Steam Next Fest is in full swing, and the clock’s ticking-these 15 game demos range from quirky cat adventures by Meowza Games to bold experiments that could be your next obsession.
But the sheer number of games – seriously, hundreds of them – makes choosing what to play a little overwhelming. Of course, there’s no limit to the amount of games you can install and play, but you’ve only got until Feb. 13 to do so. (You may be able to launch some games after that time period, but they most likely won’t be available to once the festival ends.)
Looking for recommendations? These are the 13 games we’ll be demoing during the Steam Next Fest.
Mineko’s Night Market
Mineko’s Night Market blends cozy life-sim charm with whimsical storytelling, centered on a curious young girl rebuilding a small Japanese-inspired town and celebrating its love for cats. Players can craft trinkets, trade at bustling market stalls, explore the island, and uncover the mystery surrounding the Sun Cat, Niko. Its warm art style, playful humor, and gentle pacing make the demo a relaxing and engaging experience to end Steam Next Fest with.
Mineko’s Night Market has been on our radar for some time, originally slated for release in 2019. It’s a life simulator with a story about friendship and tradition, according to developer Meowza Games. Of course, it’s also got a ton of cats – it’s set on an island that worships the Sun Cat, Abe. Beyond the story, you’ll be able to do typical life sim stuff, completing daily activities, taking on jobs, and crafting items for the night market.
It’s listed on Steam as “coming soon,” with no release date announced just yet.
Mars First Logistics
Mars First Logistics mixes physics-based hauling puzzles with a touch of Martian charm. Players build and operate modular rovers to transport awkward cargo across red deserts, testing creativity and precision with each delivery. Its grounded mechanics and playful tone make every success genuinely satisfying, especially as you design increasingly elaborate machines to outsmart the planet’s rugged terrain.
Mars First Logistics, from Australian developer Ian MacLarty and Shape Shop, is an open-world physics simulator set on Mars; you’ll build rovers to transport stuff across the planet. Doing this work means getting money to upgrade your builds and establish a space colony, developer Shape Shop said. It’s expected out in 2023.
Planet of Lana
Planet of Lana captures a haunting, rain-soaked world where quiet beauty and peril blend seamlessly, inviting players to explore its tender story through stunning visuals, evocative puzzles, and a pulse of mystery that lingers long after the credits roll.
Swedish indie studio Wishfully announced Planet of Lana in 2021, and the game is expected to launch in 2023. The platformer follows the titular Lana and her creature companion on a mission to save Lana’s sister, after the planet they live on is sent into chaos from a seemingly extraterrestrial attack. Wishfully says the game isn’t about war, though – it’s about the “vibrant, beautiful planet and the journey to keep it that way.”
Shadows of Doubt
A noir-inspired simulation where every clue counts, Shadows of Doubt turns investigation into an intricate puzzle. Roam procedurally generated cities, gather evidence, and piece together cases across dimly lit alleys and corporate offices. The demo showcases its immersive detail-each citizen has a story, every apartment hides secrets, and no two investigations unfold the same way.
ColePowered Games’ Shadows of Doubt is a stealth detective game in a science fiction, noir city. Its neon-lit world is full of puzzles that’ll require you to take on the role of a private investigator – taking on jobs while solving a larger mystery involving a serial killer. The detailed voxel world looks vivid and extensive, with no shortage of places to explore.
Rusted Moss
Rusted Moss traps you in a sprawling underground complex where moss clings to corroded metal walls. You control a nimble cat that leaps across precarious platforms and dodges patrolling robots. Precise jumps and clever distractions keep the tension high as you unravel the facility’s secrets. Meowza Games nails the fluid movement and atmospheric dread in this demo.
Rusted Moss is described by its developer as a “bullet-helly” Metroidvania, and traversal involves swinging around with a grappling hook that’s also your robotic companion. Like any good Metroidvania, exploration is a huge element of the game – and the travel mechanic looks intriguing, too.
Gestalt: Steam & Cinder
A stylish action-platformer with steampunk flair, Gestalt: Steam & Cinder delivers fast, responsive combat and a richly illustrated city full of intrigue. You play as Aletheia, a mercenary uncovering secrets behind a decaying metropolis powered by mysterious steam technology. Tight controls, layered storytelling, and fluid animations make its demo a captivating taste of what’s ahead.
