Steam Next Fest’s October 2026 edition runs from October 19 at 19:00 CEST through October 26 at 19:00 CEST. Eurogamer reports that the press page listed 8,202 demos, more than twice the previous year’s total. Steamworks publishes the event schedule and participation rules, while the demo count comes from Eurogamer’s report.
NeoTeo previously covered PC Gamer’s report of 8,011 matches on the press-preview page; that article concerns a separate reported metric.
What players can do during the festival
Steam describes Next Fest as an online event where players can try free demos of upcoming games and chat with development teams. Developers may also host optional livestreams on a separate tab. Steamworks says there is no official livestream for the festival.
Players have called for better filters to make a large demo catalog easier to explore. Other commenters point out that tag filters already existed and that filtering by genre does not judge a game’s quality. Developers also share differing experiences: some describe wishlist gains, while others say their games drew little attention. These are individual accounts, not measured outcomes. Developers have debated the event’s value, while players have discussed filtering and catalog size.
Steamworks’ requirements for participating games
A game needs a public Steam store page, a publicly playable demo by the event’s start, a Steamworks account in good standing, and a planned release after the festival. A prologue, a chapter, or a demo of content already available to customers does not qualify under Steamworks’ rules.
Each game may take part in one Next Fest. A developer who withdraws an entry may join a later edition if the game has not launched and still meets the other requirements.
The 17.03% AI-disclosure count is from 2025
TechRaptor counted 504 of 2,960 titles at the October 2025 Next Fest as disclosing generative-AI use, or 17.03%. The outlet initially found 507 disclosure-enabled titles, then excluded three cases it considered uncertain. The figure counts disclosed use; it does not count undisclosed use. TechRaptor’s report also describes uses including artwork, audio, translation, coding, writing, and ideation, based on a review of 100 games.
Alliance Arts changes the public demo plan
On October 16, Alliance Arts announced that it had cancelled the planned public demo of Drunken Goddess Reflux and would instead hold limited, closed online play sessions. The company said it could not adequately manage its planned restrictions on gameplay videos and streams, and feared the game’s presentation or gameplay could be imitated with AI or other tools before launch. It said participants would accept session and posting rules in advance, with applications handled through the company’s official Discord.
