Steam‘s winter sale has become one of the most anticipated dates in the gaming calendar, with cheap PC games an ever tantalising proposition. Now, Valve has confirmed the Steam holiday sale start date – December 19.
The platform holder confirmed the news in a press release about the 2019 Steam Awards, whose categories have been revealed. Games are competing for eight awards this year, including four new ones. Those categories are: Game of the Year, VR Game of the Year, Labour of Love, Better with Friends, Most Innovative Gameplay, Outstanding Story-Rich Game, Best Game You Suck At, and Outstanding Visual Style.
Each category’s nominees will be revealed daily, while community voting will begin on Steam itself on December 19 alongside the start of the Steam winter sale. Voting closes on New Year’s Eve at 09:00 PT / 12:00 ET / 17:00 GMT.
It’s not yet clear which games will be nominated for the awards – or which will be discounted in the sale. An alternative ceremony, The Game Awards, will be broadcast live very soon, however. Check out details on how to watch The Game Awards livestream and its start time for more.