All the Best Steam Next Fest Games Worth Checking Out (2023)

It’s Steam Next Fest time and you know what that means? New games, loads of demos. A solid excuse to test stuff out to see whether you should or shouldn’t be excited. It’s almost like a whole ‘nother Steam Sale.

I’ll be updating this article as I go, so be sure to check back in regularly to see what else I’ve found that’s worth checking out.

Ravenbound

Genre: Souls-’em-up

Steam Page: Click Here

Scandinavian Dark Souls? Now that’s a hook. Fight monsters that want to tear your eyes out, die – lots – but gain power each time. The character designs look so good they should’ve called the event Steam Next Feast because your eyes won’t be hungry after viewing the above vid.

Demo on Steam Deck Compatibility: Doesn’t work.

Minimum Specs

• OS: 64-bit OS – Windows 10
• Processor: Intel i5-6400 (4C / 4T) (Q3 ‘15), AMD Ryzen 5 1600
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4GB, AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB or equivalent
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 25 GB available space

Mika and The Witch’s Mountain

Genre: Wind-waker-’em-up

Steam Page: Click Here

Take Studio Gerbil’s (Ghibli?) signature style and mix in a bit of Wind Waker. That’s Mika and the Witch’s Mountain in a nutshell. The visuals are simply lush. Plus you get to fly around on a broomstick. What more could you ask for?

Demo on Steam Deck Compatibility: Works well, but doesn’t fit the screen correctly.

Tribe: Primitive Builder

Genre: Suvivalcraft-’em-up

Steam Page: Click Here

Tribe: Primitive Builder mixes both survival gameplay along with base-building. Become the leader of the tribe and rule over your fellow members. Seems cool. Plus the demo ran surprisingly well on the Steam Deck, which I didn’t expect considering all the different moving parts.

Demo on Steam Deck Compatibility: Runs decently at 30 to 40 frames per second on medium settings.

Minimum Specs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 7 (64-bit) or newer
• Processor: Intel Core i3 2100 / AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE
• Memory: 6 GB RAM
• Graphics: GeForce GTX 570 / Radeon HD 6970
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 10 GB available space

Trinity Fusion

Genre: Slash-’em-up

Steam Page: Click Here

Roguelike with player characters who look like Hatsune Miku. Played the demo, has me intrigued and wanting to see what other weapons are available.

Demo on Steam Deck Compatibility: Runs well at 60 frames per second.

Minimum Specs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i3-4160 @ 3.60GHz or equivalent
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 960 or equivalent
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 10 GB available space

Ship Graveyard Simulator 2

Genre: Loot-’em-up

Steam Page: Click Here

Loot and salvage massive ships while being careful not to blow yourself up in the process. Kinda like House Flipper if you played a demolition expect.

Demo on Steam Deck Compatibility: Runs at around 15 frames per second at the moment.

Minimum Specs

• OS: Windows 7 64 Bit / Windows 8 64 Bit / Windows 10 64 Bit
• Processor: Intel Core i3 3.0 GHz
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVidia GeForce GTX 780
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 15 GB available space

Bleak Sword DX

Genre: Stab-’em-up

Steam Page: Click Here

You know a game’s hooked you when you come away wondering what the hell you just played. I’m not sure what Bleak Sword DX is outside of ‘you stab things lots’. But there’s something about the graphics and the simplicity that makes it surprisingly deep and atmospheric. I definitely want to see more.

Demo on Steam Deck Compatibility: Runs at 60 frames per second.

Minimum Specs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: TBA

The Star Named Eos

Genre: Photo-’em-up

Steam Page: Click Here

Ever wanted to step inside a photograph? That’s the idea behind The Star Named Eos. Snap a pic, get transported inside to learn more about the story behind it. Expect puzzles and a narrative-driven adventure.

Minimum Specs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 7, 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i3
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: 1GB RAM, OpenGL 3.3
• DirectX: Version 9.0
• Storage: 2 GB available space

Tray Racers

Genre: Slide-’em-up

Steam Page: Click Here

From the creators of Phogs comes that thing kids do when there’s ice and something not very safe to slide on. Tray-slide to victory solo or online with up to 16 players. Think SSX, only silly. There are emotes, too. Because everything is more fun when you can be an absolute clown.

Minimum Specs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 7 (SP1+), Windows 10 and Windows 11
• Processor: x64 architecture with SSE2 instruction set support
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: DX10, DX11, DX12 capable
• DirectX: Version 10
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 1 GB available space

Lakeburg Legacies

Genre: Medieval-sim-city-build-’em-up

Steam Page: Click Here

Ever wanted to get married, have your spouse bang the locals, then oversee an entire village while starting up a thieves’ guild? Who hasn’t, right? Delegate food resources, bang some more locals, and build up the world in this picturesque Medieval city builder.

Minimum Specs

• OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 SP1
• Processor: AMD Athlon II X4 640 3.0GHz
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: GeForce GTS 450
• DirectX: Version 9.0
• Storage: 2 GB available space
• Additional Notes: 1280×720 minimal screen resolution

Spirited Thief

Genre: Steal-’em-up

Steam Page: Click Here

Stealing! You can’t go wrong with a good heist. In Spirited Theif, it’s up to the player to work out the best route to the loot and plan a hopefully-not-deadly escape. Lovely visuals as well. No notes.

Minimum Specs

• OS: Windows 7 (SP1+) and Windows 10
• Processor: x86, x64 architecture with SSE2 instruction set support.
• DirectX: Version 10