Steam Bullet Fest 2026 is live until June 15, bringing discounts up to 90% on thousands of games. Returnal, Cuphead, and Resident Evil 4 Remake hit new all-time low prices. Gravity Circuit and Tell Me Why are completely free to keep.
Steam Bullet Fest 2026 is now live and runs until June 15, 2026 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, bringing deep discounts on thousands of shooter, bullet hell, and roguelite titles. Valve’s latest themed sale event is the 12th festival on this year’s Steam event calendar, and it features several new historical low prices alongside two completely free games and a large selection of playable demos.
What Is Steam Bullet Fest?
Bullet Fest is one of Valve’s themed sale events that spotlights a specific category of games. According to Steamworks documentation, the theme covers “games where the screen is a chaos of bullets, either from the player or from enemies.” That includes bullet hell shooters, twin-stick shooters, survivor roguelites, run-and-gun platformers, and classic FPS titles. The event also showcases upcoming releases with playable demos.
This is a week-long sale, not a major seasonal event. The next big seasonal sale on Steam is the Summer Sale, starting June 25 and running until July 9.
Standout Deals at New All-Time Low Prices
Several high-profile titles have dropped to their lowest recorded Steam prices during Bullet Fest 2026. According to SteamDB tracking data, these are the most notable new historical lows:
| Game | Discount | Sale Price (USD) | Steam Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Returnal | 67% off | $19.79 | 79.55% Mostly Positive |
| Cuphead | 40% off | $11.99 | 95.06% Overwhelmingly Positive |
| Resident Evil 4 (2023) | 75% off | $9.99 | 96.17% Overwhelmingly Positive |
| Resident Evil 2 (2019) | 80% off | $7.99 | 95.87% Overwhelmingly Positive |
| Resident Evil Requiem | 20% off | $55.99 | 94.81% Very Positive |
| Path of Exile 2 | 50% off | $14.99 | 73.25% Mostly Positive |
| CONTROL Ultimate Edition | 90% off | $3.99 | 84.81% Very Positive |
| Megabonk | 30% off | $6.99 | 93.21% Very Positive |
| GTFO | 69% off | $12.39 | 82.83% Very Positive |
Cuphead reaching $11.99 is particularly noteworthy. The hand-drawn run-and-gun classic had never dropped below $14.99 before this sale. Similarly, the Resident Evil 4 Remake at $9.99 represents a massive price drop for one of the highest-rated games on Steam.
Best Games Under $10
For budget-conscious players, Bullet Fest has an excellent selection of quality titles under the $10 mark:
- Enter the Gungeon ($2.99, 80% off): One of the best bullet hell roguelites ever made, with hundreds of guns and extremely high replay value. Its all-time low was $1.49, but this is still an excellent price.
- Brotato ($2.99, 40% off): A potato wielding up to six weapons simultaneously in a top-down auto-shooter. Simple, addictive, and rated 94% positive on Steam.
- Vampire Survivors ($3.74, 25% off): The game that launched the entire survivor genre. With a 97% approval rating from over 200,000 reviews, it remains one of Steam’s highest-rated games. DLC packs are also discounted.
- CONTROL Ultimate Edition ($3.99, 90% off): Remedy Entertainment’s award-winning third-person action game with telekinetic powers and a deeply atmospheric world.
- Resident Evil 5 ($4.99, 75% off): Classic co-op action horror from Capcom.
- Mafia: Definitive Edition ($5.99, 85% off): A fully rebuilt open-world crime drama set in the 1930s.
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor ($8.44, 35% off): A single-player auto-shooter spinoff set in the beloved Deep Rock Galactic universe.
- Resident Evil 2 Remake ($7.99, 80% off): Capcom’s masterful reimagining of the 1998 survival horror classic, at its lowest price ever.
- Monster Hunter Rise ($7.99, 80% off): Capcom’s action RPG with hundreds of hours of content, also at its lowest recorded price.
