The first of many Steam Next Fests to be held in 2025 is here, which means there are more game demos to try out than anybody has time for. The latest iteration of the PC storefront’s event spotlighting upcoming titles with playable demos runs from February 24 through March 3, but where to start? Early standouts include the absurd Skin Deep and turn-based strategy game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown. These barely scrape the surface of what Next Fest offers. To make things a little easier, here are ten incredible demos to start with if you are feeling lost.
Demon Tides
If you are itching for more 3D platforming goodness after last year’s Astro Bot, try out Demon Tides. The cartoonish adventure set in a world of islands and open oceans is a responsive and frenetic platformer with a lot of promise. While the demo doesn’t give us the deepest look into how Demon Tides will expand its story and players only get a taste of the platforming, what is there is solid enough to put this game immediately on my wishlist after playing.
Despelote
I first played Despelote at the 2023 Tribeca Festival and was immediately taken with the semi-autobiographical slice-of-life game. Set during Ecuador’s first qualifying run for the World Cup in 2001, Despelote is an exciting piece of video game documentary that puts players in the midst of a community going through a culture shift. Roaming around the small town in Despelote and uncovering the small tasks you can get up to as an 8-year old is a mundane but deeply experience.
Fellowship
As much as I love MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV and World of Warcraft for their high end raids, I understand that not everyone can spend hundreds of hours in hopes of unlocking and playing these thrilling encounters. That is where Fellowship comes in. The co-op game lets players choose between the traditional roles of healer, tank, and damage dealer to form teams and enter MMO inspired dungeon encounters. Once completed, groups can try out new dungeons or repeat old encounters with new modifiers that slightly tweak the difficulty and formula. This creates an endlessly replayable game that makes one of the best parts of MMO’s more accessible than ever.
Gothic 1 Remake
I’ll confess that I hadn’t heard of 2001’s Gothic 1 when I downloaded the demo for its in-development remake. That didn’t stop me from getting lost in the fascinating world of Myrtana during the short taste Gothic 1 Remake gives players during Steam Next Fest. While the visuals are given a modern shine, the old-school 2001 RPG is still clearly here. Gothic 1 Remake takes a more hands off approach with the player, meaning players will have more opportunities to influence the world through mechanical and narrative choices, but it’s also more dangerous. That’s perfect for anybody who enjoyed recent titles like Dragon’s Dogma 2 or Avowed.
Is This Seat Taken?
Everything has its place. That is the idea between logical puzzle game Is This Seat Taken? Each bite-sized level players can experience in the demo gives them a scene filled with people wanting to find their place. This might be a restaurant, a movie theater, or a bus. To place everyone in the right spot and complete a level, players need to pay attention to each character’s pet peeves. For example, some people will only sit in a window seat of a bus. That’s a simple example of the type of restrictions players need to use as guidance. This results in adorable, quirky, and delightfully challenging puzzles to solve. And if you want to play a full game like it after playing, try While Waiting.
Moves of the Diamond Hand
Cosmo D, the developer behind 2022’s Betrayal At Club Low, is back with another dice-based RPG and it’s shaping up to be just as good. Move of the Diamond Hand is all about trying to join a circus that has come to town. To do this players will need to explore the low-poly setting of Off-Peak City and find a way into the circus’ ranks. This is all done through dice checks whenever attempting anything. Talking to people? Roll a dice. Making a sandwich? Roll a dice! Disguising yourself? You get the point. While just a demo, Moves of the Diamond Hand already shows an incredible level of depth in its world and the impact players have on it thanks to the dice-based gameplay.
Skulker
I love fishing in video games, so Skulker has been one of my favorite finds during this Next Fest. It’s a relatively mellow game that focuses on nothing but the joy of casting a line and reeling in some fish. While the entire game can be played basically with one hand, that doesn’t mean the actual mechanics of catching fish are simple. To keep things fresh, Skulker actually has multiple types of fishing minigames that are randomized, meaning every time the player throws a line they do not know what is in store. There is a Stardew Valley style follow the target minigame, a word search, and more unexpected twists on fishing that make Skulker a thrill for any fishing aficionado.
Static Dread: 15 Nights at the Old Lighthouse
Billed as “Lovecraft meets Papers, Please,” Static Dread is really one for the people who love Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse. Players take on the role of a lighthouse keeper with the important job of helping ships navigate on the dangerous seas, the only issue is that things don’t seem quite right. Through radio class with crews on a passing ship you realize that monsters roam the waters, and even worse, they might be inside the lighthouse as well. The question is whether these monsters are real or not, or if the keeper is just going insane from the isolation. Through little choices on how to respond and take action when talking to passing ships, it’s up to the player to decide what the reality is.
To a T
Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi’s new game To a T is exactly the brand of charming weirdness that makes his games so easy to love. Players take on the role of a teen stuck in the T-pose position as he attempts to go about his normal life. While the absurdity of trying to accomplish little tasks is done through fun minigames, To a T is really about exploring the picturesque town the game is set in and getting to know the quirky and loveable people who call it home. You can read our hands-on impressions of it from December if you want to learn more about how this is Takahashi’s idea of a “normal” game.
Wheel World
A cycling simulator is the exact type of vibe out game that I enjoy, and Wheel World does it with style. Set in a gorgeous cel-shaded open-world, players pedal around various landscapes to take part in progressively difficult races. While roaming around players can also collect parts to upgrade their ride with. Wheel World’s simple racing mechanics make it easy to pick up but difficult to master, meaning it always feels like an accomplishment when players pull off a hard earned win.
