Steam Winter Sale 2014 Pick of the Day

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It's that time of the year when any leftover money you've got after buying gifts, arranging holiday travel, and donating to worthwhile causes is going to go PC games. The Steam Winter sale is live, and we'll be updating this story every day with what we think is the best of the best as well as all of the other day's deals. Things are structured little different this year:

• New featured deals pop up every 24 hours, but will last for 48 hours
• Flash Sales will update every 12 hours, but those deals will be available for 24 hours
• Community's choice deals will update every 24 hours

What are you picking up (or hoping to buy) during Valve's quarterly sales event? Let us know in the comments below.

Day 5: December 22, 2014

Our pick: Grand Theft Auto IV -- $4.99 (-75%)

Sure, everyone might be more focused on getting Grand Theft Auto V on PC, but that doesn't mean that $5 for GTAIV isn't a steal. And with a crazy modding community that's been supporting the game for years, there's plenty to explore outside the main game as well. Read our review of the game and check it out onSteam here.

 

Other Day 5 Deals:

• Train Simulator 2015 -- $27.49 (-50%)
• The Walking Dead: Season Two -- $6.24 (-75%)
• Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends -- $16.99 (-66%)
• Chivalry: Medieval Warfare -- $4.99 (-80%)
• Endless Legend -- $17.49 (-50%)
• The Escapists -- $7.49 (-50%)
• Saints Row IV -- $4.99 (-75%)
• Outlast -- $4.99 (-75%)

Flash Sale:

• Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines -- $4.99 (-75%)
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 -- $4.99 (-75%)
• X-Plane 10 Global -- $29.99 (-50%)
• Papers, Please -- $2.49 (-75%)
• Mount Your Friends -- $1.99 (-60%)
• Tabletop Simulator -- $8.99 (-40%)

Community's Choice:

• Clickteam Fusion -- $33.99 (-66%)
• 3DMark -- $4.99 (-80%)
• Fuse Character Creator -- $33.99 (-66%)

 

Day 4: December 21, 2014

Our pick: Bulletstorm -- $3.99 (-80%)

There are some bigger and newer games on today's list, but with an 80 percent discount that brings it down to $4, you should take the opportunity to catch up with Bulletstorm, a score-driven first-person shooter with some really great, original weapons.

Other Day 3 Deals:

• Age of Mythology: Extended Edition -- $7.49 (-75%)
• Alien: Isolation -- $24.99 (-50%)
• Portal 2 -- $3.99 (-80%)
• Spore -- $4.99 (-75%)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim -- $4.99 (-75%)
• Spintires -- $10.19 (-66%)
• Never Alone -- $10.04 (-33%)
• Five Nights at Freddy's 2 -- $5.35 (-33%)
• Shadow Warrior -- $3.99 (-90%)

Flash Sale:

• Grim Dawn -- $12.49 (-50%)
• Craft the World -- $9.49 (-50%)
• Project Zomboid -- $9.74 (-35%)
• L.A. Noire -- $4.99 (-75%)
• Bound By Flame -- $9.99 (-75%)
• Wargame: Red Dragon -- $9.99 (-75%)

Community's Choice:

• Winner: Bulletstorm -- $3.99 (-80%)
• Panzer Corps -- $6.79 (-66%)
• Cities XL Platinum -- 10.19 (-66%)

Day 3: December 20, 2014

Our pick: Metro 2033 Redux -- $12.49 (-50%)

Metro 2033 was released four years ago, but with the Redux treatment, it's still one of the best-looking first-person shooters on PC. If you didn't play it back then, you owe it to yourself to pick up the discounted version. Read GameSpot's Metro 2033 Redux review and check it out on Steam here.

