Steam Scream Fest 2026, officially Steam Scream V, runs from October 26 to November 2, according to Valve’s Steamworks events calendar, and it should open at 10 a.m. Pacific (17:00 UTC). You don’t have to wait for it, though: plenty of horror games are already discounted on Steam, and several of those deals run right through the end of the fest. All prices below are US Steam prices, checked October 20, 2026 at 16:13 UTC.
- Dates: Monday, October 26 to Monday, November 2, 2026.
- Start time: 10 a.m. PT / 17:00 UTC / 18:00 CET on October 26, when Steam Next Fest ends.
- Ending soonest: Darkwood ($1.99), Alan Wake ($2.24) and F.E.A.R. ($1.99) until October 22, 17:00 UTC.
- No rush: SOMA, Amnesia: The Bunker, Dead by Daylight and The Quarry are already discounted until November 2.
- Free on Epic: two horror games, Sker Ritual and Home, from October 22 to 29.
Still Wakes the Deep is $8.74 on Steam until November 2. Image: The Chinese Room / Secret Mode
Table of Contents
When is Steam Scream Fest 2026?
Valve’s calendar lists Steam Scream V from October 26 to November 2. It’s for “games that fall into the horror category” plus games that are clearly about Halloween. Developers opt in and set their own discounts, so there’s no official deals list until it starts.
The fest takes over from Steam Next Fest and its free demos, which end the same day. German site PC Games puts the start at 18:00 German time. Europe’s clocks go back on October 25, so that’s 17:00 UTC, or 10 a.m. Pacific. US clocks change on November 1, so the publisher discounts already scheduled to end with the fest close at 17:00 or 18:00 UTC on November 2. The next big one, the Steam Winter Sale, runs from December 17 to January 4.
Horror game deals on Steam right now
Sorted by end date. If a deal ends before October 26, it isn’t guaranteed to come back during the fest. The Deck column shows Valve’s Steam Deck rating. This list skips the games in our PC game deals roundup for this week.
| Game | Deal price | Regular | Ends (UTC) | Steam reviews | Deck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darkwood | $1.99 (-90%) | $19.99 | Oct 22, 17:00 | 94% | Verified |
| F.E.A.R. Ultimate Shooter Edition | $1.99 (-80%) | $9.99 | Oct 22, 17:00 | 93% | Playable |
| Alan Wake | $2.24 (-85%) | $14.99 | Oct 22, 17:00 | 89% | Verified |
| Content Warning | $4.95 (-38%) | $7.99 | Oct 22, 17:00 | 93% | Verified |
| No, I’m not a Human | $10.49 (-30%) | $14.99 | Oct 22, 17:00 | 93% | Verified |
| Pacific Drive: Whispers Edition | $17.99 (-60%) | $44.99 | Oct 22, 17:00 | 83% | Playable |
| Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered | $4.99 (-80%) | $24.99 | Oct 23, 17:00 | 90% | Verified |
| Atomic Heart | $11.99 (-80%) | $59.99 | Oct 24, 17:00 | 81% | Verified |
| Tenebris Somnia | $19.99 (-20%) | $24.99 | Oct 30, 17:00 | 94% | Verified |
| Bendy and the Dark Revival | $1.99 (-90%) | $19.99 | Nov 2, 17:00 | 92% | Playable |
| Amnesia: The Dark Descent | $3.99 (-80%) | $19.99 | Nov 2, 17:00 | 95% | Playable |
| Amnesia: The Bunker | $4.99 (-80%) | $24.99 | Nov 2, 17:00 | 93% | Verified |
| SOMA | $5.99 (-80%) | $29.99 | Nov 2, 17:00 | 95% | Verified |
| Still Wakes the Deep | $8.74 (-75%) | $34.99 | Nov 2, 17:00 | 87% | Playable |
| The Quarry | $5.99 (-90%) | $59.99 | Nov 2, 18:00 | 83% | Unsupported |
| Dead by Daylight | $7.99 (-60%) | $19.99 | Nov 2, 18:00 | 78% | Verified |
| Phasmophobia | $13.99 (-30%) | $19.99 | Nov 2, 18:00 | 94% | Playable |
Buy before October 22
Darkwood is the best value here: $1.99 for a top-down survival horror game with 94% positive reviews. Alan Wake is $2.24, which is a cheap way to catch up on the story before playing anything newer in the series. Pacific Drive’s deal is on the Whispers Edition, and at $17.99 it’s actually cheaper than the standard edition’s full $29.99 price.
A neon city map in Dead by Daylight, $7.99 on Steam until November 2. Image: Behaviour Interactive
Deals that already last through Scream Fest
Frictional Games fans can buy SOMA, Amnesia: The Bunker and Amnesia: The Dark Descent for $14.97 together, and all three deals last until November 2. Dead by Daylight is $7.99 and Phasmophobia is $13.99, both until November 2, 18:00 UTC. They’re the co-op picks for a Halloween week with friends. Tenebris Somnia only came out on October 16 and is already 20% off; our Tenebris Somnia endings guide covers how long it takes to beat. The Quarry is $5.99, but Valve rates it Unsupported on Steam Deck, so it’s a better buy if you play on a desktop PC.
SOMA's flooded research base; the game is $5.99 until November 2. Image: Frictional Games
Big horror games that aren’t on sale yet
When we checked, these were all at full price on Steam: Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Village ($39.99 each), Silent Hill 2 ($69.99), Dead Space ($59.99), Alien: Isolation ($39.99), Little Nightmares II ($29.99), Mouthwashing ($12.99), Lethal Company ($9.99) and Outlast ($14.99). We don’t know which of them will get a Scream Fest discount. Wishlist them, and Steam can email you when one goes on sale.
Free horror games and other scares
From October 22 at 15:00 UTC until October 29, the Epic Games Store is giving away two horror games, Sker Ritual and Home; see our Epic free games guide for Sker Ritual and Home. If you’d rather not spend anything, these Fortnite horror map codes are free to play during Fortnitemares.
FAQ
When is the Steam Halloween sale in 2026?
Steam’s Halloween event is Steam Scream V. It runs from October 26 to November 2, 2026, according to Valve’s Steamworks calendar.
What time does Steam Scream Fest start?
It should start at 10 a.m. Pacific on October 26, which is 17:00 UTC and 18:00 in Central Europe.
Will prices drop again during Scream Fest?
Valve doesn’t publish fest prices in advance, so nobody can promise that. Deals that already run until November 2 give you no reason to wait. For deals ending October 22-26, waiting is a gamble.
Sources: Steamworks: Upcoming Steam Events, Steam store data (US prices, end times and Steam Deck ratings, checked October 20, 2026, 16:13 UTC), PC Games, Epic Games Store promotions data.
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Featured image: Frictional Games
