After February’s Next Fest, I thought my wishlist could not handle any more games. I was right. It can’t. That doesn’t mean I didn’t just add 17 more games to it after playing through dozens of demos these past few days. Some of these made their rounds on social media, others you might have seen on one of the summer showcases, but many have either fallen into my lap thanks to a decade of meticulously curating my social media timeline, or I had to really dig out of the piles of awful AI-generated covers to find.
I’ll be sharing them with you through a few loose, silly, made-up categories. Mind you, these are not meant to imply the games are particularly similar to one another; it’s just something to make the reading process more enjoyable. With that being said, here are 17 highlights of Steam Next Fest June 2026.
Hell Explorers
Dreadline Express
What do the kids call these games these days? A metroidbrainia? An Obra-Ditto? Whatever it is, even in its limited form, this is some fantastic puzzling. Observe your environment to collect cards and use them in various combinations to communicate with other passengers of this horrifying last human train, uncover its lore, and solve a few puzzles along the way. That crew member seemed very disappointed that he couldn’t use you as a sacrifice at the start. Wonder what that’s about.
Last year I played a very similar game by the name of Carimara: beneath the forlorn limbs and absolutely loved its short mystery with a horror aesthetic and a bunch of extra insane hidden secrets. Dreadline Express seems to be way bigger, with seemingly over double the card count, so I’m excited to see just how intricate this style of tangible, rewarding exploration adventure can get. Each object and each conversation may turn into a card, and the various options already provide a lot of rich reactivity. A fascinating puzzle-exploration game that harkens back both to classic point-and-click adventures and modern indie masterpieces.
Dreadline Express is slated for release at an unspecified time in 2026 on Steam.
My Beautiful Faraway, Please Don’t Be Cruel To Me
In My Beautiful Faraway, Please Don’t Be Cruel To Me by arch1t3ct, you are transported into a church, and after a bit of organ collecting (missing keys for the instrument, not human organs, don’t worry) and a short puzzle, you’re off to explore a gray, cold place where time seems to stand still. I could only assume we’re in the afterlife, but the game gives you the option to believe it’s a dream too. Enriching a puzzle exploration game with slight roleplay? You love to see it.
The demo has two separate endings too, indicating you will be able to solve its puzzles and investigate areas in whatever order you choose. This, combined with the aforementioned question at the beginning, really pushes you to be an active participant in theorizing about this limbo you’ve found yourself in, as well as prioritizing certain leads above others. Will helping a woman in the woods distract you from finding a remote for the couple stuck in an endless loop of arguing in the local apartment block? Up to you.
My Beautiful Faraway, Please Don’t Be Cruel To Me will haunt me for a good while as I await its full release on September 14 on Steam.
My Sword Is Cooler Than Yours
Mym’s Sword
Swinging a sword is cool, but you know what’s even cooler? The sword swinging at your enemies by itself! In Mym’s Sword by B. Maksym (Linker), all you gotta do is aim and let the blade do its thing. But beware! You are not the only one equipped with such powers. If you meet an enemy with a weapon of its own, yours may just bounce away, and you’ll have to retrieve it before you can get back to combat.
Mym’s Sword is a miniature game (the window it opens up in is tiny and uniquely shaped) described as a puzzle platformer, action RPG and beat-em-up hybrid. Mixing side-scrolling dungeons with a top-down perspective, its roots clearly range all the way back to the NES era, with a more controlled, though still chaotic combat flow and puzzles based around collectible rings. There’s also all the cute animal characters, such as the player character, a blue dog by the name of Nora. The game’s trailer asks: “Will you overcome adversity, and discover the secrets of your newfound sword? Or will you die like the dog you are?”
Mym’s Sword releases this Fall on Steam.
Enigma Heart
I’m a fan of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in theory, but sure as hell not in practice. I think it might just have the best combat system the series has ever seen, using both the sword and the shield as active parts of each fight, but its many gotchas, confusing hints, and long runbacks left me, like many others, dejected. As a result, this specific iteration of Zelda is rarely ever re-examined, so whenever a game like Enigma Heart by Hadrosaurus Software does pop up, I’m all ears.
