Steam Next Fest returns with hundreds of playable game demos

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Hundreds of playable demos will be available to play throughout this week on Steam. 

Valve’s Steam Next Fest has officially returned this week, providing hundreds of free game demos for players to check out until the event ends on Monday, February 12. That means you now have less than seven days to sift through demos for upcoming games like Pacific Drive (a supernatural driving game), Stormgate (an RTS made by ex-Blizzard developers), Harold Halibut (a stop-motion-animated game) and much, much more. 

If you’re in a bind trying to figure out which demos to check out, however, don’t worry - we have a few recommendations. 

Which game demos should you check out during Steam Next Fest?

Valve hosts Steam Next Fest three times a year, giving developers an opportunity to show off small slices of their upcoming games to the public for a limited time only. While that does mean you have the opportunity to check out hundreds of game demos over the span of a mere seven days, it’s best to spend your time checking out the few that most appeal to you instead. 

To that end, Steam Next Fest sorts its playable demos into quite a few categories ranging from genre to ‘themes & moods’, so you shouldn’t have much trouble picking out something that you like. Developer live streams will also be held throughout the week if you’re looking for inspiration directly from the source, or you can just sort through currently trending and most active demos to see what everyone else is playing. 

Personally, I have my eyes set on a fair few demos this week, starting with Pacific Drive - an intriguing driving survival game that has players navigate the dangerous Olympic Exclusion Zone with their car as their only lifeline. Another game called Harold Halibut is somehow being developed using real stop-motion-animated models and dioramas to give it a homemade feel, and that alone makes it worth checking out. 

A few ex-Blizzard developers have come together to develop an RTS called Stormgate, and this could be your first chance to see if it becomes your next obsession. Sci-fi game Homeworld 3 also has a demo out, if you’re keen to see how the highly-anticipated sequel plays. The narrative mystery game Duck Detective: The Secret Salami has an eye-catching artstyle and an adorable protagonist, while the 2D Pepper Grinder is shaping up to be an excellent action-platformer. The roguelike Poker game Balatro is also stirring up a lot of buzz this week, with an inventive twist on deckbuilders. 

Steam Next Fest ends on February 12, so be sure you check out all the demos you’d like before then.