Valve Corp.’s Steam store is well known for some amazing sales on video games, especially the summer and winter sales, which have become the equivalent of Black Friday for gamers.

With prices slashed by as much as 75 percent or higher and many games selling for only a few dollars, Steam sales are an excellent time to pick up all of the titles you have put off buying, but sometimes the mix of Daily Deals, bundles and Flash Sales can make it hard to tell if you should buy now or wait a little longer.

With the Steam Summer Sale coming just around the corner (June 11, supposedly), now is the perfect time to learn how you can take full advantage of the sales without missing out on the best deals.

When to buy

The most important thing to understand is that over the course of an entire Steam sale, games can be sold at several different discounts. Many games are discounted a small amount for the whole sale, but they can also be a Daily Deal or Flash Sale, significantly lowering the price for a limited time.

Here are the main types of sales that are usually available:

• Regular Discounts: Many games discounted by a small amount for the entirety of the Steam Sale.
• Daily Deals: Last 48 hours from the time they go up, giving you time to decide if you really want them.
• Flash Sales: Last around 12 hours from the time they go up.
• Community Choice: Last for a day. Voted on from several choices by the Steam community.

Here is a simple flowchart to help you decide if you should buy now or wait.

If you missed a game you wanted on a Flash Sale or Daily Deal, don’t worry too much. Often a Daily Deal one day will end up as a Flash Sale or Community Choice on another, and vice versa. On the last day there will sometimes be an Encore Sale, which includes discounts equivalent to Daily Deals on several of the most popular games from the sales.

Steam lists the last day of the sale at the top of the store, and it is important to note that the sale stops in the middle of the day on that date. So if the store says the sale ends June 6, then it will end around 10 AM PST on that day. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it runs through the end of the day.

Compare bundles to single games

Some games are sold in a package deal, such as publisher packs and indie game packs. These bundles can be a great way to get a lot of games at once, but they are not always the best deals.

Usually package deals allow you to buy several games together at a discounted rate, but sometimes it is actually cheaper to buy the games separately instead of buying them packaged together. Before buying any game packs, be sure to check the individual game prices first to make sure you are not paying more than you need to.

It is also important to check the list of games to see if you already own some of the titles or do not care about all of them. While you may get a better discount buying a bundle of 10 different games, you could be wasting money if you only want to play two of them.

Package deals run through the end of the Steam Sale, so you can wait until the last minute to buy them.

Look for hidden deals

While the Daily Deals, Flash Sales and so on are displayed prominently on the main store page, there are many other discounts that might be hidden out of sight.

If you ever see a game sequel on one of the big sales, there is a good chance that other titles in the same series are also on sale. For example, if you see Skyrim on a Daily Deal or Flash Sale, be sure to check for discounts on Oblivion and Morrowind.

You will also find that DLC will often be discounted along with the base game as well. Some DLC will be sold in a bundle with the game, but be sure to compare prices. As with package deals, you can sometimes buy the DLC separately for a lower price than the bundle.

Beware early access

Valve has been criticized in the past for including Early Access games in its sales, and for good reason.

Early Access games are unfinished titles that are still in development, and while they can be a chance to play interesting new games and contribute feedback that shapes their progress, many can also be broken messes that are virtually unplayable. There is also the worry that the creators will suddenly cease production and never actually finish the game.

Only purchase an Early Access game if you want to actively contribute to its development and you don’t mind gambling that it might never be finished.