It's that time of year, folks – Steam Next Fest 2025 has drawn to a close, with countless new games having made their way onto excited players' radars and wishlists following hands-on demos, from well-known titles to smaller indie entries.
As the Steam Next Fest wraps up this fall, Valve is celebrating with a handy roundup of the 50 most-played demos this time around. Some of them, – like PowerWash Simulator 2 – aren't as surprising to see, but others certainly stand as unearthed gems, and that's what the event is all about. Topping the list of upcoming PC games on Steam is brutal medieval combat sim Half Sword, one we found to be a "massive early breakout" at GamesRadar+.
There's also long-awaited prequel Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, a challenging yet engaging turn-based strategy entry in a 30-year series of absolute bangers – one that ended up on over a million wishlists this Steam Next Fest. YAPYAP is another highlight of my own to make Valve's top 50, standing as a new co-op horror game that combines magic and monsters for a chaotically comedic experience that sees players using their voices as protection.
Further down the list sits the demo for Braveheart-inspired musou fighter Tears of Metal, boasting an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating overall. For a more choice-heavy game with no roguelike qualities, there's zombie apocalypse sim Quarantine Zone: The Last Check – a unique title in which you're no soldier or survivor… You're a doctor, tasked with making sure that no walking infected make their way into the safety of your military holdout.
The Steam Next Fest also graced players with a new Cairn demo – one that unsurprisingly is featured on the most-played roundup, too. If you don't know about Cairn yet, it's overall a pretty zen rock-climbing experience (until you fall to your death, that is). Other picks include skateboarding adventures like Skate Story, casual idlers such as Desktop Defender, and you name it. Steam's list is the perfect place to go for games to look forward to.
Honestly, the demos that gained the most traction this Steam Next Fest span all genres – it's a nice sign that there are plenty of great upcoming indie games to anticipate in all flavors, from heavier roguelikes to cozier sims you can play alongside pals.
