Steam Next Fest (Feb 2026 Edition) is in
It’s time for yet another Steam Next Fest!
Once in a while, Steam throws this event to raise awareness about the upcoming games. My favourite part: the demos. You can try a bunch of them. Here are some you might want to try.
This time was a bit easier to do the homework because we discovered a not so hidden Steam press release of the games. The only downside is that not all demos are ready before the Next Fest day, so we could not test games that sound cool on the paper, like Carry the Patient Together (I hope they add a local co-op mode).
The problem with Generative AI still haunts Steam, and it appears that players are rigorous about it, at least being disclosed on the store page.
There is also the problem with slop, AI or not, and those are even more apparent in the press release page because it is not filtered by players yet. In the past editions of the Next Fest, the landing page would adjust to big studios and players’ demand. Putting popular titles and well-know names up in the browser list.
On the bright side, it was easier to find hidden gems because they are not overshadowed by big productions.
My technique was to add demos to my playlist list which gameplay video looked cool, and for some reason that worked well to avoid 100% of the slop, and ~90% of the Generative AI art.
There were also some games that were purely(no oversight) machine translated. I also understand that people use Gen-AI as art placeholders sometimes and, for some reason, forget to remove. If I recommend any of the games with those characteristics. I will look for a dev disclaimer about the usage, ask for one in the lack of, and I would put a note about it here.
So here are my gems I found and recommend, from best to lukewarm, to mixed:
Best Games Found
Phonopolis
A point & click puzzle adventure like I haven’t seen in a long while.
The cardboard art is beautiful (check the making of in game, it is cool how they made it). The puzzles were thoughtful.
There were only two major, challenging puzzles in the demo. The minor puzzles, while too really a puzzle, helped to tell the story. My biggest beef with some point & click adventures is that sometimes it just feels like I am getting a key here to open a door there. Phonopolis is not like that.
I enjoyed thoroughly the extent of the demo, and I am excited to see the release.
Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4109130/Phonopolis_Demo/
Wax Heads
You work in a record store, matching LPs (Long Play vinyl records ) to customers. Sometimes is straightforward, sometimes it takes a bit more of work to get the right match. Like keeping up with the store stock, music industry news, or just being a good listener and observer.
There are some overlapping story arches, but nothing as dire as Papers, Please. It also there is not the same sense of urgency or lives at stake, so it can be a suitable option if you prefer something more cozy.
The art reminds me of stuff I was surrounded in my earlier years And it is nice that you can listen to most of the LPs you sell. Mimi is supposed to be a pop artist who grew on me and a constant in the jukebox at work. I don’t think I can name a pop artist in real-life.
While there is no mention, I suspect this game was made with Godot given some easter-eggs.
Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2950480/Wax_Heads_Demo/
Scott Pilgrim EX
Beat’ em up with RPG elements.
I love beat’ em up since I was a kid and would play those arcades with 4 controllers with friends. This is a well-made one, everything feels crisp: the attacks, combos, grabs, the item drops, the unique fighting style of the enemies.
Different than most beat’ em up that you just side scroll, maybe with some branches until you reach the boss, here you are free to move around the maps back and forth. Well, you have to, so you can finish quests and unlock stuff to progress the story.
If the fighting is too hard, you can spend the money the enemies drop to get equipments, or consumables that boost your stats.
The art is also well-made, and there is a lot going on the map, from gaming easter eggs to stuff from the Scott Pilgrim IP (I guess they overlap a lot).
Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2640950/Scott_Pilgrim_EX/
Pluto
Rogu(glor)elike(hurl)-(bleurgh)aw-Deckbuilder. Oh boy, and I avoid those.
I went for the art, and stayed for the spell casting mechanism.
Each of your fingers would cast defense, or you can imbue them with the elements required to cast a spell. They are read from left to right, and you can combo spells to use fewer fingers. If a spell ends in fire, you can save a finger by casting one in sequence that starts with fire. Or if you have a spell that uses the same elements in order as another spell, you can cast both for the cost of one.
And there are a bunch of mechanics around power rings, blessed and cursed fingers that modify what each of your fingers do and adds to the complexity and fun of the combats.
Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4103070/Pluto_Demo/
Honorable mentions
While not as exciting as the above, it might be worth a try (of the demo).
Deadliest Pigeon
Not sure if I saw those assets before, but the art of the enemies is pretty similar to those common low poly assets. But the fun is in going on a vengeful rampage across the map as a pigeon.
Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3862720/Deadliest_Pigeon_Demo/
Pit Pioneers
Lemmings. With extra mechanics and simplified. I like the puzzles present in the demo.
Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3993210/Pit_Pioneers/
Kiyo - Bunny Tyranny
I have a weak-spot for character design that appears like someone spent a lot of time making it on Amiga.
The levels are so well-designed with so many elements overlapping that is should be advertised like they did for Amiga games (12 layers of paralax, or something).
It was a fun 2D platformer with stealth mechanics. I think I was killed by gravity more times than by the enemies. Just because it was so satisfying parkour-ing as a cat over rooftops.
Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3643460/KIYO__Bunny_Tyranny_Demo/
Less Exciting Ones
Warning, below here I have mixed feelings on what I tried.
Let’s build a dungeon
Update: My impressions are about the demo. The company released a video covering some of what I said here. The complete version will have a creative AND a management mode. Also, a way to share your MMO with others.
I enjoyed the concept, but the implementation misses the store’s description.
If you consider this to be a city-builder cozy game, it works well. If you take the description that this is an MMORPG Studio management where you build your game world, it would be very disappointing.
The building of world, quests, and dungeons is not related with the capacity of your studio, or your creativity. You put stuff in the world to unlock more stuff to put in the world. It works for a cozy builder.
For example, when you build the dungeon you need to put stuff in a small space so you get points to make the floor bigger. Then you can put more stuff to make it even bigger. Once is big enough, you can build stairs to a lower floor, or place the quest objective.
Same with quests, they are prefabs you put following conditions “this quest giver needs to be inside this kind of building” or “this object must be inside a dungeon”.
Everything is unlocked by building and meeting some criteria in the world. Not by building your studio, hiring people. So it is very weird.
I would have liked it more if they pick a lane:
1 - is it a cozy builder? So remove every mention of the rest from the store page. The management part feels more like a visual novel than real management anyway.
2 - Is this is Studio simulation?
Then things to build, how much I can build per day, characters unlocked should be based on the capacity of my studio (devs, designers, musicians), not on how much stuff I already put in the world.
And how much people I can afford to hire, to depend on how much people are playing the game.
This game would be perfect for me if 3 things:
- I had more freedom to make quests.
- could import or design assets to the world
- could let my friends play the MMO.
Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3340480/Lets_Build_a_Dungeon_Demo/
Goblin Vike: The Thief Tycoon
The gameplay loop is fun, alternating between dungeon exploring and stealing wares, selling the findings in your shop, and some visual novel dating stuff (give items to named NPC).
From the little video, I was led to believe that I would be stealing from explorers, but I was mostly stealing from monsters and getting the rewards from the dungeon.
Remember the Gen-AI art that slip through my highly sophisticated filter (clicking on cool things)? This was it. There is no disclaimer on the store page, the author is saying the arts are being updated and for people to test it again. That is a bit vague if they will update the store with a disclaimer or remove the “placeholders”, maybe it is because the replies are also machine translated. So only time will tell. The irony, the studio name Art Thieves.
Overall the game is well-made, I hope Art Thieves come clean with their Gen-AI usage.
Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3859960/Goblin_Vyke_The_Thief_Tycoon_Demo/
Lootbane
Another disclaimer: highly addictive, I should not be recommending this as this is a game I would not let my kids or anyone dear to me play. But I assume you are a responsible adult that can make decisions by yourself.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4151480/Lootbane_Demo/
At first I was enjoying the easy mechanics, you choose between 3 directions to take, it can mean many things, fight monster, heal, a chance to buy stuff, etc… There is no guess or surprises, it shows the options to you. Maybe the surprise will be what will be the next set of choices. Should I heal now? Or fight now and hope there is a new healing spot in the next fork of the road?
I did not know what the story was about, I was just trying to reach further. Most of my fun was about trying to reach further and test new builds.
It gets all that addictive elements from loot-them-all like World of Warcraft that you pop a monster and have a chance to get something like in a slot-machine. Well, anything that triggers that reward dopamine you have in games and shortens the time spam between them.
One of the ways they reach that effect is with the auto-battler.
- Start the game
- Sent your team to a battle
-
- Profit
There are concepts like equipment and followers. I guess if they tweak those, add some overlapping loose connected story or questlines. I would feel less guilty about playing this slot-machine.