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PC Gamer
PC Gamer
Andrea Shearon

I ran 45 idle game demos from Steam Next Fest all at once for a desktop companion battle royale

The Steam Next Fest 2026 logo beside a collage of idler games.

Steam Next Fest is back and bigger than ever, but I'm not so sure that's a good thing as I struggle to sift through its thousands of demos in search of my next second-screen idler. If anything, I kind of hate the current structure: we've gone from browsing a bespoke, quality selection of gems to navigating the world's busiest Costco where every aisle has a dozen free samples to shove in your mouth.

The free food is nice, but sometimes I take a bite and instantly regret it. Sifting through today's Steam Next Fest feels a lot like that, and with nearly 500 idlers in the showcase, filters aren't that helpful either. I don't have time to even read that many store descriptions, let alone play them, so I did what any sane, totally normal person in this situation would do:

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