Sort nested dictionary by value, and remainder by another value, in Python

Use the key argument for sorted(). It lets you specify a function that, given the actual item being sorted, returns a value that should be sorted by. If this value is a tuple, then it sorts like tuples sort – by the first value, and then by the second value.

sorted(your_list, key=lambda x: (your_dict[x]['downloads'], your_dict[x]['date']))