Steam winter sale 2016 start date confirmed by PayPal

For gamers, no holiday season is complete without the Steam winter sale, and now we know when this year's event is going to kick off. Steam's holiday sale is usually its biggest of the year, typically offering two weeks of deep discounts on most of its game catalog. Thanks to PayPal's UK arm, we know that the festivities begin later this week.

The official start for the Steam winter sale is Thursday, December 22. That's a mere two days away, so if holiday shopping hasn't already done a number on your bank account, you'll be able to pick up some games on the cheap. The winter sale closely follows the Steam autumn sale, but despite that, you should be able to find deeper discounts in the one that's coming up.

Speaking of the autumn sale, Steam also announced the finalists for the Steam Awards today. Games were selected by Steam users during the autumn sale, and beginning on December 22, you'll be able to vote for your favorite finalist in each category.

One category will be up for a vote each day, and voting will remain open for 24 hours. Voting for all four write-in categories will commence on December 30, and then the winners will be revealed on New Year's Eve. Expect a day of highlighted deals for all of the games that win awards.

There's no word on when the Steam winter sale will end, but expect it to last at least a few days into January. Just as well, PayPal UK doesn't say what time the sale will begin, but it seems safe to assume it'll be underway starting at 1 PM Eastern. We'll let you know when the sale officially kicks off, so keep it here for more.

SOURCE: PayPal UK