Matt Vieten
Founder of ATLGames.io and the person behind every article on it. Software developer by trade, Steam customer since 2007, and the one who answers the contact address.
Background
I have been buying PC games on Steam since 2007 and tracking what they actually cost for most of that time, first in a spreadsheet and then in the tool that became this site. ATLGames started as a weekend project to watch a handful of wishlist games; it grew into a tracker that records price history for more than a hundred thousand titles because friends kept asking for the link.
I work as a software developer, which is why the site leans on computed evidence rather than opinion. The question I care about is the one every Steam buyer eventually asks — is this price actually good, or does it just look good next to the sticker — and the price history is the only honest way to answer it.
How the articles are produced
Every article on ATLGames is written by me. The data studies are computed from the site's own recorded price history — sale events, discount depths, dates — and each one states its sample size and method. The buying guides come from my own purchasing habits and the patterns the data keeps confirming. Nothing is sponsored, nothing is supplied by publishers, and the Steam links do not pay a commission; the full editorial policy is on the methodology page.
Corrections and questions go to contact@atlgames.io. I read every message.
Articles by Matt Vieten
- Data Study··7 min readSteam Sales Start on Thursdays and Mondays: 70% of Discounts Begin on Two Days
Every recorded sale start sorted by weekday: Thursday 39%, Monday 31%, the weekend under 6%. Why Valve owns Thursday and publishers own Monday, and the two-day checking routine that covers almost everything.
- Data Study··9 min readHow Often Do Steam Games Actually Go on Sale? What 264,868 Recorded Discounts Say
Every discount period in the ATLGames price history, counted: how often the typical game goes on sale, how long sales last, how rarely a discount sets a new all-time low, and how deep games eventually go.
- Data Study··8 min readThe Quality Premium: Why the Best-Reviewed Steam Games Discount Less (and How Long to Wait for Them)
Games rated 95% positive bottom out at a median 66% off; games under 80% reach 90%. Every rating band and every genre goes on sale on the same six-week rhythm. What that means for how long you should wait.
- Sale Strategy··8 min readSteam's Sale Calendar by the Numbers: Which Months Actually Have the Most Discounts
264,868 recorded sale starts sorted by month. June, December, March and November hold half of all discounts; July and August are the dead zone; October is the sleeper month. A month-by-month waiting guide.
- Buying Strategy··9 min readSteam Deck Verification and Regional Pricing: Two Deal Modifiers Most Buyers Ignore
Deck Verified status and regional pricing tiers both change which Steam deals are actually worth taking. A practical guide to using both as part of your buying decision.
- Buying Guide··9 min readReading Steam Reviews Without Getting Played: What the Headline Score Hides
The Very Positive label hides almost everything useful. A 60-second framework for reading Steam reviews — recent-vs-overall divergence, playtime filters, and review-bomb patterns — that catches problems the score misses.
- Buying Strategy··9 min readWishlist Discipline That Actually Works: Pruning a 200-Game List Back to a Working Queue
A 200-game Steam wishlist is worse than a 25-game wishlist. A three-tier structure and a 20-minute quarterly pruning ritual that keeps the wishlist useful instead of overwhelming.
- Genre Guide··8 min readCo-op Game Deal Timing: Coordination Costs More Than Price
Co-op buying is a coordination problem, not a price problem. How to time multipack purchases, use free weekends as a coordination signal, and stop wasting deals nobody plays.
- Buying Strategy··8 min readStop Treating the Steam Refund Window as an Emergency Exit
Steam’s two-hour refund window is a built-in trial period, not a backup plan. How to use it deliberately on every full-price purchase and which buying scenarios it changes the most.
- Genre Guide··11 min readThe Patient Strategy Game Buying Guide: Expansion Bundles, Paradox Pricing, and 4X Cycles
Strategy games have the longest viable lifespan and the most patient discount cycles of any Steam genre. A practical guide to waiting for the right bundle and the right seasonal window.
- Buying Strategy··9 min readThe Pre-Order Bonus Trap: Why Almost Every Steam Pre-Order Is Worse Than a One-Week Wait
Pre-order bonuses are designed to suppress patience, not reward loyalty. A category-by-category breakdown of which bonuses actually matter and which are marketing dressing.
- Genre Guide··10 min readHow to Spot a Real RPG Deal on Steam (and Why Launch Discounts Almost Never Are)
RPG discounts look biggest at launch, but the genuine price floors land 12 to 24 months in with the definitive edition. A phase-by-phase guide to which RPG deals are real and which are early-adopter premiums in disguise.
- Genre Guide··10 min readWhy Indie Games Hit Their Price Floor Faster Than AAA Titles (and What That Means for Buyers)
Indie games on Steam settle into their genuine historical low within 6 to 12 months and then revisit it every seasonal sale. A practical guide to the four-stage indie price arc and when to actually buy.
- Buying Guide··8 min readIs the Current Steam Sale Actually a Good Deal? Here’s How to Tell
A practical, opinionated framework for separating real Steam discounts from inflated "savings". With examples, common traps, and a checklist you can use in 30 seconds.
- Sale Strategy··10 min readWhen to Wait, When to Buy: The 2026 Steam Sale Calendar Explained
Steam runs four major seasonal sales plus a dozen themed events every year. Here’s what each one is actually good for — and which titles tend to hit their lowest prices when.
- Budgeting··9 min readThe 12-Month Rule for Buying AAA Games on Steam
Why most big-budget PC games become dramatically better buys within a year, how deep the first real discounts usually go, and the narrow cases where paying full price still makes sense.
- Bundle Math··8 min readComplete Edition or Base Game First? The DLC Math That Actually Saves Money
A practical way to decide whether bundles, deluxe editions, and season passes are worth buying now or whether you should stick to the base game and wait.
- Backlog··7 min readStop Buying Games for Future You
A backlog rule for Steam buyers who keep grabbing technically good deals on games they do not have the time, mood, or intention to play soon.