Steam Next Fest: June 2026
Another Steam Next Fest has come and gone. While sifting through the pile of slop was hard, boy, were there some gems to find. Read on to check out some of my favorite demos!
IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator
by Nick Nieuwoudt & Dominik Latos
Easily my immediate favorite of the festival, IRON NEST puts you at the controls of a giant walking gun turret, tosses you a manual and says “good luck.” Everything about piloting this thing is done manually, from calculating your aim trajectory to maintaining the gun, and there’s even hints that you might get to shape the outcome of the ongoing war you’re thrust into. Great stuff.
Shroom and Gloom
by Team Lazerbeam
Every time I think I’m getting sick of deck-building Rogue-likes, something like Shroom and Gloom comes along and says “I heard you were talking smack.” A dungeon crawler where both combat AND exploration are handled by cards, this demo added a layer of strategy to the mix that had me hooked. It does a great job of making the familiar feel unfamiliar, coupled with a stellar presentation to boot.
Silver Pines
by Wych Elm
Side-scrolling survival horror is a woefully underrepresented style, and Silver Pines feels poised to fill the Lone Survivor-shaped hole in my heart. Playing as a detective sent to a mysterious town to locate a missing rock star, things quickly take a turn for the strange. What really sells this is the atmosphere and injection of Metroidvania-style exploration into the genre, with the game asking you to return to previously explored areas with new gear to explore the world.
Oh, and your currency also needing to be spent to save the game? Brilliant. Sadistic, but brilliant.
Pizza Kidd
by Kidd Games
I love 90s-style beat-’em-ups, and Pizza Kidd is looking like a great one of those. Boasting gorgeous visuals, tight combat, and a thumping soundtrack, this made me ready to bust out the 2L of Coke and bag of Fuzzy Peaches like the olden days. Fantastic character designs, too.
Note: the game is currently being funded via Kickstarter.
Well Dweller
by Kyle Thompson
The latest Metroidvania from Kyle Thompson, the developer behind Sheepo and Crypt Custodian, Well Dweller already looks like a slam dunk. Between its stunning dark fairytale aesthetics and Hollow Knight-style combat, genre fans are going to have a lot to enjoy here. The man doesn’t miss.
Phase Zero
by SPINA Studio
I was ready to write off Phase Zero as another Resident Evil-knockoff banking on PS1 nostalgia, and initially my assumptions felt confirmed. However, upon completing the demo, the game’s storytelling really threw me for a loop, including an ending that absolutely caught me off guard. If the rest of the game can play with this mix of classic style and modern sensibilities, I think this might be a real gem.
Prison of Husks
by Glass Head Dolls
Speaking of retro aesthetics, Prison of Husks feels like Dark Souls by way of Ico. It adds an interesting health mechanism to the usual Soulslike combat, as well as some meaningful choices via limited resource management. Honestly, I just want to see more of this world.
Shrimp Game: Overkrill
by GasGod Games & GLUE MAN
Anyone remember Buck Bumble on the N64? Just me? I get the feeling the folks behind Shrimp Game do too.
Part shooter and part action RPG, this game tasks you with destroying giant sea creatures using your shrimp’s multitude of weapons. Between the freedom of swimming freely in all directions, and tons of weapons and characters to unlock this feels like a flight shooter on steroids. Fish steroids.
Pixel Washer
by Valadria
I genuinely think there’s an argument that Powerwash Simulator might be the best game ever made. However, if that game’s too three-dimensional for you, how about a cozy pixel version? Pixel Washer takes everything addictive about cleaning in video games and distills it into a comfy little package.
Truck-kun Is Supporting Me from Another World?!
by Strange Scaffold
My fellow writer FiCTIVETRUiSM turned me onto this insane parody of isekai anime that plays like Crazy Taxi, and I owe them one for it. The biggest surprise here is that this is by the same people as I Am Your Beast and El Paso, Elsewhere.
Did you find anything new? Did I miss anything? Let us know in the comments!
