Steam Festival of Investigations: Unmissable Deals on Detective Games until January 19!

The Steam Festival of Investigations is the must-attend event for fans of investigative video games at the start of the year. From January 12 to 19, Steam offers a carefully curated and captivating selection of detective games, enriched with unmissable deals. On the agenda, you will find:

• Major titles like Shadows of Doubt, Return of the Obra Dinn, and Disco Elysium The Final Cut to satisfy your thirst for mysteries and complex investigations.
• Attractive promotions, notably Sherlock Holmes The Awakened at only €5.99, as well as Pathologic 3 and Detroit: Become Human at very competitive prices.
• A unique opportunity to enrich your adventure game library with deeply narrative experiences that rely more on deduction and observation than on frantic action.

This festival, which follows the Winter Sale, stands out for its thematic approach centered on investigation and reflection, making this period a perfect time for fans of narrative puzzles and layered stories. We will explore in depth the specifics, flagship titles, and the best opportunities to seize during this period.

Why the Steam Festival of Investigations is a unique experience for fans of investigative video games

The Steam Festival of Investigations is not just a temporary promotion; it is a celebration of a genre where storytelling and deduction take precedence over speed. During the period from January 12 to 19, Steam highlights games where your observation skills, patience, and attention to detail are put to the test. These titles invite reflection, far from games with simplified objectives or linear progressions.

The festival’s mechanics rely on a clear promise: to offer experiences where the investigation is not solved with a single click but where each clue must be analyzed, cross-checked, and integrated into a global understanding. This attracts a very specific audience, often passionate about:

• Interactive storytelling where every detail counts.
• Mysterious and well-crafted atmospheres that stimulate curiosity.
• Gameplay mechanics where progression revolves around reconstructing complex stories.

A clear example remains Return of the Obra Dinn, a game that left a mark with its ability to tell an investigation through clues scattered in a black and white world, where every decision carries weight. This approach invites players to take notes, cross-reference information, and solve a puzzle that is both narrative and visual. This methodology perfectly illustrates the heart of the Steam Festival and explains why every curious player should pay attention to it.

The challenge proposed by this festival is not one of speed or nonstop action but of patience and decoding. You will be called upon to prioritize deep immersion, to make hypotheses, and to experience the satisfaction of uncovering the truth hidden behind appearances and clues. It is an invitation to change one’s stance in video games, moving from simple consumption to an active experience of deduction.

Flagship games of the Steam Festival of Investigations: a selection tailored for seasoned detectives

The selection offered by the Steam Festival is resolutely qualitative and diverse, with titles that perfectly embody the various investigative game styles. Here is a detailed presentation of games that highlight deduction and immersive storytelling:

Shadows of Doubt: an open-world investigation where every detail counts

In Shadows of Doubt, you play a detective in a fractured cyberpunk city, where every clue choice traces the path to solving complex murders. The game stands out for its procedural open world, where clues change from one playthrough to another, offering notable replayability. In 2026, this new release remains a must for those who enjoy assembling pieces of a puzzle from multiple sources of information.

Disco Elysium The Final Cut: psychological investigations and deep dialogues

Disco Elysium is known for its intense storytelling and advanced dialogue system, which forces you to manage not only facts but also characters’ emotions and psyches. In the Final Cut version, it is an even more refined experience, offering a rich and atypical scenario. The game takes you on an adventure where solving an investigation means understanding complex human relationships, with sometimes random elements that require exceptional adaptability.

Return of the Obra Dinn: the masterpiece of the narrative puzzle

The intellectual rigor required in Return of the Obra Dinn is great and rewards attention to detail. In 2026, this classic remains an unrivaled reference for fans of layered puzzles, where you must reconstruct the fate of the crew members of a missing ship. Its unique graphic style, identification system via cross-referenced clues, and immersive atmosphere recall the artistic dimension that an investigative game can take.

