The year’s second Steam Next Fest is currently live, with thousands of playable demos at your disposal, and you’d have to play them for months before you could possibly try them all.
In case you’re wondering how the Next Fest works, it’s basically a tri-yearly 7-day festival where publishers from all corners of the gaming world list playable demos for everyone to try before buying. All these games are yet to be released, so if you like any of them, you’ll need to wishlist them and wait until they’re out. The June 2026 Steam Next Fest has over 4,350 titles (4,354 titles, to be exact, at the time of writing) listed in its catalog, and if each one of these demos ran for 30 minutes, that would bring the total playable time to 2,175 hours. And that is around 90 days’ worth of content.
Since the fest is only going to be live for 7 days, it’s impractical to aim to play every one of those listed demos, of course. Unless you play every demo for 2 minutes, which isn’t very ideal either. To top it off, Steam is expected to add more demos throughout the event.
If you’re confused about what to try, well, you aren’t alone—and Steam knew this was inevitable considering the amount of content being hosted. To help players out, the event will host a “Personalized” feature: starting Wednesday, the feed will recommend games that you may like based on your preferences. So, you’ll find it easier to pick your demos and enjoy the fest.
If you ask me, however, I’m yet to start taking advantage of the fest. But I’ve got a bunch of horror games in mind, like Welcome to Elderfield, Necrowhisper, and The Skin Stapler, to name a few. I don’t usually buy horror games because I never make it past the first few minutes (too timid, of course), so the Steam Next Fest is the perfect opportunity for me to enjoy some adrenaline rush without having to invest in a game that I may not continue playing. I’m also eyeing an abstract visual novel about ADHD that has some psychological horror elements in it but looks bearable.
The event has demos for every video game genre there is, so don’t hesitate to look for whatever boosts your dopamine. Like soulslike action? Don’t miss out on Valor Mortis, a first-person aRPG that takes players through a supernatural after-death experience. Want some detective adventure in your life? Check out Death at Fleming Manor, which puts you in the shoes of an investigator who’s in charge of analyzing evidence and writing death certificates. Another co-op game that caught my attention is We’re In Trouble, a simulation adventure that has you and your friends dealing with an unavoidable “problem” as stealthily as possible.
Of course, I’ve only talked about a small fraction of what’s available at the Steam Next Fest this time—and the clock is already ticking. Head over to the app on your Windows PC, Mac, or Steam Deck and try all the demos you can through June 22.
- Brand
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Valve
- Original Release Date
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September 12, 2003