Ophelia Payne

Steam Next Fest 2025, held in October, continued its tradition as one of the most anticipated digital gaming festivals worldwide. The event provides a platform for thousands of developers to showcase their upcoming games, engage directly with players, and gather feedback through their demos, livestreams, and Q&A sessions.

Steam Next Fest is an online celebration hosted by Valve Corporation that focuses on unreleased PC games. The 2025 edition ran from October 13-20th, and offered hundreds of demos across multiple genres. Players could browse titles, watch live developer broadcasts, and participate in events from the comfort of their homes via the Steam platform. The festival’s accessibility via Steam’s platform allowed global participation, and I took some time this past week to look into a few of the many game demos available.

Highlights

· Record-Breaking Demo Count: Over 1,000 playable demos were available, ranging from indie gems to ambitious AAA projects. Genres such as RPGs, strategy, horror, and simulation were heavily represented.

· Livestreams and Developer Engagement: The festival featured hundreds of live streams, enabling direct interaction between developers and fans. Q&A sessions provided valuable insights into development processes and future plans.

· New Canadian Talent: Several Canadian studios showcased their projects, including creative titles from Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto. Games like “Northern Lights: Wilderness Survival” and “Maple City Mysteries” received positive early feedback for their innovative gameplay and distinctly Canadian themes.

· Enhanced Accessibility: Valve continued to improve event accessibility, with better demo filtering, localized content options, and features supporting players with disabilities.

Developers leveraged the festival’s visibility to gather feedback, refine game mechanics, and build pre-release buzz. Many studios reported increased wishlists and social media engagement following their Next Fest appearances.

Steam Next Fest 2025 offered a window into the future of PC gaming and a stage for creative voices from around the world. The festival’s blend of developer engagement, innovative demos, and community-driven feedback reaffirmed its status as a must-attend event for gamers and creators alike.

I played around 25 demos over the last week and thought I’d bring you five of my favourites, plus one that is so off the wall that I couldn’t stop playing it. I needed to tell you about it.

TITLE: PowerWash Simulator 2

GENRE: Casual, Indie, Simulation

DEVELOPER: FuturLab

PUBLISHER: FuturLab

FRANCHISE: PowerWash Simulator

RELEASE DATE: 23 October, 2025

ABOUT THIS GAME:

It’s no secret that I love PowerWash Simulator. I’ve played every bit of DLC that came out for it, free and paid. There is something special about the way this game calms my brain. I’ve been following the development of PowerWash Simulator 2 closely and it’s releasing this week!! I jumped at the chance to check out the demo. It’s everything I wanted to be and includes some great new features as well. Like enhanced soap that clings to stubborn stains and annihilates dirt. 100% a Day 1, must play.

The jobs and water keep flowing in PowerWash Simulator 2. Play through a fresh new campaign, uncovering more of Muckingham’s mysteries. Plus, venture even further out to brand-new grime-coated locations like Sponge Valley, Power Falls and Lubri City.

Alongside new locations and jobs, you’ll also find a new job type. Multi-stage jobs will unlock different areas of a job – from vehicle interiors to entirely different rooms, your to-do list keeps growing.

Tools of the Trade:

Reach new heights of power washing professionalism with a range of new tools to help you achieve a spectacular sparkle, high and low. Realize even your loftiest cleaning ambitions with the help of an all-new abseiling rig and cherry picker, or stay grounded with a grime-busting surface cleaner for large areas.

No Place like your Home-base:

Kick back and relax in your home base after a hard day’s cleaning. Make the place yours by collecting furniture and trinkets, then invite your power wash pals over to check out your pad. You even have kitty friends, and yes, you can pet them.

Clean in Split-screen!

Share campaign progression online together for the first time. In addition to online play, split-screen co-op has entered the chat. This is a feature not often seen in gaming now, and should make it easier for families to play together. I’m happy online co op hasn’t been replaced, though.

TITLE: Babbling Brook

GENRE: Adventure, Casual, Indie, Simulation

DEVELOPER: Some Random Designing

PUBLISHER: Some Random Designing

RELEASE DATE: November 2025

ABOUT THIS GAME:

Sculpt sand to create winding streams through lush forests and rolling meadows. Babbling Brook is a cozy & relaxing indie game about messing around with water and sand.

Also, there’s a flock of rubber ducks trying to escape to the open sea…You’ll start high in the mountains, helping a flock of rubber ducks escape. Collect points and unlock new levels as you make your way down to the coast. Along the way, you’ll encounter all kinds of rubber ducks. From slow, big inflatable ones to valuable golden rubber ducks. There’s even a rubber duck that turned into a black hole… but don’t worry about that!

Extra game modes:

Babbling Brook comes with two additional game modes. Let the water flow under every bridge in the Bridges game mode. Or just mess around with water and sand in the Sandbox game mode.

Babbling Brook captured my heart immediately. It’s one of the simplest games to understand, but somehow it kept me intrigued to the point that I had to uninstall the demo to stop playing it. I was even sharing cute game clips with those closest to me. I will definitely be checking this out once it launches.

TITLE: BloomKeeper

GENRE: Adventure, Casual, Indie

DEVELOPER: Resonance Interactive

PUBLISHER: Resonance Interactive

RELEASE DATE: Coming soon

ABOUT THIS GAME:

Bloomkeeper is a cooperative, poetic, and soothing game where you play as the Guardian, a protective spirit of the forest tasked with bringing life back to a barren and hostile land.

