•Valve’s Steam Next Fest, the recurring event that lets players try out free demos of upcoming PC games, is returning for its October edition. The event runs from Oct. 19 to Oct. 26, just before the busy November gaming season begins.
The festival takes place several times a year, with developers uploading free playable demos of their forthcoming titles to the Steam store. This will be the third Next Fest of 2025, following similar events in February and June.
Polygon writers have long used the event to discover promising new games. In June, they went hands-on with Penguin Colony and Over The Hill, both of which became among their most anticipated indie releases this fall. The February edition introduced them to Denshattack!, Titanium Court, and Vampire Crawlers—three titles that currently rank near the top of Polygon’s 2026 game of the year list.
Among confirmed playable titles for October is Emberville, which resembles a new take on Stardew Valley. Players can also try Drunken Goddess Reflux, described as a Russian Roulette drinking game that has already gathered more than 500,000 wishlists.
Some demos are available immediately, including one for Ace & Aro: Heart-to-Heart and the visually striking Fallgrade.
We Are So Cooked, a multiplayer game about hiding dead bodies with friends, is among the titles players will be able to try during the event.
Steam Next Fest kicks off on Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. EDT and runs until Oct. 26.
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