill strings you from one exhilarating shootout to the next in seamless fashion. This is a grimly gleeful celebration of campy monster murder. 

Doom Eternal: was $40 / £35, now $13.19 / £11.54 

Crusader Kings 3

Crusader Kings 3

(Image credit: Paradox Interactive)

This sweeping strategy game is pure soap opera. If you can push past the intimidating opening of Crusader Kings 3, you’ll soon discover a grand RTS that’s seriously messed up. And that’s absolutely a compliment. A twisting game of mediaeval politics and global warfare, one minute you’re crushing the Byzantine Empire, the next you’re worrying about an endless line of backstabbing would-be usurpers. It’s basically Succession: The Game… it just replaces all the “f**k offs'' and sharp suits with old timey treachery and turn-based tactics. It’s also a perfect game for Steam Deck

Crusader Kings 3: was $50 / £42, now $25 / £21 

Forza Horizon 5

Forza horizon 5 screen shot

(Image credit: Playground Games)

The best arcade racer of the past few years is now 50% off in the latest Steam Summer Sale. Playground Games is now a master of the open-world racing genre, and Forza Horizon 5 is as well polished a driving game as you’ll find in 2023. Is the toe-curling ‘niceness’ of the tourist-focused campaign a little patronising? Sure. But the odd annoying co-driver can’t dent the appeal of losing yourself in the astonishing terrain of that sprawling, hugely detailed Mexican map. The PC version of Xbox Series X’s premier racer runs brilliantly, with Horizon 5 boasting the most accessible, instantly enjoyable arcade handling model around. 

Forza Horizon 5: was $60 / £60, now $30 / £30 

Dead Space

Dead Space remake screenshot

(Image credit: EA)

The newest entry on this list, this year’s Dead Space remake serves up spine-shredding survival horror of the highest order. This is a pitch perfect redux of the 2008 classic. All the best scares are left in place, space engineer Isaac Clarke gets fleshed out with a fully voiced performance and EA’s Frostbite Engine breathes new life into the claustrophobic corridors of the USG Ishimura. All these years on, the concept of ‘Resident Evil in space’ is still an electrifying idea, and this superb remake improves on the pacing of the original, while massively improving several annoying boss encounters. 

Dead Space: was $60 / £50, now $42 / £35 

TOPICS
Dave Meikleham
UK Computing Editor

Dave is a computing editor at Tom’s Guide and covers everything from cutting edge laptops to ultrawide monitors. When he’s not worrying about dead pixels, Dave enjoys regularly rebuilding his PC for absolutely no reason at all. In a previous life, he worked as a video game journalist for 15 years, with bylines across GamesRadar+, PC Gamer and TechRadar. Despite owning a graphics card that costs roughly the same as your average used car, he still enjoys gaming on the go and is regularly glued to his Switch. Away from tech, most of Dave’s time is taken up by walking his husky, buying new TVs at an embarrassing rate and obsessing over his beloved Arsenal. 

Read more
Steam Deck OLED
Massive Steam sale offering PC games from under $1 — here's 18 must-buy titles I'd go for
ROG Zephyrus (2024) gaming laptop in white playing Red Dead Redempiton 2, sitting on a table next to a Steam Deck OLED in a white case.
The best PC games of 2025 — our top 17 picks
Steam Deck OLED
5 best games to play first on your new Steam Deck
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle screenshot
The best Steam games in 2025
Stellar Blade screenshot
PlayStation's massive holiday sale just got bigger with PS5 games from $4 — here's my 15 favorite deals
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle screenshot
The best Xbox Series X games in 2025 — our top picks
Latest in PC Gaming
Half-Life 2 RTX
I just went back to Ravenholm in Half-Life 2 RTX — Nvidia’s new RTX remix tech makes it 10x more terrifying
Nvidia ACE
I played with Nvidia's AI NPC prototypes — now they're real, and I fear I'll never finish a game again
Half-Life 2 RTX demo from Orbital Studios
Nvidia launches RTX Remix with new tools to help modders upscale old games with DLSS 4
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT
Where to buy AMD Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT — I recommend these retailers in US and UK
Alienware Aurora R16
11 insider tips to make your games fun faster (without a new GPU)
nvidia rtx 50 series
Where to buy RTX 5070 Ti — live updates and stock checker
Latest in Round Ups
Hisense U7N Mini-LED TV
Best TVs for March Madness 2025 — OLED, QLED, and Mini-LED top picks
Composite image of Lucid Air Pure, Rivian R1T and Kia EV9
I've driven over 30 electric cars in the last year — and these are the coolest features that really stand out for me
iPhone 16e review.
What Tom’s Guide tested this week — the iPhone 16e is the most polarizing phone of the year
A compilation of Fujifilm Instax instant cameras
We’re in the golden age of instant cameras — here are 5 that prove instant photography is evolving
a collage of sleep tech gadgets including sleep headphones, a smart ring, sleep mask, smart bed and sunrise alarm clock
Yes you can buy a better night's sleep — 5 gadgets I recommend after testing them myself
a composition image showing left to right: philips 2000 series air fryer with fries in the basket, nutribullet pro 900w series blender in champagne color, black ninja precision temperature kettle
I’ve reviewed tons of kitchen products — these are the 5 I actually use