As video game marketing drifts further away from its in-person roots (E3 who?), digital events are picking up the slack in a big way. It feels like every week, there’s a shiny new Xbox Showcase, State of Play, or Nintendo Direct to devour.
But we’re not here to talk about those big publishers! Today, we’re highlighting the best and brightest titles from the February 2025 Steam Next Fest, running until March 3. Whether you’re searching for the next indie sensation or simply looking to support your favorite developers, you’re bound to discover something great here.
– David Silbert, Editor
Best Steam Next Fest Demos (February 2025)
From cozy games to collectathons, horror roguelikes to open worlds, here are the best games we’ve sampled during this winter’s Steam Next Fest.
(Note: Games are listed in alphabetical order.)
- Centum
- Deck of Haunts
- Deliver At All Costs
- Demon Tides
- Fumehead
- Genokids
- Haste: Broken Worlds
- The Horror at Highrook
- Is This Seat Taken?
- Mecha Break
- Promise Mascot Agency
- Ruffy and the Riverside
- Wanderstop
- Wheel World
- Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade
Centum
I’ll be honest: I haven’t the faintest idea what Centum is about. All I gleaned from my time playing was that it’s a point-and-click horror game that balances the odd (talking rats, creepy ghosts) with the gruesome (mutilated fingers, literal cubes of gore).
There’s an interesting meta-narrative at the heart of Centum, one that involves booting up various computer programs and playing arcade games in between each brooding new scene. It’s a slow, confusing burn, but one that undoubtedly has my attention.
– David Silbert
Release date: March 11, 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Deck of Haunts
Deck of Haunts is a fascinating spooky game that lets you do the scaring. If you’ve played Dead by Daylight, you’re already familiar with playing the villain. Odds are, however, you’ve never seen the concept taken to quite this extreme.
Part deck-builder, part management sim, part god game, Deck of Haunts lets you live out your own scary movie… by putting you in control of the haunted mansion. Each round, you add cards to an ever-growing deck of traps, haunts, and scares. Killing those who enter your halls is paramount to success, as you’ll need their souls to expand your mansion and keep the lights running.
With countless combinations of cards to acquire, rooms to build, and traps to set, Deck of Haunts aims to establish a completely new sub-genre in the roguelike space. I’d be lying if I said I understood every mechanic under its hood, but I’m intrigued by the possibilities.
– David Silbert
Release date: TBD
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Deliver At All Costs
Mix Crazy Taxi, GTA, and a dash of noir absurdity, and you get Deliver At All Costs. Set in 1959’s tropical St. Monique, you play as Winston Green, a broke courier with a mysterious past. Your job? Deliver increasingly ridiculous packages while surviving the chaos of the city.
The game’s physics are hilariously unpredictable—whether you’re dodging understandably angry pedestrians, dealing with unstable cargo, or getting shoved out of your own truck. While the driving mechanics took some time to master, the over-the-top world and bizarre clients won me over. Between explosive fireworks and scammer-sold rotten melons, each delivery was a disaster waiting to happen, and I enjoyed every second.
Release date: TBD
Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Demon Tides
When collectathon platformer Demon Turf released in 2021, it impressed many critics with its stylish 2D-meets-3D visuals but left others wanting where it mattered most: gameplay. Four years later, developer Fabraz is back with an all-new adventure, and though Demon Tides abandons the distinctive style that established the series, the tradeoff seems more than worth it.
Despite having never played the original Demon Turf, I settled right into Demon Tides. After surviving a shipwreck, protagonist Beebz (a playful riff on Beelzebub) and her crew must travel the waters of Ragnar’s Rock, exploring nearby islands, discovering gear, and taking on various enemies that have laid claim to the land.
Like Demon Turf before it, Demon Tides plays like an old-school 3D platformer. In a novel twist, however, the sequel is open-world, allowing players to explore various platforming playgrounds at their leisure. Take the sandbox of Super Mario Odyssey, the traversal of The Wind Waker, and the vibes of Sonic, and you’ll arrive at Demon Tides.
There’s so much I could say about Demon Tides, from its rich, open-ended levels to its vibrant visuals and bopping soundtrack. The platforming takes time to click, but once it does, it offers the most depth I’ve seen since A Hat in Time. Best of all, you can play a sizable portion of the main game (it took me two hours to 100% the demo) and see for yourself if it goes the distance.