Two Games Are Completely Free
Running alongside Bullet Fest, two games are currently free to claim and keep permanently on Steam:
Gravity Circuit is a Mega Man-inspired 2D platformer from Domesticated Ant Games. It carries an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating (95% positive from over 2,100 reviews) and normally costs $16.99. The giveaway celebrates the announcement of Gravity Circuit 2, coming in 2027. The free claim window closes on June 14.
Tell Me Why is Dontnod Entertainment’s narrative adventure game published by Xbox Game Studios. Originally $19.99, it has become an annual Pride Month giveaway. This time, it is free until July 1. The game holds an 80% positive rating across nearly 8,000 Steam reviews.
Both games are permanent additions to your library once claimed, not trials or temporary access.
Beyond Shooters: Unexpected Deals in the Sale
While Bullet Fest focuses on shooter and bullet-heavy games, the broader Steam sale ecosystem running alongside it includes notable discounts across other genres:
- Sons of the Forest (70% off, $8.99): The survival horror sequel as a Weekend Deal.
- Forza Horizon 5 (50% off, $29.99): Open-world racing in Mexico.
- Sea of Thieves: 2026 Edition (65% off, $13.99): Pirate adventure with ongoing live service content.
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (50% off, $34.99): The latest in the Budokai Tenkaichi series.
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (75% off, $17.49): Sega’s massive JRPG at a new historical low.
- Undertale (75% off, $2.49): The beloved indie RPG for less than a coffee.
Should You Buy Now or Wait for the Steam Summer Sale?
The Steam Summer Sale begins June 25 and runs through July 9. It will cover a much wider catalogue of games with similarly deep discounts. So should you wait?
The answer depends on the specific game. Titles that have hit a new historical low during Bullet Fest (marked in blue on SteamDB) may not reach the same price again during the Summer Sale. Games like Cuphead, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and Returnal are safer to buy now. For games that have been this cheap before, waiting for the Summer Sale is a reasonable strategy since you might find them at the same price or bundled with DLC.
If you are managing a tight budget, prioritise the new all-time lows now and save the rest of your wishlist for the Summer Sale two weeks later.
What Comes After Bullet Fest on Steam?
Steam’s June 2026 schedule is packed:
- Steam Next Fest (June 15-22): Hundreds of free demos for upcoming games, plus developer livestreams.
- Steam Summer Sale (June 25 – July 9): The year’s biggest seasonal sale with platform-wide discounts.
- Social Deduction Fest (July 13-16): Focus on Among Us-style social deduction games.
Tips to Get the Most Out of Steam Sales
Use your wishlist: Add games you want and Steam will email you when they go on sale. During events, wishlisted items appear highlighted in the store.
Check price history: Tools like SteamDB track every game’s price history. Look for the “new historical low” label to identify genuinely exceptional deals.
Consider bundles: Publishers often offer franchise bundles during sales. The Metro series bundle, for example, includes multiple games for under $10 during this event.
Try demos first: Bullet Fest includes playable demos for upcoming titles. Testing before buying is always smart, especially for niche genres like bullet hell.
If you are looking for Steam accounts with established game libraries, you can browse verified listings on GamerMarkt’s Steam account marketplace.
Things Players Often Want to Know
When exactly does Steam Bullet Fest 2026 end?
The sale ends on June 15, 2026 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time (17:00 UTC, 18:00 BST, 19:00 CEST).
What is the single best deal in the sale?
CONTROL Ultimate Edition at 90% off ($3.99) offers the most value per dollar for a premium game. For free-to-keep titles, Gravity Circuit (normally $16.99) is the standout.
Is Bullet Fest only for shooter games?
The theme is shooters and bullet-heavy titles, but the wider Steam store also runs concurrent deals. Games like Mafia: Definitive Edition, Sea of Thieves, and Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero are all discounted despite not being traditional shooters.
Will the Summer Sale have better prices?
Not necessarily. Games at new historical lows during Bullet Fest may not reach the same price during the Summer Sale. The Summer Sale will have a broader selection, but individual prices are not guaranteed to be lower.