Accompanied by the Pouics, adorable yet clumsy little creatures, you’ll explore mysterious landscapes, discover unique biomes, and nurture life around you. Cultivate your green thumb to awaken the sleeping nature and revive a fragile ecosystem.

Each session invites you to slow down, reflect… and laugh at the antics of your plant companions.

Whether playing solo or cooperatively (up to 4 players), Bloomkeeper celebrates stress-free, non-competitive gameplay with a touch of magic and plenty of warmth.

This demo was incredibly zen-like. A very low stress and passive experience. I look forward to checking out the full release of the game and seeing what the co op experience might be like. It’s a little hard to visualize what a co op experience might be for this style of game.

TITLE: PancitoMerge

GENRE: Casual, Indie

DEVELOPER: Fáyer, Sketchy Ceviche

PUBLISHER: Fáyer

RELEASE DATE: Coming soon

ABOUT THIS GAME:

Step into a warm, flour-dusted world where pan dulce takes center stage. Merge adorable conchas, cuernitos, and more to discover delicious new treats in this whimsical puzzle game. With a dash of strategy and a sprinkle of tradition, PancitoMerge blends the joy of classic falling block games with the vibrant spirit of a neighbourhood panadería. Great for cozy breaks or climbing the leaderboards, no baking skills required! *Caution – May cause sudden cravings for pan dulce.

Bready, Set, Merge!

The goal is simple: merge matching breads to create higher-level ones, aiming for the highest score possible while unlocking every type of bread in a single run. But be careful, the game ends if the breads stack up to the top of the bag!

A Tasty Twist:

Every 5 drops, a customer arrives with a specific bread request. Fulfill their order by clicking/tapping on the requested bread in the bag.

Rooted In Tradition, Baked With Love

PancitoMerge is a love letter to Mexican culture and the joy of pan dulce. From colourful conchas to buttery cuernitos, each bread is inspired by real treats found in local bakeries, celebrating the warmth, tradition, and creativity of Mexican baking.

The idea for the project started when Fáyer (the game director) saw Vanila’s pan dulce illustrations, and he made a note about making a game that used that art, possibly on a casual puzzle like suika. Then, a whole year later, he found himself with some free time and decided to prototype the concept. He then reached out to Vanila to invite her to collab on it and she really liked the prototype, so they both started working on the web version. The main plan was to make it and if people liked it enough, they would see if it made sense to make it into something bigger. People really liked so here we are working on a bigger version for all of you!

This is a very simple, but very addictive game. I can see myself losing lots of time to it.

TITLE: Tiny Isle

GENRE: Casual, Indie, Simulation, Strategy

DEVELOPER: Nature Rituals Studio

PUBLISHER: Etherous Games Limited

RELEASE DATE: Coming soon

ABOUT THIS GAME:

On this secluded island, you can cultivate magical plants to gather crystals, catch and collect fantastical fish, and attract adorable animal villagers to settle down.

Tiny Isle is a casual farming game where you can grow adorable crops and build your dream island! Cultivate a variety of cute plants and harvest energy-filled crystals. Use these crystals to expand your island’s territory and unlock even more delightful crop varieties.

Freely plant various magical mushrooms, succulents, and flowers to create your perfect island paradise with your unique aesthetic preference. Occasionally, new sprites and animal residents will visit the island. When you meet a companion you like, invite them to settle down on the island and make it their home!

This is a very relaxing building game with a delightful art style. You can be as creative as you like. There are no fail states or death. Just you, creating your adorable Tiny Isle escape.

TITLE: Tingus Goose

GENRE: Casual, Indie, Simulation, Strategy

DEVELOPER: SweatyChair

PUBLISHER: Playsaurus, UltraPlayers

FRANCHISE: Playsaurus, UltraPlayers

RELEASE DATE: Q4 2025

By far, the most bizarre of the demos I’ve played, but I couldn’t stop playing it. I have shared this game with more people than any other demo or game I’ve played this year. It’s so wildly unlike anything I’ve played and might be one of the games I am most excited to check out once it launches.

ABOUT THIS GAME:

Witness the miracle of life in this accurate goose-growing simulator. Pop your seed into a patient’s conveniently empty torso, add water, and watch a towering goose-tree burst with fresh Babies (nature’s most renewable source of cash).

OPTIMIZE:

As newborn Babies tumble down the tree, they will bounce off the blossoms to generate cash. Make sure to place your Blossoms strategically to boost your yield. Next, slot Specimens to build runaway synergies that supercharge every Baby bounce.

PROGRESS:

Treat new Patients and unlock surreal Worlds, each with its own unique twists and challenges. Unlock new Blossoms and Specimens to incorporate into your build to push further.

Grow your goose tall enough to kiss its lover. Love finds a way. (Yes, this is what you do, it’s WILD).

Each run offers a uniquely bizarre experience.

Embark on 17 deeply unsettling chapters filled with weird romance, awkward stories, and the miracle of goose-based life.

*Originally posted October 22nd, 2005*

**Information for each demo includes details and descriptions pulled from the individual Steam page listings, with additional remarks from my gameplay experience as well. **