Steam Next Fest: what it is for players and indie studios

Steam Next Fest is a week-long event that takes place three times a year, in February, June, and October. The primary goal is to connect players with upcoming games they might be interested in, while developers can showcase their future releases to potential fans and gather real-time feedback.

Which games Steam Next Fest is for

Each edition of Steam Next Fest is open to upcoming, not yet released games that meet specific criteria. Games may only participate in one Steam Next Fest and must be associated with a Steamworks developer account in good standing.

The game must have a published and public store page and contain a publicly playable demo by the time Next Fest begins. Importantly, the game must not be released before the relevant Next Fest edition has ended.

Prologues, previews, or short-form versions of existing games already released on Steam are not eligible for participation.

Freedom in timing and demo setup

There are no requirements about when the game must appear after Next Fest, and no requirements regarding exclusivity, novelty, or length of the demo. Some developers choose to participate early in their development cycle to learn more about what customers enjoy. Others choose the edition closest to launch to generate interest shortly before release.

Registration for developers

Registration takes place from the base game, not from the demo. For most titles, registration is automatically available on the App Landing Page of the base game. After completing the registration checklist, developers must save and confirm that their base game is registered for Next Fest, which will be visible with a green checkmark on the App Landing Page.