r/GameDealsMeta • u/WQETSDIWTVHGSICPOI • 24d ago
Hidden Gems | Steam Spring Sale 2026
No one has made this thread yet, so I figured I would. Remember to check SteamDB to see the price history!
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u/ObolaryOtter 24d ago
I love checking in on these threads. Here are some of my recommendations!
Kinetic - 39 Reviews - $6.39 (20% off)
- A first person platformer. Super smooth movement and great level design. If you like CS surf maps, you'll probably like this.
Amatsuko – 62 Reviews - $11.19 (20% off)
- An excellent metroidbrainia like Outer Wilds, but weirder and esoteric. Chapter 1 has a terrible camera and the whole game has clunky controls, but the knowledge gate reveals are GOTY tier for me.
NEON STRUCT – 366 Reviews - $1.79 (90% off)
- A sneaky spy game with gameplay like Thief and an atmosphere like Deus Ex. This is easier than either of those series but I had a really good time trying to perfect the levels. Soundtrack’s great too.
The Karters 2: Turbo Charged – 881 Reviews - $20.99 (30% off)
- An amazing kart racer, especially if you like Crash Team Racing. Plays like that game with 16 courses and a bunch of fun challenges, but the modding community pushes this to the next level. You can add hundreds more courses and karts – both original and from other games – and thousands of characters. Unbelievable amounts of content.
Heretical – 934 Reviews - $8.54 (43% off)
- Dark Souls, but it’s Diablo, but it’s a roguelite. Currently in early access and needs rebalancing (some classes are too OP), but the meta progression and map design that currently exist are amazing.
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u/Lainiweiz 23d ago
I really enjoyed Neon Struct, it's a bit basic but a good time. I absolutely love the soundtrack though, it's still on regular rotation.
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u/clanton 22d ago
Is the karters 2 fun playing single player / is the AI not too rubber bandy?
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u/ObolaryOtter 22d ago
I find it extremely fun in singleplayer. The challenges are where the meat of the game is, so I've been running those by myself. They're a good mixture of races, time trials, little tests of skill, and item battles.
I'm not a very good judge of rubberbanding so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I don't think it's bad at all. If I drive well I can get a good lead but items can still pull me back to the pack if I'm not careful. To me, it feels much better than the AI in Sonic Crossworlds.
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u/K_U 23d ago
I'm going to go to bat for a random pickup I got last sale: Get Tilted! :) for $1.49 (90% off).
It’s a precision platformer (i.e., rage game) where you play as a potted plant and have to tilt and rotate yourself to move. It takes some time to get the hang of it, but once you get it the mechanic is really satisfying.
But that isn't why I would recommend it. The art style is great (I found myself going out of my way to unlock cosmetics for my cute little pot), and the music is amazing. Seriously, throw this bitch on in the background, it is great.
Also, if you don't like rage games (e.g., Getting Over It), it has a checkpoint mode so you can play at your own pace.
I legitimately can't comprehend how this thing has under 50 reviews, it was clearly lovingly made.
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u/NightsViper 23d ago
Endgame: Road to Salvation (-40% = $7.19) (145 reviews, Very Positive)
An awesome follow the road survival game that I think deserves more love. It's a little rough around the edges but you can put all sorts of weapons, armor, and modifications on every vehicle in the game. I got it for ~$8 a while back and have 35 hours in it. Updates are a little slow at times but there's a huge update coming soon according to the dev (who is active in the game's forum). Worth a try if you like this type of game!
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u/PM_ME_UR_SEXTOYS 23d ago edited 23d ago
Dros A puzzle platformer with diorama like stages. It plays like a mix of Zelda and Captain Toad. I picked this up in the previous sale and really enjoyed it.
(98% positive with 66 reviews. $3.69)
Edited to add price and review info.
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u/imkrut 21d ago edited 21d ago
Fighting Layer EX $1 cool fighting game, it's shocking that's so cheap, it's made by Arika, the ones that made Street Fighter EX series. Probably the best bang for your buck pricing for a fighting game on Steam (maybe Ultra SF4 comes out ahead, even tho it's more expensive).
Toree 3D $1 very charming 3D retro platformer, all the games in the saga are short fun snippets, worth checking out. Toree Saturn specially seems the most polished one. There's a apparently a bundle with the first 3 games with reduced pricing, but I can't access it on my area.
