From October 9th 2023 to October 16th 2023, starting at 10:00 AM PT, Valve is holding the latest Steam Next Fest on their major video game distribution platform Steam. Steam Next Fests are multiple-day celebrations of upcoming games where players can browse the store page for untold numbers of new demos, watch dozens of livestreams, and chat with developers about their games.
It’s a great opportunity for small and mid-sized developers to get some spotlight onto their games. Refer to the Steamworks Documentation for technical information.
HOW TO NEXT FEST Play Demos: Hover over any game and you'll immediately find a button to install the playable demo. Try one! Or try a dozen! Watch Livestreams: At the top of the festival page you'll find a schedule of livestreams. In most cases, the dev teams themselves will be playing their game and answering your questions. Click on the chat icon immediately below the livestream to open the chat window and join the conversation. Wishlist Your Favorites: Find a game you want to hear about when it launches? Hover over any game and click the star icon in the upper-right corner to add it to your wishlist. You'll receive a spiffy email notification when that game releases.
There will be demos for all players to try, many of them from visual novels. In the dedicated “Visual Novel” category alone you will find 99 games with the following tags:
- 63x Visual Novels,
- 27x Interactive Fiction,
- 17x Dating-Sims,
- 9x Point & Click Games,
- 7x Life Sims,
- 6x Puzzle Games,
- 4x Arcade,
- 4x Word Games,
- 3x JRPGs,
- 3x Walking Sims,
- 2x Card Games,
- 2x Party-Based RPGs,
- 1x Platformer,
- 1x Tower Defense,
- 1x Roguelike,
- 1x Rhythm
- 1x Beat ’em up.
Among the ten most wishlisted upcoming games you will find the following titles:
| Title | Categories | Release Date | Developer & Publisher |
| Love is All Around | Singleplayer, Visual Novel, FMV, Choices Matter, Interactive Fiction | Coming Soon | Intiny |
| A Date with Death | Visual Novel, Dating Sim, Romance, Otome, LGBTQ+ | Q4 2023 | Two and a Half Studios |
| Manitas Kitchen | Adventure, Casual, Action, Visual Novel, Arcade | Q4 2023 | Little Arrow Games, Entalto Publ. |
| Love N Life: Lucky Teacher | Sexual Content, Nudity, Mature, Dating Sim, Hentai | Nov 16. 2023 | Simp Games, Reborn Entertainment |
| Windy Meadow – A Roadwarden Tale | Adventure, Interactive Fictiion, Visual Novel, Pixel Graphics, Old School | Oct 16. 2023 | Moral Anxiety Studio, Assemble Entertainment |
| Royal Order | Simulation, RPG, Visual Novel, Dating Sim, Time Management | Coming Soon | Nifty Visuals, Nifty Productions |
| High Elo Girls | Choices Matter, Story Rich, Female Protagonist, LGBTQ+, Choose Your Own Adventure | Apr 30. 2024 | Split Fate Studios |
| Made Marion | Otome, Romance, Visual Novel, Fantasy, Medieval | Nov 2023 | Velvet Cupcake Games |
| Good Bones | Story Rich, Choices Matter, Point & Click, Mystery, Female Protagonist | Oct 20. 2023 Early Access | RETCON Games |
| Dread Weight | Cute, Psychological Horror, Horror, Dating Sim, Anime | Coming Soon | Deer Dream Studios |
Comment below which games you tried! Happy Steam Next Fest!
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