A chance to try a bunch of promising upcoming games before they release.
The Steam Next Fest is currently underway — it offers us all a way to get a hands-on look at upcoming titles and wishlist some of these future gems. It's a great way to see what games are on the horizon.
The event is now live and runs until Monday, June 17. There's a ton of demos to check out — but to help you narrow things down I've gone through things and picked out some personal highlights.
Mind Over Magnet
This intriguing puzzler is the debut game from Mark Brown of the excellent Game Maker’s Toolkit YouTube channel. You’ve no doubt seen one of his countless video essays diving into the intricacies of game design and what makes for a good interactive experience — he’s now putting all those learnings to use with this novel platformer that’s shaping up to be something rather magnetising.
Thank Goodness You're Here
I can't really claim that I live in the true north of England. But, I'm close enough to really appreciate the tongue in cheek little English town being so meticulously presented in this daft comedy 'slapformer'. A superbly animated 2D adventure that I can't wait to fully explore. Steam Deck Verified too!
The full game launches in August.
Big Boy Boxing
This bright and bold fighting game takes its cues from Nintendo’s Punch-Out, featuring plenty of over the top characters and action to match. I really dig the visual style here — it has an energetic and rather amusing look to it.
SCHiM
A beautiful 3D platformer about navigating the shadows of the world around you. Looks to be a lovely exploration of light and dark, and navigating between those spaces in endlessly creative ways.
Oh, and any fan of kids mega show Bluey and the episode Shadowlands will instantly get what this one is about.
Old School Rally
I’m a sucker for a good rally game, and will often dip into the latest WRC title for my disciplined racing fix. However, my love for the genre dates back to the N64 era with titles such as Top Gear Rally. As such, a racing game which plays to that nostalgia is right up my street, and I reckon this retro take on things is well worth taking a look at.
Parcel Corps
We saw this one in action at Gamescom last year, and it’s a refreshing, fun Crazy Taxi like, but with a touch more depth than the SEGA classic. Just ditch the car for a bike, and you’re half way there. It’s a Deliveroo / Uber Eats delivery arcade romp, that has all the colour and charm of a Dreamcast-era classic.
Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers
Looking for more card playing action after Balatro? This tavern-based roguelike sees you battle your way through the bar-goers via a very unique form of blackjack.
Preserve
I've been pretty obsessed with Dorfromantik — sinking endless hours into the little puzzler on my Steam Deck. So, anything that has a similar vibe is of immediate interest. This time, it's all about building a vibrant, natural ecosystem — ensuring that with each tile you place, the natural world can flourish.
Kill Knight
This looks to be a super slick, polished top down bullet hell shooter. You battle your way through a series of stylish, eldritch arenas, quickly taking out "swarms of otherworldly horrors". Worth seeing this one in motion to appreciate its badass appeal.
Metal Slug Tactics
A tactical take on the much loved Metal Slug series, complete with roguelite elements (because what’s a modern reimagining without some roguelite gameplay sprinkled in?). The full game is due to drop later this year, but this demo shows us plenty of promise.
That's a wrap! You can find much more demos over on Steam. Let us know if you give any of these recommendations a shot, or feel free to share your own in the comments below.
