Subsequent Fest is again! The biannual Steam occasion that celebrates demos for lots of of forthcoming video games begins right now, October 13, and runs till 1 p.m. ET on October 20. However with 3,276 demos to select from, it’s an awesome beast. Worry not, for we—just like the courageous knights we’re—are right here to focus on a few of the finest we’ve discovered throughout a breadth of genres, from indie to AAA. I like to think about Subsequent Fest because the video games trade’s demonstration that genres don’t imply something any extra, because the 1000’s of demos are categorized by way of a mix of lies and jazz, and the phrases “point-and-click” are taken to imply “video games that function pointy objects and clicking sounds.” It could make in search of explicit sorts of video games an astonishing headache. So as a substitute, push all such intentions apart: Subsequent Fest is finest loved by simply scrolling by way of into the deepest recesses and putting in something that catches your eye. Overlook in regards to the types of video games you already like; as a substitute plunge in deep and experiment. And to save lots of your scroll wheel, we’ve picked out a number of video games that might be your new large obsession.
After all this by no means definitive! There can be lots of of demos value taking part in, and in case you’ve found something you’d advocate your self, then we encourage you to take action within the feedback. Tingus Goose Developer: SweatyChairRelease date: This fall 2025Demo hyperlink Usually with these roundups I like to begin with a widely known identify so everybody feels comfy, protected, and acquainted, earlier than I then begin including the super-weird delights. However no such easing ourselves into the deep finish right now, as a result of there is no such thing as a extra essential demo to inform you about than Tingus Goose. I…phrases can not suffice.
It is a clicker within the vein of Cookie Clicker, besides you’re…properly, hear, you’re clicking on the bizarre little baby-creatures known as Tingus that fly out of the beak of a goose. A goose that’s rising out of the stomach of a girl mendacity on a mattress. As you water your goose (you heard me) its neck grows longer, and it reaches for the loving kiss of one other goose hanging down from the sky above. They need to mate, and it’s your job to have them meet. However you want cash to water a goose, and that’s gained by, um, having the infants roll over protuberances that develop sideways out of the goose’s neck. That, as you’d count on, earns money. And don’t fear, you’ll be able to click on on the infants, too, to get more cash, however don’t click on too typically or they pop.
That is all an excellent piece of batshit loopy animation and gibberish recreation design, and I like each second of it. PowerWash Simulator 2 Developer: FuturLabRelease date: 23 Oct, 2025Demo hyperlink See, in different years this might have been my extra welcoming first entry. We’re all trying ahead to PowerWash Simulator 2, proper? And now we lastly get to play it! Hooray!
And sure, it’s after all completely marvelous. It’s extra PowerWash Simulator, however barely prettier and with much less clunky controls. I’m having to pressure myself to cease taking part in to jot down this, and play the remainder of the demos, and it’s proving tough, and that’s what PW at all times did finest: take over your complete life with its demonic pressure-washing powers.
Slots And Daggers Developer: FriedemannRelease date: October 24, 2025Demo hyperlink Oh my goodness that is the very best I need to play it without end. This being Slots And Daggers, a post-Balatro roguelite slot machine recreation that purifies the mechanics to sweetest perfection. You start by selecting the icons that may seem on the slots (beginning with cash, sword assaults and protect) after which cease every dial to struggle a monster. When you win, cash earned might be spent on new icons (maybe a bow assault, or an improve to your protect), in addition to on power-ups that enhance your assaults, protection, and approach. You and the enemy have protect and well being meters, with some assaults in a position to do true injury, others protected by your defenses. And, after all, the second you lose it’s again to the beginning. Besides you additionally win poker chips as you play, and these might be spent on “unlawful” hacks to the slot machine that may completely enhance issues.
It’s all there, proper? All of the elements of an important roguelite, within the neatest doable means. And I can guarantee you that it’s outstandingly moreish. Mosaic of the Unusual © Mark Ffrench Developer: Mark FfrenchRelease date: 7 Nov, 2025Demo hyperlink Mark Ffrench makes a really particular style of recreation. It’s Fill-a-Pix puzzles writ massive, the logic puzzle video games that normally fill a small grid in your telephone now taking over wall-size friezes. Proverbs was my favourite of his, an enormous rendering of Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s portray, Netherlandish Proverbs, became a puzzle. And which may sound pretentious, however rattling it was great. Later got here 2024: Mosaic Retrospective, an unbelievable collage of occasions of the earlier yr, and subsequent comes Mosaic of the Unusual, the follow-up to a recreation I now notice I solely missed, Mosaic of the Pharaohs. (I do know what I’m doing once I needs to be working tomorrow…) Extremely, this combines the puzzle idea with a point-and-click journey, and my thoughts’s made up. It’s exhausting to know how one can persuade a skeptic to provide a recreation like this a attempt, however they’re blissfully absorbing and I actually can not advocate them sufficient.