– David Silbert
Release date: TBD 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam)
Fumehead
Fumehead caught my eye with its premise alone. A side-scrolling RPG set in an underground world, Fumehead blends the stylish melodrama of Final Fantasy with the deck-based gameplay of Slay the Spire to promising results.
The demo, though admittedly short, does a great job of entrenching players in the game’s world. In my 20-minute playthrough, I navigated the worm caves of District 4, battling mafia-inspired soldiers as Jack and Aml, the game’s grey-haired protagonists. Smooth 2D pixel art set the scene, while a killer battle theme upped my heart rate.
It remains to be seen whether the card-based mechanics will coalesce into something truly special—only a handful of cards were available in this particular build—but the groundwork is there for something special. I’m excited to see more.
– David Silbert
Release date: TBD
Platforms: PC (Steam)
Genokids
I wish more indie games were like Geno Kids—a fast-paced hack-and-slash that wears its Devil May Cry and Kingdom Hearts influences proudly. The combat blends fluid combos, a style meter, and special attacks that consume MP, which recharges through aggressive play.
Dashing feels reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, and the characters bring their own unique flair. The two playable fighters in the demo—one wielding a transforming guitar-sword and the other using powerful gauntlets—offer satisfying variety.
While the level design is sparse and the enemy count feels low, the combat has serious potential. With more polish and enemy variety, this could be a standout action game.
– Donovan Harrell
Release date: 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam)
Haste: Broken Worlds
As a Sonic the Hedgehog fan, I love a good speed-focused game, and Haste: Broken Worlds delivers. Imagine if modern 3D Sonic games had no brakes—just pure, momentum-based movement. You play as a courier dashing through interdimensional landscapes, using perfect landings and precision turns to maintain speed.
The game blends roguelike elements with high-speed platforming, offering branching paths, upgrades, and challenging terrain. Some levels force you to outrun an encroaching force of entropy, where one wrong move spells instant failure. The difficulty spikes can be brutal, especially on harder routes, but the rush of nailing a (almost) perfect run kept me coming back.
– Donovan Harrell
Release date: TBD
Platforms: PC (Steam)
The Horror at Highrook
The Horror at Highrook is a game I didn’t realize I needed. Inspired by board games and tabletop RPGs, Highrook is a fascinating mashup of survival horror and Clue.
You play as four characters—the Mechanist, the Plague Doctor, the Scholar, and the Thug—who have been tasked with investigating an abandoned mansion. Much like Clue, the mansion contains flavorfully titled rooms such as the Chapel, Laboratory, and Archives. Each room has its own function, whether it’s searching for food at the Cliff Top or digging for alchemic ingredients in the Courtyard. Items you discover are represented as in-game cards, which you can pair with various characters to perform D&D-esque skill checks. All the while, your characters must battle exhaustion, hunger, hysteria, and more.
The Horror at Highrook takes all the setup of a TTRPG and streamlines it into an addicting loop. I played on my Steam Deck (despite the game clearly being intended for mouse and keyboard), yet I still had an absolute blast.
– David Silbert
Release date: TBD
Platforms: PC (Steam)
Is This Seat Taken?
A cozy puzzle game where you help sentient shapes find the correct seat, Is This Seat Taken? is my favorite demo from Steam Next Fest so far. Each shape has its set of preferences, like wanting to sit in an aisle seat on a bus or next to someone else at a restaurant. Not only is the gameplay and art style delightful, but the writing is too. Some of the characters are goofy and will make you laugh out loud.
With just the right amount of challenge, Is This Seat Taken? is a satisfying and relaxing game. I’m very excited to play the full release whenever it comes out!
Release date: TBD 2025
Platforms: PC and Mac (Steam)
Mecha Break
Mecha Break throws you into fast-paced mech battles with an emphasis on style and speed. While the story—beginning with a desperate escape from an exploding spaceship—is hardly interesting, the thrill of piloting a giant battle machine is undeniable.
The game centers around online multiplayer, offering two PvP modes (3v3 and 6v6) as well as a PvPvE mode dubbed “Extraction.” Customization is solid enough, but the mech classes feel unbalanced, with some options being vastly more powerful than others.
Despite these issues, the game’s movement and combat shine, delivering high-speed, over-the-top action. It’s not a day-one buy for me yet, but there was enough fun in the online fights to give this one potential. I’m concerned about the role microtransactions might play in the future, though.
– Donovan Harrell
Release date: TBD 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Promise Mascot Agency
This was the most surprising demo I played, as I rarely branch into management sims, but Promise Mascot Agency hooked me instantly. With its dark humor, surreal world, and stylish presentation, it’s a game unlike anything I’ve played.
