Steam Next Fest is the all-digital event where you can play literally hundreds of demos on Steam for free, so you can find your next favorite game. But with so many demos to play and the event lasting only a week – it ends 3 March at 10am PT – it can be daunting to know where to start.
IGN’s team has been downloading and trying out the best and most interesting demos, which we’ve compiled below. It’s not a comprehensive list of everything to check out, more a starter list of demos you should definitely go to first and, if you want more, well, there’s hundreds of others to choose from.
Monster Train 2
I still play the Monster Train daily challenges on my phone to this day, and I’d just finished one when the announcement of Monster Train 2 and the demo popped up. So I was pre-grabbed on the roguelike, deck-building fantasy game series. But so far I like what I’m seeing of the sequel. It’s not a radical reinvention of the idea, but it’s layering on some new stuff like equipment and room cards where you have to upgrade on the fly moore, and building resources like Dragon’s Hoard and Valor are different enough from the original that it’s refreshing – Dan Stapleton
Dark Deity 2
If you like Fire Emblem, you’ll like Dark Deity 2. As somebody who enjoyed the first game despite its rough edges, the second game is shaping up to be a significant improvement with even more room for player creativity. The standout feature is build flexibility, as each unit has four mid-tier classes and an additional four high-level classes. My personal favorite unit is the hunter who is given the choice of an orangutan, toad, lion, or hyena to fight with them. The story has you playing as the children of the first game’s protagonist. I really enjoyed the sibling dynamic, along with Alden, a returning character acting as the chill uncle. The demo also showed off some early choices with branching paths which is promising for a more memorable and replayable adventure. – Eric Zalewski
Out of Sight
In Out of Sight you play as Sophie, a blind girl who’s trapped in a mansion and trying to escape. You see through the eyes of her teddy bear and you have to guide her through environmental puzzles to help her escape the building, while avoiding the adults who want to keep her there. Sophie carries the teddy (you) much of the time, giving you a first-person perspective as you play. But in order to climb or manipulate items in the environment, she has to set you down, shifting the perspective to third-person. It’s a clever trick that adds to the off-kilter vibes of this creepy puzzle game that reminds me of parts of Resident Evil 7, but with enough new ideas to make it worth a look. – Chris Reed
Monaco 2
You can never rely on your friends, but sometimes that’s what makes hanging out with them so fun and funny. That’s a big reason why Monaco 2 is so much fun. It’s a co-op stealth experience where you’ll have to rely on your teammates to not get caught, and react accordingly when they inevitably do. Monaco 2 isn’t the next live service phenomenon, but when you’re itching for a new game to get deep into with your friends, it’ll be there for you. It’s got fun and often hilarious stealth mechanics, tons of ways to strategize, and an aesthetic that brings everything together. It’s definitely not one you’ll be able to enjoy on your own though, but who’d want to do a heist on their own anyway? – Tyler Robertson
Note: Humble Games is the publisher of Monaco 2 and shares a parent company with IGN.
Everhood 2
Everhood, released in 2021, was an incredible indie mashup of Undertale, Yume Nikki, and Guitar Hero that asked players to meditate on life, death, and existence in a trippy, mushroom-filled world. I loved it, and it had absolutely no business getting a sequel. Yet here we are, and I’m already hooked by whatever the heck is going on in Everhood 2. The dance battles are better than ever, its wacky cast has me constantly on my toes, and I have no idea where this wild story about soul weapons and mind dragons is going but I am absolutely buckled up for the ride. – Rebekah Valentine
Haste: Broken Worlds
If you’re looking for the speed of a 3D Sonic game with stylings that seem to have come out of a Dreamcast launch title, Haste: Broken Worlds might just be it. The main gameplay mechanic revolves around landing perfectly on the back edge of slopes in order to fill a meter that lets you give yourself more hangtime. From the short amount of time I’ve spent with it, it seems to nail the “just barely hanging on” nature of the good “Fast Games.” The soundtrack is also a bop. – Aaron Barrier
Skin Deep
Skin Deep is the perfect marriage of immersive problem solving and slapstick humor that has you protecting a spaceship crew of cats from strange pirates who also want you very dead. Much of Skin Deep’s charm comes from just rolling with the absurdity of it all: Don’t think too hard about why you’re the lone unarmed human insurance agent on a ship of tiny felines, or why the pirates’ heads slowly float back to respawn points when killed. How you defeat the armed pirates while sneaking through the sandbox-like spaceships is entirely up to you, but what really makes Skin Deep stand out is how all of your tools can also be hazards. Pepper can stun foes, but also gives away your position if you sneeze. Windows into space can be broken to create new entry points, but leave glass shards to slice up your feet. The dynamic of what helps you can also hurt you sets the stage for some truly hilarious bouts of unintended consequences that I cannot get enough of. – Brendan Graeber
Teenage Mutant Ninja Tturtles: Tactical Takedown
As someone who LOVES the Turtles, but has never fully fallen in love with a turn-based tactics game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown has the sauce. Fast, fluid actions taking place right as you hit the button make it feel less turn-based than other tactical games, and the potential of its story makes it one of my most anticipated games of the moment. Some fonts and UI elements need some work, but that’s why it’s a demo! That’s what Next Fest is for. – Tyler Robertson
Promise Mascot Agency
Described as an “open-world narrative adventure mascot management simulator, “Promise Mascot Agency feels like a Yakuza side-quest, partly because it kind of is. Playing as an exiled Yakuza member named Michi, your new job is to help a cutesy mascot agency find financial success by hiring different mascots and sending them out to events where they can be as cute as they can be, bring in more fans, and unlock more jobs. It’s a very madcap kind of game combining the numbers go up stonks feeling of a management sim, but with the sense of humor and style of cult-Japanese games like Yakuza and No More Heroes. – Matt Kim
Labyrinth of the Demon King
I’m a sucker for old-school, first-person dungeon crawlers and Labyrinth of the Demon King certainly scratches that itch. Developed by a lone developer, Labyrinth of the Demon King is a throwback to games like King’s Field, but with splashes of J-Horror like Siren thrown in for good measure. As a lowly footsoldier to your lord, you decide to enter the nightmarish realm of the demon king to try and avenge your master. But the hellish monsters and a nightmarish version of feudal Japan might not be worth your honor. Great visuals, classic vibes, and a lot of style makes this one demo to keep an eye on. – Matt Kim
And those are just some of the demos we’re playing at this Steam Next Fest. Check out the games on our list and, again, there are hundreds of game demos currently available to play on Steam Next Fest until March 3. So let us know in the comments which demos you’re playing.