After an intense opening battle, the game’s protagonist is defeated and loses her memory, getting her new name—Zaria—from one of her rescuers: the local innkeeper Esme. The two quickly form a deeper connection, though it seems neither is in a hurry to admit it. Enigma Heart follows Zelda II to the letter, featuring sword-and-shield combat, an overworld map with random encounters, as well as buffing, damaging, and exploration-based spells. What makes it stand out, aside from strong fundamentals, is a strong, grounded fantasy narrative: it’s believable both when it’s being silly, cute, and romantic, or when it’s deadly serious if the situation calls for it. It did a great job at drawing me into the world and making me care about its characters.
Enigma Heart does not yet have a release date listed on Steam.
Scariest Fish Competition
Foghorns Drown
Centered around the daily life of a ferryman living across a tiny village of Birchwood, the requirement of whose services is signaled by the titular foghorn. It’s as haunting as it sounds; your first day has the device absolutely blaring outside your little cabin, emitting its ominous red light with a woman who desperately wants to get to the other side. Soon, she’ll desperately want to leave. A murder is about to take place.
Of course, this is the scary fish category, so we cannot skip over the fact that you are haunted by one. A giant fish who speaks in vague terms and seems to signal the upcoming doom. In Foghorns Drown by Studio Laaya you can’t trust your vision too much, though—one second you’re driving the ferry through calm waters, the next you’re in the middle of the scariest moment of your life. I think it could have very easily slipped into overt silliness at points, but there’s plenty here that grounds it. Each morning you can make coffee; each night you have to chop firewood to keep yourself warm. The routine is a tool for scares, but it also helps make it feel like the player character is trying their best to survive.
Foghorns Drown is currently set for a July 2026 release date on Steam.
About Fishing
Murder Mystery. Horror. Curly fries. Mermaids. Lots of fish. About Fishing’s demo is absolutely enchanting; I could not take my eyes away from it. But I had to! Sometimes you know you have to stop to not feel too sad about the fact that the full thing is not available to you yet. Maybe that’s a good thing. I do not want to think about that mermaid anymore.
Where do I even begin with this one? There’s a bunch of angles to approach this angling title from, but for one, know that this is a real-deal fishing simulator. It has unique controls that let you do silly things like spin fish around when caught. You use caught fish to catch bigger fish, or control them to reach underwater items and wrap your fishing line around the ones you need pulled out. You then sell anything worthwhile and upgrade your tools at the local store. The murder mystery runs deep; what begins as a father-daughter bonding moment ends up with the daughter not being able to let go, and the father in jail. You’re privy to bits and pieces, whatever the game lets you peer into. The understated horror, the unnerving character models, and, of course, the mysterious, watery depths.
About Fishing is planned for a 2026 release on Steam and PlayStation 5.
Two Sides Of A Puzzle Game
Object Impermanence
This category is, you guessed it, about two puzzle games. Each one represents a wholly different style and experience people search for in the genre. Sometimes, you just want to do a bunch of real brain-scratchers in a row. In the other, you’re developing an understanding of a world’s bizarre rules as you explore it, room by room. Object Impermanence by Slugware is part of the latter, and it is a game I always knew I was missing, but couldn’t quite put my finger on how to describe.
You crash-land on a planet that seems to be shaped entirely by you perceiving it. Pick up cute little creatures hiding in orbs and use them to open up paths. Weave between buildings through broken walls, pipes bursting through walls, and collapsed roofs. Eventually, you’ll reach a terminal telling you that someone is out there, waiting to meet you. It’s all really nicely paced, with new mechanics introduced at a steady pace and a lot of little things that make the world such a joy to watch unfold. I mean, you have to watch it. Otherwise, it won’t unfold.
Object Impermanence will be releasing in the fourth quarter of 2026 on Steam.
He Who Watches
Here we have the other side of the coin—a puzzle game that really throws you into the thick of it one puzzle after another. It’s just you, your bow, and the many ways in which it interacts with various switches and blocks. He Who Watches by Danga Games is such a joyous, fast-paced puzzle game that I realized I somehow also missed dearly. Maybe I’m just not playing enough puzzle games?
Aside from just high-quality, mind-bending puzzles about positioning and gravity in hexagonal-based rooms, one of the best parts of He Who Watches is its unique hint system. If you often struggle with visualizing how various mechanics interact with each other, He Who Watches offers help via altars that present simplified versions of the room you’re currently in so that you can better understand the pieces at play, and then put that into practice in the real puzzle. I love this. It made me realize that, personally, it’s the exact issue I often struggle with in these games, and allowed me to still feel incredibly satisfied by clearing puzzles even if I did reach out for a hint.