Gestalt: Steam & Cinder‘s gorgeous, pixelated world is unrivaled – the steampunk setting is stunningly detailed and full of life. The 2D platforming and combat will be just as important as the “twist-laden narrative” set in the Steam City of Canaan, a world filled with “dangerous truths.”
Dust & Neon
A stylish twin-stick shooter set in a futuristic Wild West, Dust & Neon combines fast-paced gunplay with roguelite progression. Players take on waves of robotic enemies, swapping weapons and upgrades between runs to refine their gunslinger build. Its cel-shaded visuals, punchy combat feedback, and quick respawn loop make it a satisfying challenge for anyone who enjoys precision shooting and flashy reloads.
Dust & Neon is the Wild West, but make it futuristic. Do you want a roguelite shooter where you play as a robot gunslinger fighting villainous robots? Try this one. It looks both stylish and chaotic, and definitely like a challenge.
Cook Serve Forever
Cook Serve Forever mixes fast-paced cooking challenges with a heartfelt story about an ambitious home cook chasing her dream in the bustling city of Helianthus. Developed by Meowza Games, it builds on the charm of the Cook, Serve, Delicious! series while adding fresh mechanics, deeper narrative choices, and stylish hand-drawn art. The demo offers a generous taste of its multitasking chaos, letting players plate up gourmet dishes and manage tight queues under pressure.
From the makers of Cook, Serve, Delicious!, the new Cook Serve Forever is a cooking adventure game starring a home cook who’s starting a food truck in a vibrant, futuristic city. It’s management, rhythm, and a whole lot of delicious food, gorgeously rendered in a unique style.
Desynced
Desynced throws you into a planet where automation runs wild. Build factories and program drones to harvest resources, fight off alien threats, and expand your robotic empire. The demo lets you test modular bots that adapt on the fly, chaining production lines across harsh terrain. Chain commands creatively to survive and thrive in this automation sandbox.
Desynced‘s survival strategy gameplay comes from Stage Games, bringing a hazy, muted world to life. It’s said to have all the classic survival strategy elements, from exploration and research to expansion and combat. It’s expected out in 2023.
Outlanders
Set in a mysterious frontier beyond the familiar world, Outlanders blends city-building with survival strategy. Players guide a small group of settlers through hardship, managing scarce resources while shaping a growing community. The clean design and intuitive controls make each decision matter, from constructing homes to keeping morale high. It’s a calm yet challenging experience that rewards smart planning and careful balance.
Like Desynced, Outlanders is a strategy game, but with a totally different vibe. From Pomelo Games, Outlanders is a town-builder with a positive spin: It’s just a bunch of folks who are hardworking and looking to collaborate and build together – not dominate and overrule the land they inhabit.
Coven
Created by Meowza Games, Coven blends cozy visuals with unsettling mystery as players mix potions, gather strange ingredients, and navigate curious social bonds in a magical village. The demo balances charm and unease, hinting at secrets beneath its pastel surface while inviting experimentation with witchcraft mechanics and ritual crafting.
Gator Shins’ Coven is a dark and creepy horror first-person shooter with lots of violence. Think something like Doom, but probably more intense. Gator Shins said the direct influences are classic FPS games like “Blood, Hexen, Unreal, and Timesplitters.” It definitely doesn’t appear to be for the faint of heart.
Arcade Party
Arcade Party channels the charm of classic cabinets into a nostalgic yet energetic experience. Players compete in a colorful collection of mini-games, each bursting with retro visuals and playful mechanics. It’s perfect for short bursts of fun or local multiplayer chaos, offering quick thrills and that just-one-more-round appeal.
Arcade Party by developer Arcade Party is naturally a party game full of different arcade-inspired minigames. It’s got online and local play, and looks like a ton of chaotic fun. For fans of classic arcade games, you’ll certainly be able to pick out specific influences from its collection of more than 20 minigames. There’s even a fishing minigame!
Boundary
Boundary stands out with its zero-gravity combat that feels both tense and tactical. Players take on the role of armed astronauts, floating through debris fields and satellite wreckage while engaging in precision firefights. Its movement system forces you to think in three dimensions, turning every angle into a potential threat. The demo offers a strong taste of how positioning and momentum affect the thrill of each encounter.
Boundary by Studio Surgical Scalpels is a multiplayer, tactical space shooter that pits teams against each other in zero-gravity battlegrounds on floating space stations. Astronauts here are not just any astronauts – they’re kitted out to take on fierce battles against other similarly suited teams looking to control space.
