Steam Next Fest returned in October 2025 with approximately 2,900 game demos, continuing its position as a major event for upcoming PC games. The festival allows developers to showcase playable demos while giving players early access to a wide variety of titles. GameDiscoverCo (GDCo) has tracked Next Fest events over several years and used its data to provide insights into player engagement, wishlist growth, and demo popularity.
Steam Next Fest October 2025 Highlights
Top Performing Games
Valve released a Top 50 list of demos ranked by unique players, providing a useful benchmark for comparing engagement across the event. Using this list, GDCo cross-referenced its own estimates for wishlist additions and found general alignment, with one notable exception.
The top demo by unique players was Half Sword, a gory weapons simulator. Its success reflects sustained interest from returning players rather than sudden breakout popularity, as its demo has consistently drawn thousands of concurrent players prior to the festival.
Steam Next Fest October 2025 Highlights
Among the Top 10 demos, only Heroes Of Might and Magic: Olden Era (#2) was based on an existing intellectual property, indicating that new IPs remain highly visible during Next Fest. Other titles in the Top 20 included a Star Trek Voyager strategy game, a Painkiller reboot, and Powerwash Simulator 2.
Games that stood out for their easily recognizable gameplay included YapYap (#3), a co-op wizard crew game with humorous mechanics, Reanimal (#5), a co-op horror adventure from developers of Little Nightmares, and Everwinds (#6), a voxel-based survival crafting title.
Steam Next Fest October 2025 Highlights
One particularly unusual title, Final Sentence (#4), gained attention as a battle royale typing game where players must type accurately to avoid in-game consequences. This demonstrates that novel concepts continue to attract player curiosity even in a crowded festival environment.
Wishlist Growth and Player Engagement
GDCo estimated wishlist increases during the event, highlighting five games that added more than 100,000 wishlists: Reanimal, Everwinds, Final Sentence, Heroes Of Might and Magic: Olden Era, and YapYap.
Other notable titles included Misery, a co-op nuclear horror survival game; Car Service Together, a multiplayer refurbishing simulator; The Cube, Save Us, an extraction shooter; Starsand Island, a cozy village sim; and Godbreakers, a co-op ARPG with boss rush combat. Two additional games exceeded 50,000 wishlists, including Tears Of Metal, a medieval co-op roguelike, and Long Drive North, a cooperative RV simulator.
Steam Next Fest October 2025 Highlights
The data suggests that already-popular demos are more likely to continue growing during Next Fest, while breakout hits from unknown developers are less common. Seven demos exceeded 4,000 concurrent players during the event, and fifteen surpassed 2,000, showing that player engagement remains concentrated among top-performing titles.
Four games (Heroes Of Might and Magic: Olden Era, Half Sword, Everwinds, and Roadside Research) had peak CCU counts prior to the event, indicating that Next Fest is not necessarily the primary driver of overall player attention.
Steam Next Fest October 2025 Highlights
Emerging Trends in Demos and Gameplay
Analysis of the top demos shows that co-op and co-optional gameplay remains highly visible, while other trends include survival mechanics, extraction shooter elements, and horror themes. However, there is no single dominant style, suggesting that players are engaging with a broad spectrum of genres and subgenres.
The number of demos per Next Fest has steadily increased from 800–1,000 in early 2023 to the current 2,300–3,000 range, reflecting the growing scale of the event. Steam follower growth data shows consistent results across festivals, with the top 5% of demos adding around 390 followers (roughly 7,000 wishlists), the top 10% adding 173 followers (about 3,000 wishlists), and the median game adding 18 followers (fewer than 500 wishlists).
Steam Next Fest October 2025 Highlights
AI Integration and Demo Reviews
Generative AI was disclosed in 507 out of 2,960 demos, or roughly 17% of titles. Developers reported using AI primarily for marketing and store page assets, followed by in-game art and audio. Most demos created standalone pages with review functionality, with 21.5% receiving at least ten reviews and 45.5% receiving at least one review by the end of the event.
Steam Next Fest October 2025 Highlights
Conclusion
Steam Next Fest October 2025 highlights several ongoing trends in the PC gaming ecosystem. Co-op and co-optional mechanics remain strong, popular IP continues to generate momentum, and player interest is increasingly concentrated among titles that have already gained attention. The event also illustrates the growing role of AI in game development and marketing, alongside sustained increases in demo numbers and player engagement metrics.
Source: GameDiscoverCo
Here’s a complete list of all the games mentioned:
- Heroes Of Might and Magic: Olden Era
- Star Trek Voyager (strategy game)
- Painkiller (FPS reboot)
- Powerwash Sim 2
- YapYap
- Reanimal
- Everwind
- Final Sentence
- Half Sword
- Misery
- Car Service Together
- The Cube, Save Us
- Starsand Island
- Godbreakers
- Tears Of Metal
- Long Drive North
- Roadside Research
- Systemic War
- Crashout Crew
- Midnight Walkers
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What was the largest demo by unique players in October 2025?
A: Half Sword, a weapons simulator, had the highest number of unique players during the festival.
Q: Which games added the most wishlists during Next Fest?
A: Titles with the largest estimated wishlist growth included Reanimal, Everwinds, Final Sentence, Heroes Of Might and Magic: Olden Era, and YapYap.
Q: Are existing IPs important for success at Next Fest?
A: While established IPs like Heroes Of Might and Magic perform well, the majority of top demos were new intellectual properties, indicating strong interest in original games.
Q: How many demos were part of the October 2025 Next Fest?
A: Approximately 2,900 demos were available during the event.
Q: Did AI play a role in any of the games?
A: Yes, around 17% of demos disclosed generative AI usage, primarily for marketing, in-game art, and audio assets.
Q: What gameplay styles were most popular?
A: Co-op and co-optional mechanics were prominent, with additional trends including survival, extraction shooters, and horror-themed games.
