The Sicko’s Guide To Steam Next Fest February 2026

Storefront discoverability can be miserable, and Steam often prioritizes what’s already selling over what might fit your tastes. Three times a year, Steam Next Fest opens a window of free demos that make it easy to dredge the trenches and find games you wouldn’t otherwise see.

It’s a zero‑investment chance to sample upcoming work and refine what excites you. That said, the festival’s front page still chases traffic, and Steam doesn’t offer a way to show whether items on your wishlist are participating. If you want better results you have to shape your own feed: follow developers, creators, critics and curators; peek at a game’s Backlogged page; hit wishlist like you mean it; and keep an eye on itch.io where creators share what they’re excited about.

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