You control Michi, an ex-yakuza-turned-reluctant-mascot-manager, and Pinky, a gigantic, feisty severed pinky finger with big dreams that is out to restore her reputation. Together, they build a mascot empire in a run-down mountain town full of corrupt politicians, supernatural oddities, and eccentric business owners.
The management mechanics are addictive, from recruiting bizarre mascots (like a crying half-eaten tofu block) to using various hero cards to resolve absurd crises in a card battle mini-game. With its cozy-yet-chaotic gameplay, slick visuals, and unexpectedly deep world, I easily sank two and a half hours and wanted more.
– Donovan Harrell
(Editor’s note: For more on Promise Mascot Agency, check out our interview with developer Kaizen Game Works.)
Release date: April 10, 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Ruffy and the Riverside
If 3D platformers are your jam, look no further than Ruffy and the Riverside. Inspired by classics like Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie, Ruffy mimics the best of N64-era platformers (clever levels, vibrant aesthetic, charming music) while adding just enough spin to stand out.
Ruffy’s biggest innovation is its palette swap mechanic. By aiming at items in the environment, you can absorb its material or color and apply it elsewhere in the world. Absorb the fire of a volcano, and you can turn a river into a bed of lava; absorb the wood of a tree, and you can break metal blocks with ease. As you might expect, this leads to plenty of wacky hijinks.
The demo alone had enough inventive puzzles and quirky NPCs to rival most small games. Nearly an hour went by in a blink, and it was clear from the in-game “demo-only” boundaries that I was only scratching the surface. While not without faults (the controls are a bit finicky), this could be a platformer to remember.
– David Silbert
Release date: April 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Wanderstop
One of the biggest surprises from Steam Next Fest, Wanderstop is a wonderful cozy game with a wonderfully meta twist: The main character doesn’t want to be cozy.
Alta has spent much of her adult life as a fighter, working tirelessly to conquer any and all challengers. After several years of domination, she finds herself defeated and directionless. In a desperate search for a famed swordswoman, Alta succumbs to years of fatigue and collapses, only to be rescued by a quiet shopkeeper named Boro.
When Alta comes to, Boro introduces her to his shop, which specializes in brewing tea. After some initial trepidation (well, outright callousness is more accurate), Alta finally gives in—kicking off what looks to be a story of intense soul-searching.
Wanderstop plays as if Mikasa from Attack on Titan found herself in the middle of Kiki’s Delivery Service. It pulls from cozy staples like Animal Crossing but streamlines the mechanics with breezy animations and intuitive menus. If the dark-yet-uplifting story keeps up the momentum, this could be a cozy game to defy all expectations.
– David Silbert
Release date: March 11, 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Wheel World
Wheel World takes inspiration from some surprising sources. An open-world biking game, this title from Nidhogg developer Messhof merges the vibrant beauty of Zelda with the upbeat competition of Forza Horizon.
As Kat, a young racer equipped with a spirit-possessed bike, players must navigate a sprawling open world in search of legendary parts scattered across the land. In about 30 minutes of play, I navigated the game’s colorful intro island, engaging with NPCs, racing for street cred, and scouring the environment for upgrades.
The races themselves were fun, with just the right level of challenge to feel rewarding but never frustrating. And with tons of bike customization options, it looks like there’s ample reasons to explore. Add in a cel-shaded art style reminiscent of Roll7’s criminally underappreciated OlliOlli World (no relation), and Wheel World seems primed for a first-place finish.
– David Silbert
Release date: Summer 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade
If Hades-like is a genre, Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade is a strong entry. Set in a fantasy Japan filled with yokai and demons, this roguelike features three playable characters: Shigure, a sword-wielding warrior with powerful elemental weapon variations; Taketora, a beastly archer who also fights hand-to-hand; and Sara, a lightning-fast dual-blade demon.
Each run offers new upgrades, forcing you to adapt your strategy. The art style is stunning, and the combat flows smoothly, making each battle feel exhilarating. With interconnected character stories and a strong soundtrack, I can already tell I’ll be dying (and retrying) a lot when the full game drops in a couple months.
– Donovan Harrell
Release date: April 23, 2025
Platforms: PC
What Steam Next Fest Demos Have You Tried?
Have a favorite demo from the February 2025 Steam Next Fest? Let us know in the comments.
We’ll update this list with any new demos we try before Steam Next Fest wraps on March 3. Be sure to check back!