Comparative table of main games featured during the festival

Game	Type of Investigation	Promo Price (2026)	Strengths
Shadows of Doubt	Open world investigation	Variable according to offers	Replayability, cyberpunk immersion
Disco Elysium The Final Cut	Psychological investigation	Standard Steam discount price	Rich storytelling and dialogues
Return of the Obra Dinn	Story reconstruction	Standard price	Original graphics, intellectual challenge
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened	Classic investigation	€5.99 (-85%)	Gripping plot, accessibility
Pathologic 3	Mysterious and dark investigation	€26.30 (-20%)	Unique atmosphere, narrative depth

To not miss the best deals, also keep an eye on titles that are not officially showcased but benefit from discreet discounts, thus offering a goldmine for lovers of adventure and mystery games.

It is worth recalling that for collectors and the curious, Steam regularly offers free or low-cost discovery games: you can learn more about these initiatives by checking news such as those related to Epic Games news or the list of free adventure games available.

Enjoying exclusive promotions at the Steam Festival: tips for finding the best detective game deals

The Steam Festival deals are not just basic discounts but a real strategy that favors quality and gameplay coherence. Notably, you will find:

• Sherlock Holmes The Awakened listed at an ultra-attractive price of €5.99, representing an 85% drop on a title known for its captivating plot and accessibility even for beginners.
• Pathologic 3 benefits from a 20% reduction, priced at €26.30, a reasonable investment for a story as immersive and perplexing, exploring themes of disease and mystery.
• Detroit: Become Human, even without a fixed price, remains a popular choice, blending investigation and interactive storytelling in a futuristic universe where every decision creates palpable tension.

To maximize your savings and not miss anything, it is recommended to:

1. Regularly follow the event page as some games may be displayed with additional discounts after the official launch.
2. Compare discount percentages before committing, as they are more reliable indicators than isolated prices which vary by region.
3. Favorite your preferred titles to keep an eye on possible new promotions throughout the festival’s duration.

These good habits will allow you to fully enjoy the offers while avoiding unnecessary scattering. You might also discover hidden gems whose price drops are not always very visible at first glance but deserve attention to plunge into a gripping investigation.

The strategic positioning of the Steam Festival of Investigations within the Steam sale calendar

The Steam Festival of Investigations takes place just after the highly anticipated Winter Sale, which ended in early January, and shortly before the Board Games Fest. This positioning offers an ideal window for players wishing to diversify their acquisitions with a focus on games emphasizing analysis and reflection.

Unlike large sales with promotions often extended to thousands of titles, this festival stands out for its clarity and thematic coherence. Players find targeted deals and unique experiences, enough to enrich their library with games that highlight:

• Immersive storytelling and enlightened decision-making.
• Layered plots iconic in the detective and mystery genre.
• Replayability linked to the complexity of the investigations offered.

For fans of rich and detail-heavy universes, it is a privileged moment to leave with carefully selected titles, all while benefiting from attractive promotions. Such initiatives are valuable for those seeking niche adventure games within gaming culture and for the curious in search of captivating intellectual experiences.

This festival also confirms a trend of video game platforms offering regular thematic events, allowing exploration of more genres and styles. In this way, Steam promotes not only its diversity but also the pleasure of discovery at the pace of seasonal offers.

Practical advice for starting detective games during the Steam Festival of Investigations

Entering the world of detective games can be intimidating, especially faced with the richness and complexity of the titles offered. Here are some tips to make the most of your experience during the Steam Festival:

• Favor titles with note-taking mechanics: some games, like Sherlock Holmes The Awakened, encourage noting or memorizing clues to progress smoothly.
• Identify your preferred type of investigation: narrative, pure puzzle, or hybrid. For example, The Rise of the Golden Idol combines mystery and puzzles in a unique universe.
• Accept a degree of uncertainty: the best detective games let a stimulating doubt linger before delivering a revelation.

To discover more stories and narratives around investigation, it is also interesting to learn about inspiring series like True Detective, which feed the imagination around the basic material of detective games.

With these approaches, you will be able to gradually tackle more complex games while enhancing your gaming pleasure. The world of mystery video games is constantly evolving, and this January window is ideal for immersing yourself in rich and varied adventures, both captivating and intellectually stimulating.