A new edition of Valve's demo festival is underway: the Steam Next Fest in October opens its doors with dozens of streams, interviews, and early access to projects of all kinds. For a full week, anyone can download and try out previews of future releases for free.
The appointment is celebrated October 13th to 20th and arrives with powerful numbers: more than 700 demos published, peaks of 1,2 million simultaneous viewers in its premiere and a growth of the 14% compared to the previous yearAll of this with special emphasis on independent development.
Dates, figures and how to make the most of it
The format repeats the known formula: free demos for seven days, live streams with the development teams, and Q&A sessions. It's also a great time to add anything you're interested in to your wishlist.
According to data shared by Valve, the event brings together more than 700 demos and consolidates the indie trend: 60% of the most played titles at the festival come from independent studies, and 34% of the proposals submitted belong to debuting teams.
Beyond the numbers, the key is in the interaction: the public can test, give feedback and suggest improvements in real time, helping to polish mechanics and balance systems before launch.
Highlights by genre
Action and shooting
- MARVEL Cosmic Invasion: beat 'em up with 15 playable heroes, local/online co-op, and aesthetics that pay homage to classic comics.
- Beneath: survival shooter with Lovecraftian atmosphere, underwater exploration and scarce ammunition.
- Deadly Delivery: first-person cooperative terror and logistics in haunted mines.
- CRABS MUST DIE!: Open-world FPS with crab apocalypse and progression with RPG touches.
Fighting and hand-to-hand combat
- HeadHunters: chaotic brawler for up to four players with body swap in the middle of a game.
- GU Fighters: Roguelike action with progression by runs and four-player multiplayer.
- Bittersweet Birthday: every fight is a precision puzzle for fans of demanding challenges.
Adventure and exploration
- Skate Story: a dreamlike journey through the underworld on a board, environmental narrative and hypnotic art.
- Goodnight Universe: adventure from the perspective of a baby with Psychic powers and experimental mechanics.
- OPUS: Prism Peak: photographic exploration with echoes of the dreamlike and puzzles with spirits.
- Eyes Of The ElderWood: subjective terror with drawn runes to solve puzzles.
Simulation and management
- PowerWash Simulator 2: deeper sequel and a cooperative for lovers of virtual cleaning.
- Medieval Shop Simulator: medieval trade with Inventory management, haggling and customization.
- Bots & Mods: maintenance of robots in cyberpunk city with humor and negotiation between factions.
- Sunny Blooms Garden Center: design and management of a detailed nursery with expansion and hiring.
Horror and suspense
- REAN IMAL: cooperative horror with platforms and disturbing atmosphere.
- GORE: footage found in the nature of the Northwest with research and survival.
- MOON: Dark: psychological terror in a lunar station with stealth mechanics.
Specials and VR
- Reality Rush VR: party games for virtual reality compatible with Oculus and SteamVR.
- The Alchemist's Path: strategy and puzzles with generative systems of ingredients.
- YAPYAP: social experience of asynchronous narrative community-centered.
13 recommended demos you can try now
the prequel Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era brings back turn-based strategy with narrative campaigns, handcrafted maps, and scenarios procedurally generated, plus classic multiplayer.
En Sunken Engine You restore ships in a shipyard surrounded by mysteries, supernatural events, and a touch of Lovecraft; it comes out in early access on October 16 with effects that impact the sanity of the protagonist.
Air & Hook locks you in a hostile laboratory: an air gun and a grappling hook are enough to overcome lethal traps, with two-player co-op option.
Cloudheim proposes a cooperative ARPG for four in which, after Ragnarok, you forge a new world based on handmade weapons, combos and frenetic action.
With Earth Must Die The satirical humor graphic adventure returns: absurd dialogues, clever puzzles and an alien emperor bent on revenge on Earth.
Wrack Remake modernizes the classic arcade FPS with new weapons and abilities, visual style comic type and a relentless pace to chain together losses and maintain the streak.
PonPonTown It is a hybrid with the spirit of side pachinko: Marble villagers collide and farm resources to recruit animals and automate tasks in the village.
Skate Story It is not a typical trick-taking game: as a demon you must carry out orders from the Devil in a world dark and open; its release is scheduled for December.
En The Crazy Hyper Dungeon Chronicles The pixel-art dungeon crawler mixes turn-based and real time, with decisions that constantly alter each route.
Reanimal comes from the creators of the first Little Nightmares: two brothers face a nightmare on an island, combining ingenuity and stealth to survive.
Tearscape It is a retro aesthetic metroidvania type Game Boy with limited resources, demanding combat and large bosses.
En Hide Zone One player is the hunter and the rest hide disguised as stage objects; tension in asymmetrical multiplayer games.
Scrabdackle presents a hand-drawn world in which a wizard's apprentice chains spells and duels inspired by classics like Zelda and Metroidvania.
Festival news: demos and announcements with a spotlight
The demo of SWAPMEAT is the latest result of his approach Alpha-driven, with open "Meat Labs" testing that shaped the design. It allows you to explore the Jangus System with three planets—Scurvion Alpha, Barbecunis, and Calypso—overcome random events, and face the first act's boss. Franken Beans, solo or in co-op.
The progress of SWAPMEAT is transferred to Early Access, with level cap 10 The demo features four difficulties, controller support, and a lightweight download (2,56 GB). It also includes a tutorial for new players and options to increase the challenge for veterans.
Paraside: Duality Unbound It is presented as a turn-based strategy with the mechanics Flip, capable of altering the battlefield in a snap: it combines Go-style sieges with space tactics, base management, and exploration. The demo separates a Combat Mode focused on tactical puzzles and a Scan mode with gathering, quests, recruitment, research, and facility upgrades.
There is also room for frenetic action with Painkiller, which shows the “This Is Painkiller” trailer and offers a playable demo on Steam with cooperative for three, huge bosses, tarot cards for progression and a Rogue Angel Mode roguelike, due for release in October.
There's a week packed with fleeting releases, trend-setting metrics, and a community testing, commenting, and helping polish games before they hit the market. If you're interested in getting ahead of 2026, this is the best time to download demos, follow broadcasts, and decide which titles deserve your wishlist.