Gaming

Timespinner: A really solid Metroidvania - very similar to older Castlevania games. It's on sale for just under $6 USD. Great deal. I got a solid 28 hours out of the game and loved it (tho, if you race to the end it isn't super long but still good for the price). Don't sleep on it for that price if you like the genre, and are itching for that old school Castlevania feel. An actual hidden gem IMO.

Broforce: Not a hidden gem, but a hilariously fun side scrolling shooter like Contra that you could play with a few friends (and levels going up and down, not just running to the right, plus destructible environments that you can use to kill your friends for laughs). $3 USD, hard to pass up even if you only play it for one drunken night with your friends. We all had a lot of fun with this. Maybe too much fun.

Toukiden 2: This game has been sitting at full price for years. I could never understand why. It's a Monster Hunter style game with a full open world for single player, but multiplayer gameplay for boss battles similar to MH. I had fun with it for a bit but I have been waiting for it to go on sale so I can play it with some friends. Significant sale at $23.99 USD compared to the usual $60 USD and it doesn't happen often. It's worth looking at. I enjoyed the few hours I played a lot, but I couldn't tell you how good it is overall. Reviews seem good.

Grim Dawn: Others have already mentioned this one. It's the successor to Titans Quest, and perhaps the spiritual successor to Diablo 2. Supports mods, which is great! Stash enhancements, character editors, etc. It's an ARPG game similar to Path of Exile and Diablo. Story is decent, there's some cool mechanics and choices matter type stuff, but even with those you can still play with your friends. You can get the game with expansions (totally worth getting) for around $21-$25 USD. Great deal and you'll be supporting a great company, Crate Entertainment takes care of their fans and keep supporting the game.

Most of these aren't really 'hidden' but there are some good deals on some of my favorites right now:
Skyrim - $10, which gives you access to:
Enderal - Free but requires Skyrim in library
Witcher III + DLCs - $15
Raft - $13.39
Grounded - $24
Satisfactory - $16.49
Subnautica & Subnautica Below Zero - $18
Valheim - $12
Age of Empires - $5
Halo: Master Chief Collection (7 Halo games) - $10

I've already got a Steam Deck and I really enjoy it, but I've been eyeing the Dock for a while too. It's on sale now for even less than the alternative I was considering so I'm probably going to grab one very soon

I suppose it depends on what a person considers a hidden gem because everyone's tastes are different. I'll list a few categories and at least 1-2 of my favorites in those categories that I've found on Steam and are currently on sale:

Exploration/Base-Building:

• Grounded
• Raft
• Rimworld
• Subnautica/Subnautica: Below Zero

Story based/Farming/Romance:

• My Time at Portia*
• My Time at Sandrock

Visual Novels:

• Basically anything made by PixelFade (Ace Academy, Ethereal Enigma, Crystalline). One of the few English-based VNs that are fully voiced in English and have a pretty decent plot/story. Interactive with different choices affecting different outcomes and even some minigames at least in EE.
• Nekop er Hush Hush. Ok, listen. I won't beat around the bush here. There IS an 18+ DLC for this but it's not necessary to enjoy the game. It honestly has a pretty interesting story/premise and I did get pretty heavily emotionally invested in the characters.

*Note that MTAP has been fraught with issues. Although these issues don't necessarily make the game unplayable, and it's still enjoyable, be aware that it is was Pathea's (the studio) first such attempt and as such they were still learning. Their second game Sandrock has solved a lot of the issues and it's not necessary to play the first one

Wytchwood is a fun crafting adventure game with a lot of fetching. Not too long of a game either and I finished it in a few days.

I'm going to come in with some actual more hidden gems:

• Megabyte Punch

• Dorfromantik

• Hatchwell

• Imposter Factory (and the whole series)

A few to add in:

Solasta: Crown of the Magister - Old school D&D and tactics RPG. It’s indie so has rough edges here and there, but it’s so fun, and there aren’t a ton of games that fill the void.

Dungeon of the Endless - It’s a tower defense / tactical game with great pixel art and one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard.

Battle Chasers: Nightwar - Excellent RPG that will remind you of old school Final Fantasy.

Tower of Time - Excellent tactical RPG

Detroit: Become Human - Cinematic narrative game about androids becoming self aware.

The Dark Anthology: Man of Medan - Cinematic narrative horror game, the first in a series of several, therefore if you enjoy there’s a lot more where that came from. (Made by the same studio that created Until Dawn.)

Here are a few that I really enjoy (though their level of "unknown-ness" is debatable):

Mini Metro: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1127500/?snr=1_5_9__205

Demeo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1484280/?snr=1_5_9__205

Evoland: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1020470/?snr=1_5_9__205

I suppose it depends on what a person considers a hidden gem because everyone's tastes are different. I'll list a few categories and at least 1-2 of my favorites in those categories that I've found on Steam and are currently on sale:

Exploration/Base-Building:

• Grounded
• Raft
• Rimworld
• Subnautica/Subnautica: Below Zero

Story based/Farming/Romance:

• My Time at Portia*
• My Time at Sandrock

Visual Novels:

• Basically anything made by PixelFade (Ace Academy, Ethereal Enigma, Crystalline). One of the few English-based VNs that are fully voiced in English and have a pretty decent plot/story. Interactive with different choices affecting different outcomes and even some minigames at least in EE.
• Nekop-er, Hush Hush. Ok, listen. I'll admit there IS an 18+ DLC for this but it's not necessary to enjoy the game. It honestly has a pretty interesting story/premise and I did get pretty heavily emotionally invested in the characters.

*Note that MTAP has been fraught with issues. Although these issues don't necessarily make the game unplayable, and it's still enjoyable, be aware that it is was Pathea's (the studio) first such attempt and as such they were still learning. Their second game Sandrock has solved a lot of the issues and it's not necessary to play the first one

APICO, a nice little beekeeping simulator with bee-breeding mechanics and building.

Ages of Conflict: World War Simulator, an incredibly cheap God-game/nation simulator. Not comparable to WorldBox, though. Just a little game for making nations fight and painting maps

For me it’s Songs of Conquest - spiritual successor of Heroes of Might and Magic 3. It looks great, the gameplay is awesome, they took all of the best parts of HoMM and got rid of the more frustrating ones (for example there is a unit cap for a single slot, so you can’t have 2000 skeletons in a single unit). There are also some cool new mechanics, like every unit gives some kind of essence, which is used as a resource for using spells, so depending on your team composition you get access to different spells. Overall definitely worth checking out for every HoMM fan!

EXAPUNK - 50% - 96% Positive

If you like old time puzzle games, and have a pinch for programming, then you will love this. In this game you control bots by creating algorithms to extract data and other challenges. The cool part is you must study the game language and learn the lore from manuals and magazines that the game provides.

SHENZHEN I/O - 50% - 93% Positive

From the same creator of EXAPUNK, only the thematic here is electronics.

Road 96 - 50% 91% Positive

Summer 1996, Today is the day! You hit the road. Adventure. Freedom. Escape. Run. Flee the Regime. Try to survive.

On this risky road trip to the border, you’ll meet incredible characters, and discover their intertwined stories and secrets in an ever-evolving adventure. But every mile opens up a choice to make. Your decisions will change your adventure, change the people you meet, maybe even change the world.