My living room smelled like stale coffee and controller rubber when I booted into Steam Next Fest. Halfway through a marathon of demos I realized ambition was the festival’s common language. I walked away with ten games I think you should try before the next Steam sale.
I played more than 50 demos during Steam Next Fest 2026 so you don’t have to. Below are the ones that held my attention—the ones I returned to, messaged friends about, and kept thinking of after I closed Steam. I’ll tell you what felt fresh, what needs work, and why each demo is worth a half-hour of your time.
Which Steam Next Fest demos are worth trying?
Short answer: the ones listed below. Long answer: play a demo that fits your mood—fast shooters, co-op extraction, psychological horror, or cozy driving—and mark the ones you want on your Steam wishlist before the sale.
Are these demos multiplayer or single-player?
Many are mixed. Some are strictly single-player with strong companions, others support co-op up to four players, and a few are competitive matches. Each entry will note what to expect.
I watched two strangers race across a mural before I tried the demo — Empulse
Empulse is a 6v6 arena shooter from the team at 1047 Games that gives you the kind of movement rarely seen outside of Respawn titles. Wall-running, grapple hooks, and jetpacks aren’t just flourishes—they’re the primary language of play. The demo introduced P.A.I.N.T. bombs, which I used to speed, heal, and burst through choke points; movement felt like a caffeinated hummingbird, precise and hard to pin down.
There’s also objective play around boarding mechs: capture one and a match’s momentum can flip in seconds. If you liked Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends, try Empulse for the mobility alone and add it to your wishlist for early access testing on Steam.
I overheard a player swear about a boss fight in a café — Valor Mortis
I’d played Valor Mortis before its festival demo, and the new build showed a different area plus a major boss that kept me on my toes. The game mixes souls-like swordplay with ranged weapons, adding a Bloodborne-ish cadence to parry and dodge fights. When it works, the combat sings; when it stutters, the experience frays—there are reported FPS drops during big encounters that the developer needs to address.
Still, One More Level has polished ideas here. Try the demo to see if your rig handles the spectacle and keep an eye on updates on the Steam page.
I saw a friend text “we need a party” at midnight — Mistfall Hunter
Mistfall Hunter is an extraction ARPG built for co-op PvE. You roam dark fantasy dungeons, face souls-like bosses, and bring resources back to your base. The twist is that anything you loot can be carried home for future runs, which rewards careful play and team synergy.
If you and friends like structured runs with progression—think a multiplayer Diablo tempered with extraction tension—this one is scheduled for release next month and deserves a spot on your watchlist.
I caught someone drawing a sword in a train ad — Echoes of Aincrad
If you’re a Sword Art Online fan you’ll feel at home here. Echoes of Aincrad lets you craft your own avatar rather than playing Kirito, and the combat is satisfyingly weighty—each swing lands with presence. The demo showed solid single-player pacing supported by an AI companion system and polished voice work.
For anyone chasing anime-style open worlds with responsive melee, this demo is a clear demo-to-wishlist candidate on Steam.
A courier asked if I liked scary co-op — The Mound Omen of Cthulu
ACE Team’s psychological-horror co-op puts you and up to three friends into a cursed jungle full of treasure and terror. It blends investigative tools—a compass, maps—with action weapons like guns and explosives. Combat is more dynamic than Phasmophobia’s, with a usable cross and utility items that matter beyond flash.
Play this with friends who like tight resource management and tense exploration. The demo hints at a game that could become a co-op classic if the loop and balance hold up.
I watched two hikers frame a sunset on my phone — Over the Hill
Over the Hill is a chill driving experience for up to four players where the point is the scenery. Your jeep crosses rough terrain, you listen to a meditative soundtrack, and occasionally wildlife or obstacles interrupt the quiet. Compared with PEAK and RV There Yet?, this one leans calmer—more postcard than survival gauntlet.
Bring friends, take screenshots, and treat this as a weekend unwind on Steam when it launches later in 2026.
I spotted a hand-drawn map taped to a café wall — Dungeon Settlers
Dungeon Settlers folds base-building into dungeon crawling. You clear monsters, return with resources, and expand a settlement in hostile territory. The systems felt deeper than expected; the joy comes from watching your settlement grow and then testing its defenses in dungeons.
Simulation fans who like management plus action should add this to their Steam wishlist after a short demo run.
I heard someone laugh nervously during a co-op run — Grain Rot
Grain Rot channels Lethal Company vibes into a robot co-op extraction game. You send robots into ruins, retrieve items, and use those materials to expand a base. The mechanics are playful—shooting both hands to grab objects is a small detail that becomes a delightful loop.
It’s horror-tinged but fun-first, and it’s scheduled for Q3 2026. Play the demo if you enjoy tense co-op with a wink.
I watched a tranquil lake ad become unsettling after midnight — About Fishing
About Fishing takes the quiet ritual of anglers and bends it into psychological horror. The atmosphere is dense, the simple act of casting becomes a slow reveal, and the demo stayed with me in the same way a warped photograph lingers after you put it down.
If you want a game that turns comfort into unease with elegant mechanics, this demo is the one I can’t stop recommending.
I found an old MSN chat screenshot in an attic post — lily’s world XD
lily’s world XD is investigative, teenage-era horror that hands you Lily’s laptop and asks you to read her messages, diaries, and files from 2004. The game breaks the fourth wall, leans into intimacy, and ramps creepiness in ways that can unsettle even seasoned horror players.
If you like ARG-like investigation with unsettling reveals and modern indie craft, put this on your must-play demo list.
I could have listed twenty more, but these ten kept pulling me back to Steam between work and sleep. Try the demos that match the mood you want to chase—fast matches, co-op runs, or single-player nightmares—and add them to your Steam wishlist before the sale; missing a good launch is a regret that spreads faster than a patch note, right?