The demo festival that Valve likes to host in between its major sales has returned. Just a couple of weeks after the Steam Autumn Sale, Steam Next Fest October edition has officially kicked off, and this time, it is touting thousands of demos to try out. The week-long digital festival includes
demos largely from indie developers, but several major publishers are also offering some of their wares.
To easily sort through the hordes of demos available, players can use the hub page"s various sorting and filtering options. Up top, buttons offer quick access to separate and important sorting options like "By Genre, By Theme, By Feature," with each one offering a more granular setting when clicked upon.
Adding to that, the powerful Steam tags system is available down below on the page to make new discoveries quicker. As always, logging in will also enable Steam users to utilize Valve"s recommendation algorithms to find game demos they might like, depending on their play and purchase histories.
Next Fest is back! Until Oct. 20, check out thousands of demos for genres of all types - from adorable hand-drawn survival games to spooky mist-filled horror titles. There"s something for everyone! pic.twitter.com/PnQvC4Mndz
— Steam (@Steam) October 13, 2025
The Charts section is where you can find the most popular demos on the platform right now, offering up the most hyped titles in a simple list. Currently, a few of the top contenders are Long Drive North, Servant of the Lake, YapYap, Star Trek: Voyager Across the Unknown, Anno 117, Cairn, and Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era demos, among others. Expect this list to change as the week progresses though.
This edition of the Steam Next Fest is slated to end on October 20 at 10 AM PT. Valve"s latest event is now open, and it can be accessed by going to the dedicated hub page here.