Steam has launched Next Fest, a digital festival to celebrate upcoming games.
Unlike Xbox Developer Direct or PlayStation’s State of Play, Next Fest features many smaller oddities and bigger projects you may have heard of before.
The best bit? Many are playable, as hundreds of demos have been released as part of Next Fest.
There’s no onerous catch, other than that a PC with Steam installed is required to run these demos.
The best initial approach is to browse and see what catches your eye. If that doesn’t work, there’s a handy Reddit thread where people are posting their recommended demos.
As that thread notes, some of the most notable titles in Steam Next Fest include Pacific Drive, also coming to PlayStation 5; stop-motion-style adventure Harold Halibut; and Rotwood. That’s a hack ’n’ slash co-op game from the makers of Don’t Starve, Klei Entertainment.
Notable sequels include Kill It With Fire 2 and Outcast: A New Beginning.
An obvious warning applies: these are demos for games due later this year, or with no announced release date. As such, don’t expect them to be as glossy and finished-feeling as a normal title.
Some of these demos will be available only during Steam Next Fest or for a short period afterwards.
Steam Next Fest is not just about demos either. There are also masses of developer live streams, in which you can watch the developer play through and explain their games. If you have any interest in making games or playing indie titles, these are well worth digging into.
These streams also have a chat window for Twitch-style interactions with other viewers and (in some cases) the developers themselves.
Steam Next Fest began on February 5 and runs until February 12. Before 2021 it was known as Steam Game Festival, the first of which was held during just a 48-hour window on December 12 and December 13. It featured "more than a dozen" demos, just a fraction of what's on offer in 2024.
