Steam Next Fest is here once again, and honestly it feels like Christmas has come early with the incredible indie games participating in the October edition.
There is literally hundreds of demos available to check out right now, completely free, and to help you navigate such a large event, we’ve come up with our 25 picks to check out this Next Fest.
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Cats and Dice
Roguelike dice-building combines with cute cats in Cats and Dice. You’ll try and achieve the highest possible scores, utilising your cat friends to generate dice with special effects and for their unique abilities. With over 60 cats already in the game, and more to come, each will generate a dice unique to them at the start of each round, and you’ll need to play them strategically to hit the target score and win the round. This looks like a great, fast paced, roguelike with a cute kitty spin, perfect for the deckbuilding lover.
The Edge of Allegoria
If you’re a fan of the older Pokemon games, then this one is worth a look. The Edge of Allegoria is a turn based RPG inspired by the original handheld gaming, but make no mistake, this is not a game for kids. You’ll explore a world full of monsters and magic, taking on creatures in the wild in classic turn-based battles, engaging with some colourful characters, and contemplating your life choices, in what looks set to be an adult take on classic RPGs.
Business Heroes: Street Grub
Master the art of street food business in the tycoon management game, Business Heroes: Street Grub. You’ll design mouth watering recipes, set your prices strategically, carefully manage your inventory, and take on rushes, building your stand up to be bigger and better. You can deep dive into the analytics of your stand to optimize your business, as you navigate disasters, economic shifts, and the weather, with tons of different scenarios in the game. Laid back gamers will love the sandbox mode, and those who love an extra challenge can take on the daily and time challenge modes, in what is already looking like a fun management sim game.
SOPA - Tale of the Stolen Potato
Fall into a magical world in the back of your grandma’s pantry in the adventure game SOPA. You’ll explore a world full of endless deserts, floating mountains, talking beasts, and quirky characters, following in the footsteps of a mysterious traveler who came before you, and searching for ingredients for your Grandma’s soup. Each time you return to the kitchen you’ll face some unexpected changes, as you journey through a story about family, adventure, and the things we pass along to future generations, in what looks like the perfect game to play when you need a hug.
Mystopia
In this cozy game, you’ll craft your own magical worlds and potions. Mystopia is a sandbox building game, where you design tiny worlds, discovering new blocks along the way. Brewing potions will allow you to mystify your world in different ways, with each unique combo of ingredients doing something different. This looks set to be an absolutely delightful cozy building game, and with no limits, directions, or ways to lose, this is a great magical sandbox choice.
Scaredy Cat
Rage quit your soul sucking corporate job, only to land in a job just as horrifying in Scaredy Cat. You’ll start a new job pet sitting, with the ability to select your own jobs, care for the pets, and discover the stories about their owners, but things will take a sinister turn as you progress, uncovering a plot that is anything but cozy. With a cute 2d pixel art style, this looks set to be a great adventure horror game.
Overthrown
In this game you’ll be able to lift and throw anything, yep anything. Overthrown is a chaotic city builder game where you harness the power of your soul-stealing crown to build and manage your kingdom. With up to six players able to join in on the fun, you’ll defend your citizens, farm the land, gather resources, and keep your citizens happy, lest they desert you. This looks set to be a great city builder with a decent dose of chaos, perfect for those who love a more interesting gaming experience.
Unrailed 2
Team up with your friends and build a railroad through procedurally generated worlds in Unrailed 2. The second edition in this series brings back chaotic train track building, and you’ll need to keep your train on the rails by building tracks – oh and did we mention you’ll do this while the train is running? With new worlds, new rewards, and permanent upgrades added, this looks set to be an incredible second game in the series, and is perfect for the chaos lover.
We Took That Trip
Embark on a cozy road trip adventure in the wholesome driving game We Took That Trip. This game sees you set out on a road trip of a lifetime, driving your van in a procedurally generated world, as you experience a heartwarming journey about friendship, loss, and reunion. With the ability to customise and upgrade your van, a cute kitty companion, beautiful landscapes to explore, and an endless mode, this is the perfect relaxing driving adventure.
Battle Train
Out think, outbuild and outlast in the tactical rail combat game Battle Train. Combining deckbuilding with some locomotive themed combat, you’ll outfit your train with upgrades, lay tracks to your enemies base, and take them out with explosive payloads, natural disasters, and some friendly taunts. Set in a gameshow environment, you’ll meet a colourful cast of hosts and rival conductors, as you work your way through the competition and become the Supreme President Conductor, in what looks set to be an explosive train themed game.
Supurr Cat Cafe: Sandwich Rush
Serve up sandwiches with the help of your kitty companions in Supurr Cat Cafe: Sandwich Rush. This cozy cooking sim sees you build your dream cat cafe, serving your customers, upgrading your cafe, and finding and befriending new cats to help you along the way. Each kitty you befriend will add something special to your cafe, allowing you to upgrade in different ways, and create something truly unique. This looks set to be a great cozy management sim choice perfect for the cat lover.
Floridale Man: The Joy of Chaos
Step into the shoes of a Floridale man down on his luck, in the chaotic game Floridale Man: The Joy of Chaos. This comedy sandbox will see you explore Floridale, meeting locals and sowing some chaos along the way. You’ll be able to choose to help others or just have some fun, combining different items you find to create new tools. Mingle with the locals, in both human and gator forms, as you embrace the chaos of life in this hilarious game.
