Image: Zughy / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
In short: Steam Next Fest started on 19 October and runs until 26 October. You can try hundreds of free demos of upcoming PC games. Valve is also testing achievement sets, which let developers group achievements. A big Steam client update on 13 October added a screensaver and Pyrowave, an experimental low-latency video codec for Remote Play.
Next Fest at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates | 19–26 October 2026 |
| What | free demos, livestreams, developer chats |
| Eligibility | public demo, release after 26 October 2026 |
| Press preview | from 8 October |
| Next edition | February 2027 |
Next Fest takes place three times a year and showcases unreleased games. Filter by genre, check the most-played demos, add favourites to your wishlist and watch developer livestreams. Many demos are only available during the festival, so play them before 26 October.
What to look for in a demo
A demo usually shows only a small slice of the finished game, sometimes the first hour or two, sometimes a purpose-built section. It is ideal for testing controls, style and performance on your PC, but it will not always tell you whether the full game holds up. Check whether it runs smoothly, supports a controller and offers your language, and look for the Steam Deck compatibility rating on the store page. Many developers ask for feedback, which really helps small studios. Since the games are unreleased, you usually cannot buy them during the festival anyway, so trying demos costs nothing.
Achievement sets
According to The Verge, developers can now group achievements by base game, DLC or season. Each set has its own progress bar, and completing one earns a "set complete" trophy on your profile. Seasonal sets that can no longer be earned can be archived. Valve also refreshed the achievements page. The feature is in the Steam client beta and already supported by Against the Storm, Age of Wonders 4, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Crusader Kings III, DREDGE, Forza Horizon 5, Portal 2, Team Fortress 2 and PowerWash Simulator 2. To join the beta, go to Steam > Settings > Interface and choose the client beta.
Client update
The 13 October update brought a long changelog, a screensaver with a bouncing Steam logo and the experimental Pyrowave codec, which aims to cut latency when you stream games from your PC to a Steam Deck or TV.
Planning new hardware? Read our gaming PC for 1,000 euros guide and the gaming autumn overview. More in the PC gaming section.
Sources
