Steam Next Fest brings a wave of Palworld-inspired creature-collectors

When Palworld sold 12 million Steam copies in under two weeks, it seemed likely both that Nintendo would respond legally and that copycats would follow. Nintendo filed suit within a year, and the latest Steam Next Fest has produced a crop of creature-collecting, base-building, open-world-survival-crafting demos that look to cash in on the formula.

Witchspire leans into a cohesive magical conceit: you play as a coven of novice witches who conjure structures, harvest resources with spells, and defeat magical creatures in battle and collect their spirits to tame familiars. The demo highlights conjured forests for wood, midair building, and binding magic sprites as farming helpers, all presented in a pleasant art style, though reviewers say it needs more polish.

Guardians of the Wild Sky pushes verticality with airships and airborne construction, letting creatures help tend crops aboard flying bases. Its visuals are more generic, but the demo has found a warm reception, holding a Very Positive rating with 350 reviews.

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