SteamValueDeals

The SVD Score Explained

Our comprehensive, data-driven algorithm for ranking Steam deals

Our Philosophy

A heavily discounted bad game is still a bad value. The SVD (Steam Value Deal) Score weighs five critical factors to surface truly exceptional deals:

  • •Discount Percentage: How much you're saving
  • •Game Quality: Aggregate ratings from Steam, IGDB, and Metacritic
  • •Value per Hour: Price relative to HLTB playtime data
  • •Popularity: Rating count for credibility
  • •Recency: Newer games get a bonus to offset review time

Scoring Factors

1. Discount %

Weight: 25%

0-100
scale

Direct mapping: discount percentage = component score.

score = discount %
75% discount = 75 score
75 × 0.25 weight = 18.75 points

2. Quality ⭐

Weight: 40%

0-100
scale

Weighted average of 3 sources (already 0-100):

  • • Steam 40% | IGDB 30% | Metacritic 30%
score = weighted avg
(88×0.4 + 70×0.3 + 79×0.3) = 79
79 × 0.40 weight = 31.6 points

3. Value/Hour

Weight: 20%

0-100
scale

HLTB weighted playtime (70% main | 20% extras | 10% completionist), then price/hour mapped to 0-100.

$/hr → score curve:
≤$0.10=100 | $0.50=60 | $1=40
$5 / 50hr = $0.10/hr = 100 score
100 × 0.20 weight = 20 points

4. Popularity

Weight: 10%

0-100
scale

IGDB rating count mapped logarithmically to 0-100.

ratings → score:
10=30 | 50=50 | 100=60 | 1000+=100
500 ratings = 80 score
80 × 0.10 weight = 8 points

5. Recency

Weight: 5%

0-100
scale

Years since release mapped to 0-100. Offsets older games' review time advantage.

age → score:
0-1yr=100 | 2yr=90 | 5yr=60
2 years old = 90 score
90 × 0.05 weight = 4.5 points

Final SVD Score

Each component is scored on a 0-100 scale, then multiplied by its weight to produce the final score.

SVD Score =
+ (discount[0-100] × 0.25) → max 25
+ (quality[0-100] × 0.40) → max 40 ← key
+ (value[0-100] × 0.20) → max 20
+ (popularity[0-100] × 0.10) → max 10
+ (recency[0-100] × 0.05) → max 5
= Final Score (0-100)
85+
Epic
75+
Great
65+
Good
50+
Fair
<50
Poor

Example Calculation

Let's score a hypothetical game with a 75% discount, selling for $5:

1. Discount ScoreWeight: 25%
75% discount = 75 score
75 × 0.25 = 18.75 points
2. Quality ScoreWeight: 40%
Steam 88% | IGDB 70 | Metacritic 79
(88×0.4 + 70×0.3 + 79×0.3) = 79 score
79 × 0.40 = 31.6 points
3. Value/Hour ScoreWeight: 20%
50 hours playtime, $5 price
$5 / 50hr = $0.10/hr = 100 score
100 × 0.20 = 20 points
4. Popularity ScoreWeight: 10%
500 IGDB ratings = 80 score
80 × 0.10 = 8 points
5. Recency ScoreWeight: 5%
Released 2 years ago = 90 score
90 × 0.05 = 4.5 points
Final SVD Score82.9
18.75 + 31.6 + 20 + 8 + 4.5 = 82.9 (Excellent Deal!)

Our Commitment

  • ✓Objective — Quantifiable metrics
  • ✓Transparent — Open formulas
  • ✓Independent — No paid placements
  • ✓Updated — Daily refresh

Ready to find your next great deal?

Browse Today's Deals