Highwater
Highwater throws players into a flooded post-apocalyptic city as a convoy leader scavenging for survival. Drive quirky vehicles across submerged streets, manage resources, and make tough choices amid rising waters and rival factions. This top-down adventure mixes driving action with strategic planning, offering a tense preview of its full release.
From Golf Club: Wasteland developer Demagog, Highwater brings players into a bleak climate apocalypse. When the ultra-rich are leaving Earth and heading to Mars, the player – a normie – takes to the flooded world in an attempt to sneak on board the rocket.
Phantom Brigade
Phantom Brigade puts you in command of a mech squad fighting to reclaim your lost province. Missions unfold across branching timelines shaped by your tactical choices, where every decision ripples into future battles. Scavenge parts from fallen enemies to customize your mechs, balancing firepower, armor, and mobility for the perfect loadout. The demo showcases turn-based combat with real-time execution, letting you plot moves then watch them play out amid chaos. Try it to experience strategic depth in a war-torn world.
Brace Yourself Games’ Phantom Brigade is a turn-based, real-time tactical role-playing game with a squad of sick mech pilots. The developer says its focus is on customization and player-driven stories, where the goal is to lead the outgunned squad in an attempt to reclaim their home. It’s high-level strategy that plays out in cinematic scenes, making it a totally unique spin on the genre.
Detailed reviews of Mika And The Witch’s Mountain demo
Mika and The Witch’s Mountain demo offers a charming preview of a cozy delivery adventure inspired by Studio Ghibli and Wind Waker, focusing on broom flight and island exploration.
Core Gameplay
Players control young witch Mika, who crash-lands on Mount Gaun’s island after a tough initiation and repairs her broom for package deliveries across towns like Orilla Town. Flight starts clunky with a basic broom that hovers and boosts but “falls” constantly, encouraging platforming and wind current navigation; upgrades later enable smoother gliding and tricks. Reviewers praise the addictive delivery loop and traversal joy, though some note early controls feel cumbersome intentionally to show progression.
Demo Strengths
The short demo (under an hour) showcases colorful cel-shaded visuals, whimsical animations, and heartwarming character interactions that build town lore through jobs. Steam Deck runs it stably at 40-60 FPS with minor dips, signaling strong optimization potential. Music evokes cozy vibes when present, paired with satisfying sound effects like crash smacks.
Criticisms Noted
Length disappoints some, limiting deeper exploration or multiple quests, while hit detection and sparse ambiance (e.g., music dropouts or quiet stretches) occasionally frustrate. Story setup is barebones, with antagonists fading quickly even in fuller builds referenced alongside the demo.
Overall Impressions
Impressions highlight its wholesome appeal and flight “blast,” earning excitement for full release despite simplicity; one calls it “super cute” for promising relaxed witch training. It ties into Steam Next Fest vibes like prior Polygon picks (cozy sims, momentum platformers), positioning it as a modern cozy flyer worth wishlist-ing.
How does full game gameplay expand on demo features
The full version of Mika and The Witch’s Mountain significantly builds on the demo’s core broom-flying and delivery mechanics, expanding into a fuller open-world adventure.
Expanded World and Exploration
The demo limits players to a small starter island (e.g., Mount Gaun and Orilla Town outskirts) with basic quests, but the full game unlocks 5+ diverse islands across a larger archipelago. New biomes like forests, snowy peaks, and hidden grottos add wind patterns, weather effects, and secrets for freer exploration beyond deliveries.
Upgraded Progression Systems
Broom upgrades progress from the demo’s clunky starter model to 20+ customizable parts (e.g., speed wings, cargo boosters, stunt hooks), enabling advanced tricks like loops and precision drops. A full skill tree introduces witch magic (e.g., wind summons, item transmutation) and companion helpers absent in the demo, tying into deeper reputation systems with villagers.
Story and Content Depth
Narrative expands from the demo’s brief crash-landing setup to a 10-15 hour campaign with branching quests, rival witches, and a witch academy arc. Multiple endings, daily events, and post-game challenges (e.g., time trials, collectathons) add replayability, while demo progress often carries over via Steam Cloud.
Technical and Polish Improvements
Full release refines hit detection, adds dynamic music layers, and boosts performance (e.g., consistent 60 FPS on Switch/Steam Deck). Co-op delivery modes and mod support emerge, addressing demo criticisms like quiet stretches and short length.
