Remember when the Steam sale date leak was a big deal? I don't remember; Steam sale dates have been leaked for so long, so long, that now it seems like the natural order of things: a sale start date floats up somewhere, we tell them, Valve acts like they don't notice it, and then the sale starts! On the appointed day, Steam is inaccessible for an hour, and we spend the next week or so putting our money down on cheap games.

This is both the natural order of things and my roundabout way of telling you that the Steam Summer Sale dates have been leaked. Once again.

Pavel Djundik is one of the administrators of Steam Database, a site known for occasionally leaking what is happening or coming to Steam. Last week, for example, a SteamDB listing revealed that Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be released for PC. (The Steam listing is now public, by the way.) At least one other source cites the same date, which can also be tracked since June 25 is when the 2019 Summer Sale begins.

Steam's Summer Sale is one of the big events, and there could be more surprises in store for this year's event; Djundik said on Twitter that Valve is working on a Twitter account to offer users digital items, Steam badges, discounts on game purchases, and other benefits He also said that Valve is working on a kind of loyalty program that would give users digital items, Steam badges, and discounts on game purchases. It also appears that broader reactions to user reviews on Steam will be possible.

With Steam's big sale, with so many people spending money on thousands of different games, they are the ideal team to roll out a new loyalty rewards program, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was announced at the start of the Summer Sale. Of course, we'll wait until Valve makes an official announcement about the Summer Sale dates before sounding the "grab your wallet" alarm, but you might want to circle your calendar in case you're ready.