Painkiller Developer: Anshar StudiosRelease date: 21 Oct, 2025Demo hyperlink I’d in some way solely missed that Painkiller was coming again. As 3D Realms trawls its archives, 2004’s Painkiller is the newest recognizable identify to get a complete overhaul. A decade off has achieved it some good, and its return provides it recent new central characters, and it’s playable alone or in 3-player co-op. It strikes extraordinarily rapidly, which is my main need from any 3D Realms shooter, and the AI bots appear to do an honest sufficient job within the demo. It’s additionally gloriously gory and bursting with Quake 3 vibes. Heroes of Would possibly and Magic: Olden Period Developer: UnfrozenRelease date: 2026Demo hyperlink Fingers up, who’s sufficiently old to recollect the Heroes of Would possibly & Magic video games? No, it’s OK, don’t pressure your arm. And let’s not even ask in regards to the OG Would possibly & Magic followers, because the breath of the query would possibly trigger them to break down into mud. The RPG sequence goes again so far as 1986 extremely, with its turn-based technique spin-off Heroes of Would possibly & Magic beginning in 1995. Extremely regarded turn-based technique video games proper up till they weren’t, the sequence noticed diminishing returns starting with HOMM 5 and 2015’s Would possibly & Magic Heroes VII polished the entire franchise off for a decade.
Properly, it’s again, and its newest entry is coming from Iratus developer Unfrozen. Apparently it has the great sense to not meddle with a beloved system, letting you construct your mythological armies and develop a city, with its emphasis squarely on recreating everybody’s glad reminiscences of HOMM 3. And look, I might deceive you and fake I understood this demo, however turn-based technique is a style I’ve by no means gotten my head round. I’m simply excited for all of the Would possibly & Magic followers I’ve identified and beloved that it’s again. Kingdom of Night time Developer: Pals of SafetyRelease date: This fall 2025Demo hyperlink I put in this one on an entire whim, and I’m very glad I did. It’s an RPG by means of a point-and-click journey, set in Nineteen Eighties Arizona with some heavy Stranger Issues vibes. You play a teenage child at highschool who finds himself embroiled in a weird journey of invading demons and magical powers. The demo instantly reveals how the traits you decide have an effect on the way you play, with a alternative between brains and brawn opening up completely different dialog choices and methods to deal with faculty encounters. It comes with an intricate spell system, real-time fight, and plenty of beautiful isometric pixel graphics. And I’m actually moving into it. This was first introduced six years in the past, however is outwardly arriving this yr, full with an choice to play the entire journey in co-op. Servant of the Lake Developer: Rusty LakeRelease date: 2026Demo hyperlink The unbelievable Rusty Lake sequence simply celebrated its tenth anniversary with a usually macabre birthday recreation, however now could be again with an upcoming full entry within the long-running Lynchian sequence. Servant of the Lake has the participant arrive to the Vanderboom home by horse and cart, there to be a servant to the household for a single weekend. Nevertheless, long-term followers will notice this places us within the period of the primary era of the Vanderbooms, and thus within the presence of Aldous Vanderboom, the person who turns into the sequence peculiar antagonist, Mr. Crow. And, actually, you personal it to your self to play each Rusty Lake recreation so as, constructing as much as subsequent yr’s launch of this one.
Reanimal Developer: Tarsier StudiosRelease date: TBADemo hyperlink Reanimal is after all what Tarsier Studios is making as a substitute of Little Nightmares 3. It’s a complete new challenge from the crew and, nonetheless a yr on from its announcement, it doesn’t but have a launch date. However no less than we will play a few of it now! You play as a sack-headed boy, who begins the sport steering a ship to tug a mask-wearing lady from the ocean, earlier than lastly reaching dry land and starting the journey of their try to flee their hellish house. It’s all extraordinarily atmospheric, however very gradual to get going for a demo. Nonetheless, persist and also you’ll expertise this horror-themed journey for an honest whereas. Marvel Cosmic Invasion Developer: Tribute GamesRelease date: 2025Demo hyperlink I’m delighted to report that Marvel Cosmic Invasion is an entire delight. Tribute Video games follows up TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge with one other old-school side-scrolling beat ’em up, this time with a broad forged of Marvel heroes to biff with. You decide two at a time (Spider-Man and She Hulk make for an important pairing), then alternate between the 2 of them as you arrange combos and Streets of Rage your means down these pixel-perfect streets. In actual fact, it’s so Streets of Rage that you simply even eat meals you discover by smashing rubbish cans, similar to actual superheroes do. It’s so colourful and punchy (in each sense) that it feels prefer it might be a traditional arcade cupboard hit from the ’80s, rejuvenated for contemporary machines.