Main Frames
In this game, you’ll play as Floppy, an adventurous program seeking to find their place in the digital world. Mainframes is a game set entirely within the windows and desktop of a PC monitor, where you’ll rearrange program windows to create new pathways, jumping between frames to navigate the digital world. You’ll meet some quirky characters as you attempt to find your purpose, uncovering secrets that get you a little closer to working out your function, in what looks set to be a cozy platformer game.
Craft Craft: Fantasy Merchant Sim
Craft a range of creative goods in your cozy crafting studio in the fantasy merchant sim CraftCraft. This cozy and colourful game takes crafting to the next level, allowing you to express your creativity, and craft unique items. Not only are you able to make cool and wonderful things, but you’ll be able to choose your own path, becoming a jeweler or a smith. With romanceable characters, magical pets to adopt, and so much freedom to create, this looks like a great fantasy crafter.
The Executive
Shape the Hollywood movie industry in the sandbox business sim The Executive. In this management game you’ll create moves, picking their themes, genres, and target ratings. Hire the best staff to bring your movie to life, before optimising how the movie is distributed to ensure your success. Research cutting edge tech, and grow your studio with each movie you make, as you attempt to rise to the top of the Box Office, in what looks set to be a great movie tycoon game.
Call of Boba
Save a struggling Boba Tea shop in the cozy pixel art adventure Call of Boba. This cute simulation game sees you brew tasty drinks by day, before entering the mysterious world that awakens at night, where you’ll use your trusty boba tea weapons to defeat enemies and gain inspiration for your boba tea creations. With a huge world to explore full of interesting characters, and engaging mini games, this one looks set to be an great cozy management game.
Keep Driving
Get behind the wheel in the adventure game about life on the open road, Keep Driving. This atmospheric management RPG sees you pick up hitchhikers, work odd jobs, customise and repair your car, and map out your route across the country. Set in the early 2000s this one brings a ton of nostalgia to the story, embracing a narrative about embarking on a road trip in your very first car in the long hot summer. With a procedurally generated pixel art world to explore, and multiple endings to uncover, this looks set to be a great adventure game about being young, and enjoying the ride.
Warside
Choose your commander, assemble your forces, and battle your way to victory in Warside. This turn-based tactics strategy game sees you journey through a range of different tactical challenges including classic battles, escort missions, rescue missions, and more. With over 30 missions to master, you’ll choose from 12 different commanders with different skills, and create your army with over 25 different unit types ranging from tanks to submarines, to jets and more. With both a single player campaign, and cross-platform multiplayer too, you’ll never run out of missions to play as you can also craft your own maps. This looks set to be an epic war strategy game, with hours and hours of turn based goodness.
Ale Abbey
In this game you’ll build and grow a monastery, crafting the finest of ales to take your monastery to new heights. Ale Abbey is a unique brewery tycoon, where you’ll handcraft ales, experimenting with different styles, flavours, and ingredients to create the best ale in the land. You won’t just be creating the best brews though, you’ll also need to ensure you’re keeping your monks happy, appeasing the local lords, befriending the local abbeys and handling bandit encounters too, in what looks set to be an interesting tycoon style game.
Mindlock: the Apartment
This point and click puzzle game sees you explore a chaotic labyrinth full of some inexplicable phenomena all set within the walls of your own apartment. Mindlock: The Apartment, layers mystery on mystery after the door to the outside world disappears, leaving you locked in. With a cryptic message on the bathroom mirror, a mysterious puppet in your bedroom, and new visitors that constantly appear, this one looks set to be a quirky adventure full of dark humour and twists and turns.
Wish upon a Llama
In this game you’ll breed and raise an assortment of adorable animals like llamas, bunnies, capybaras and more. Wish Upon a Llama is an animal focused RPG, where you’ll become Llama town’s dedicated rancher. You’ll need to build strong connections with your animal companions, giving them gifts, petting them, and taking them for walks throughout town. Exploring the procedurally generated areas will allow you to befriend wild animals, and will open up the breeding possibilities, with over 50 special breeds to discover. This looks set to be an adorable animal keeping game.
Ricochet Rodeo
Saddle up partners, it’s time to see who’s the fastest shooter in the pixel-rendered west. Ricochet Rodeo is a cowboy themed chaotic deathmatch game, where you’ll take on 7 other cowboys to see who comes out on top. Utilising some chaotic physics elements, all interactions and explosions can have some interesting outcomes, and with 1 hit kills, and the ability to strategically bounce bullets, this one looks set to be a chaotic cowboy adventure.
Hero of the Hive
Set out as a bee on a mission to save your crumbling hive in Hero of the Hive. The Queen bee has mysteriously gone missing, leaving your hive in need of some desperate repairs, so you’ll need to explore the vast basin and gather resources to bring your hive back to life. You’ll help animals and rebuild the ecosystem, proving the bees really do keep everything together, in what looks set to be an adorable adventure game.
My Little Life
This life sim game docks to the bottom of your screen, allowing you to focus on other tasks, while still looking after your own little person. My Little Life is an idle game where you look after a little human, watching them go from being unemployed and living in a messy home to living their best life. You’ll choose a career, and help them fulfill their needs, adding more little people to look after as you go. This one looks like a great idle game, perfect for those work from home days.
Footy Bash
Experience the fast paced world of Aussie Rules Football in Footy Bash. This arcade action game, sees you manage a footy team, customising their look and ensuring you have the dashes and punches needed to take down your opponent team. Chain your special abilities by timing them perfectly, and hit the perfect kick for increased accuracy, in what looks set to be a great fast paced sport game.
That is a wrap on our top 25 picks for Steam Next Fest October 2024!
Make sure you add any games you like to your wishlist as it’s the best way to support the game.
Until next time, stay caffeinated!