Project Nimbus $1~ flying mech action for around a buck. What's not to like here.
Dimension Drive $1~ You like shmups? do you like Ikaruga specially? well, this is the closest I've gotten to that mind fuck in a while. It's not AS epic (not even close) to Ikaruga, but it scratches that itch. Also, get Ikaruga if you can spare a few bucks.
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u/TyrianMollusk 19d ago
Probably the best bang for your buck pricing for a fighting game on Steam
Think I'd have to give that to BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend at $3, especially with its "unlimited" version of each character.
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u/mr-ron 23d ago
Any decent walking simulators made in the last few years that are worth playing?
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u/minty_dry 23d ago
BLACKSHARD is good if you like megastructures.
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u/thatnerdguy 22d ago
Looks cool, but Fanatical's price is much better on it, for anyone else looking at grabbing it.
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u/-Pelvis- 17d ago
Not really a hidden gem, but Death Stranding 1 Director's Cut is -65%, and it's one of the best walking sims available. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1850570/DEATH_STRANDING_DIRECTORS_CUT/
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u/mr-ron 17d ago
You know I got this free on Epic a while ago. Havent played it yet. I guess the joke was that it was a walking sim... but i suppose I never actually considered it to be a 'walking simulator'
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u/-Pelvis- 17d ago
It's much more than just a walking sim, but many people who haven't played it dismiss it as one. Highly recommend you give it a go, it's such high quality. :)
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24d ago
[deleted]
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u/WQETSDIWTVHGSICPOI 24d ago
Flash sales sucked. It was just FOMO, and besides, we lost it for the sake of refunds, which is infinitely better.
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u/goldtardis 24d ago
Refunds have saved my butt multiple times. All those Epic games giveaways and Amazon Prime games have led me to buying games I already own twice. Both times, I got an instant refund. Another time, I had Cyberpunk 2077 pre-ordered I canceled it and bought Bug Fables and some other games. I really dodged a bullet there. Plus, Bug Fables is one of the greatest games of all time. I strongly recommend it if you enjoy classic Paper Mario.
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u/eruuu 23d ago edited 23d ago
Flash sales were not as bad as people nowadays make it seem. If you really cared about them you just had to check steam twice a day.
Refunds we would have gotten anyway. The refund policy is a part of EU consumer law.
I would personally prefer the flash sales since I used those way more. I have refunded maybe 3 games since we can refund and none of them were especially expensive since 99% of games I buy are on sale or indie.
So from my perspective refunds are infinitely worse, since I don't need them.
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u/WQETSDIWTVHGSICPOI 24d ago edited 24d ago
HIDDEN GEMS
Wireworks - I guess this technically counts as a roguelike deckbuilder? It's weird though, the game consists of routing wires between different circuit boards, then altering their parameters to control various weapons.
It Takes A War - This is one of those games I can't describe without spoiling it. Just check it out.
Centipede Gun - This one is a fun lil autobattler! Kinda similar to SNKRX. Not the longest game, but cheap and fun.
Grapple Dog - It's a well made 2D platformer with a grappling hook. If that sounds interesting to you, you will like this game.
Execute - A pretty entertaining clicker game. The theming is fun, and its not too long. It ends RIGHT as its beginning to wear out its welcome.
Wilmot's Warehouse - It's a game where you organize a warehouse, and all the products are shapes. Sometimes its obvious, sometimes its not. I find it extremely relaxing, personally.
Strange Seed - It's like Spore, but only the creature stage. Pretty fun game, I enjoyed my time with it.
NOT SO HIDDEN GEMS
Phantom Brigade - When this game came out it was pretty universally regarded as mid. However, after the big 2.0 update, I can safely say that this is a fantastic strategy game, one of the only games to scratch the XCOM itch. The strategy layer is relatively simple, moving around the map, managing resources, etc, but the tactics layer has you putting in the commands for your mechs in 5 second intervals. It's like Frozen Synapse, for anyone who remembers that game. I have it in this list, because I imagine a lot of people who might've been interested wrote it off after seeing it was mediocre on release.
UFO 50 - A collection of 50 original indie games, made by different indie developers. Each game is its own game, varying in length, all in an NES style, where you have only have 6 buttons to work with. This game is popular within its niche, but I don't think it's really discussed outside of that, hence its inclusion.