Other Day 3 Deals:

• Prison Architect -- $5.99 (-80%)
• NBA 2K15 -- $40.19 (-33%)
• Stronghold Crusader -- $33.49 (-33%)
• Europa Universalis IV -- $10 (-75%)
• 7 Way to Die -- $12.49 (-50%)
• Rise of Nations Extended Edition -- $4.99 (-75%)
• The Binding of Isaac Rebirth -- $10.04 (-33%)
• The Vanishing of Ethan Carter -- $11.99 (-40%)

Flash Sale:

• Mass Effect 2 -- $4.99 (-75%)
• Trine 2 -- $1.99 (-90%)
• Dreamfall Chapters -- $17.99 (-40%)
• The Golf Club -- $13.99 (-60%)
• Risk of Rain -- $2.49 (-75%)
• Lord of the Rings: War in the North -- $4.99 (-75%)

Community's Choice:

• Winner: Rage --$4.99 (-75%)
• Ruse -- $2.49 (-75%)
• Cities in Motion 2 -- $4.99 (-75%)

Day 2: December 19, 2014

Our pick: Castle Crashers -- $1.49 (-90%)

At 90% off, there's no reason not to buy developer The Behemoth's colorful beat-em-up. It makes a good gift as well; after all, the game is a lot more fun with friends. Read our Castle Crashers review and check it out on Steam here.

Other Day 2 Deals:

• Depth -- $14.99 (-40%)
• Fable Anniversary -- $17.49 (-50%)
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel -- $29.99 (-50%)
• Ryse: Son of Rome -- $19.99 (-50%)
• Batman: Arkham Origins -- $4.99 (-75%)
• Killing Floor -- $4.99 (-75%)
• Valkyria Chronicles -- $14.99 (-25%)
• Assassin's Creed Unity -- $40.19 (-33%)

Community's Choice:

• Winner: Hack n Slash -- $4.54 (-66%)
• Neverending Nightmares -- $6.74 (-55%)
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 -- $17.99 (-55%)

Flash sale round 1:

• Galactic Civilizations III -- $24.99 (-50%)
• Spacebase DF9 -- $6.79 (-66%)
• The Legend of Korra -- $9.89 (-34%)
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution -- $3.99 (-80%)
• Guns of Icarus -- $2.24 (-85%)
• Space Run -- $5.09 (-66%)

Flash sale round 2

• Insurgency -- $4.49 (-70%)
• Transocean -- $17.99 (-40%)
• Planet Explorers -- $14.99 (-40%)
• DmC: Devil May Cry -- $12.49 (-75%)
• Hammerwatch -- $1.49 (-85%)
• Orcs Must Die 2 -- $3.74 (-75%)

Day 1: December 18, 2014

Our pick: Dark Souls 2 -- $14.70 (63%)

The follow-up to the crazy-hard Demon's Souls and the crazy-hard Dark Souls is... still crazy-hard. The game might not be to everyone's tastes, but it's a series that you have to respect for sticking to its punishing formula. Read our Dark Souls 2 review and check it out on Steam.

Other 48-hour deals:

• State of Decay -- $4.99 (-75%)
• Euro Truck Simulator 2 -- $3.74 (-85%)
• Space Engineers -- $9.99 (-50%)
• Civilization: Beyond Earth -- $29.99 (-40%)
• Total War: Rome II Emperor Edition -- $14.98 (-75%)
• Sniper Elite III -- $24.99 (-50%)
• Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes -- $13.39 (-33%)
• Rocksmith 2014 -- $20.99 (-65%)

Community's Choice hasn't kicked off yet, but here are the first six flash sale games:

Flash sale round 2

• Monaco -- $1.34 (-91%)
• Broforce -- $10.04 (-33%)
• Broken Age -- $8.49 (-66%)
• Dead Space 2 -- $4.99 (-75%)
• Defense Grid 2 -- $8.49 (-66%)
• Doorkickers -- $9.99 (-50%)

And an additional six flash games (note that the deals below didn't expire 24 hours after posting.

Flash sale round 1:

• Damned -- $4.99 (-75%)
• Styx: Master of Shadows -- $14.99 (-50%)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition -- $4.99 (-80%)
• Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar -- $4.49 (-85%)
• Injustice Gods Among Us -- $4.99 (-75%)
• SpeedRunners -- $2.49 (-75%)