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Feb '26 Steam Next Fest
·4 min read

Don’t Sleep on These Steam Next Fest Demos

Again, life comes at you fast, y’all. I forgot my boss was taking a vacation at the end of the month, so my Steam Next Fest coverage isn’t as robust as I’d like. I was presented with a lot of really cool games, and even more games that were already on my radar released demos for this event.

This article is complete, but make sure to follow up on this page as I get more videos edited of my top demos of the event. Let me know what you’ve played so far!

(The list below is in the order I played them, nothing more.)

Glimvale: My Mini Overworld 

ADORABLE. I really enjoyed the vibe of being the omnipotent builder and improver of the city, and loved how there were so many different ways to customize buildings and the land to make people in my village happy. If you like city builders but stay away because of the stress, give this one a try.

Feline Forensics and the Meowseum Mystery

Cat puns + satisfying puzzles + unique art direction = WIN

Momento

You might look at it and think Unpacking, but Momento is its own game. You’re telling a story like in Unpacking, but you have much more freedom here. Very enjoyable, from the art direction to the little puzzles baked into the scenes and the music that sets each area.

Nightscape

I’d been following Nightscape since 2023 when it was featured as part of the Tribeca Games Festival, but news had been sparse. (I actually didn’t even realize a demo had been up already.) I love the premise, and the visuals are great.

Go! Go! Mister Chickums

Sometimes, retro platformers and I don’t speak to each other. Sometimes, I can’t get enough. Mister Chickums is the latter, where even though I’m kind of terrible at this type of game most of the time, I wanted to keep playing.

Directory Dungeon

This one might just be one of the sleeper hits of this Next Fest for me. I’ve dabbled in playing some text-based games on itch (and I’ve been slowly trying out Twine myself), but the fact that you’re playing this one in your Explorer folders on PC was really, really fun.

Map Map

Me to my husband after playing this: “See, I can do land nav too! It’s not that hard!”

His response (dramatized, because I’m not a mind reader): “Boy, these games are making you delulu.”

Nathan Drake could use this game. 😛

All Hail the Orb

Easy to pick up with a playful pixel art style that’s hard to put down. It’s silly, the dev has a fantastic sense of humor, and it’s all about exploration at your pace. MUST HELP ORB REACH TRUE POTENTIAL. <3

Helix: Descent N Ascent

I could shout about these visuals all day. The art is gorgeous, and it serves the game’s story so damn well. And the music? Chef’s kiss. I thoroughly enjoyed all the puzzles, and I cannot wait to experience the full game.

Tukoni: Forest Keepers

Cozy puzzler with an adorable main character, and I loved that he was all about looking out for his fellow creatures. And there’s a tea-brewing minigame! After diving in to learn more about the game, I discovered it’s based on a series of books from a Ukrainian artist, Oksana Bula, so make sure to check that link because it is full of adorableness. The books don’t seem to have English translations, but she does run an Etsy shop that I think I’ll be ordering from in the near future.

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