He Who Watches does not have a release date, but I’m hoping to put eyes on it whenever it releases on Steam.
Planning Ahead
Shroom and Gloom
This roguelite has been on my radar for a good while, but with a new demo this Next Fest, I finally decided to give it a whirl. I was not disappointed! I think you can see why Shroom and Gloom from Team Lazerbeam caught my eye—the art is just gnarly. Monsters and caves are completely overgrown with thick layers of fungus or spiked vines, skulls everywhere, a real sense of dread wherever you look, all drawn with a thick line and with so much color to get your mind racing.
I’m happy to report that the gameplay really delivers too; it had me in a “one more run” chokehold due to this sense of forward momentum it has, being a first-person deckbuilder where you descend deeper into its enchanting dungeon. The decks being split into exploration, rest, and combat, as well as the point-and-click quality to its presentation, really add a sense of physicality to it. Everything takes just a tiny bit longer than some of its contemporaries, but in return, the adventure feels more immersive. Things like that really add up.
Shroom and Gloom aims for a release on Steam in the third quarter of 2026.
Sovereign Tower
I played this one a bit before Next Fest began, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Though I’ve seen so many pop up, especially this past year, it feels weird to say we don’t have a name for this kind of choice-based character management RPG like Sovereign Tower by WILD WITS GAMES, but I hope it will force us all to think about it some more. It’s just too good to ignore after all. In this absolutely beautiful game inspired by old etchings and classic fairytale illustrations, you’ll be charged with recruiting knights and sending them out on various requests you accept during the daily hearings.
What makes this stand out from other similar games is the game’s built-in time-rewind mechanic. Entering the dungeon will allow you to turn back the clock and check out where other choices could have taken you, as well as change strategy for the upcoming days. Personally, I’d want to turn back time even without its management aspect simply because the writing is incredibly charismatic, and your recruited knights are romanceable. And so is the statue that unlocks new rooms in your tower. Obviously.
Sovereign Tower will release on August 6 on Steam, and I absolutely cannot wait.
Obligatory 3D Platformer Section
Gawr Gura: Quest for Bread
Every Next Fest I try to find a few 3D platformers to get excited about and last time I had so much luck that I knew it eventually had to run out. This time, I scrolled through dozens of AI-generated covers, as well as several games I’ve already played, until I decided to try something I maybe otherwise wouldn’t. I’m very glad I did! The publisher holo indie allows games created by fans of VTubers that are part of the HoloLive brand to find a place on Steam, and Gawr Gura: Quest for Bread by Kenny Park is one of many such titles. This short demo was honestly a blast.
What makes Gawr Gura: Quest for Bread stand out for me as a fan of the genre is how it’s clearly designed with mouse and keyboard in mind. PC platformers used to have a stronger presence—a growing identity focused on tighter camera control and aiming mechanics—that nowadays has mostly been relegated to first-person speedrun games. Whenever a more casual title like this comes along (the last one I played would be the underrated Plushie from the Sky), I’m reminded of just how much potential they still have. The movement feels great, the combat flows nicely thanks to attacks like the triple jump dive, and the theming was fun enough for someone like me who catches an occasional clip making the rounds, let alone for anyone who ever followed the streamers more closely. Gawr Gura, you are missed.
Gawr Gura: Quest for Bread will debut on August 27 on Steam.
Riftaway
Strong fundamentals can take you very far in a 3D platformer. From the very beginning of the genre, the expressiveness, the ability to tell stories through movement, was at the forefront. However you get from one platform to another is valid, and the pace of each leap is yours to dictate. Riftaway by Mahou Boshi uses a few of the genre’s staple moves to set itself up for greatness.
Its main gimmick is gravity shifting—the space theming and the heavy use of purples might catch your eye as well—but it’s Nemuri’s magic cape that really pushes the game forward. Literally. Depending on whether you use it for a twirl to gain height or a long jump, the cape launches itself either vertically or horizontally, and if you manage to catch up to it before it returns to you, you get to use its power again! Figuring out paths feels unique because the level design can get a bit wackier than your usual platformer thanks to both that chase element and the ever-shifting pull of gravity. Gauntlets can thus be very compact or really expansive, giving it a bit of a manic feel when you suddenly have to really scour for the path forward, thinking “there’s no way I have to reach that, do I?” It’s a sneakily, positively weird game that I can see creeping up my excitement rankings with time.
You can find Riftaway on Steam, though its page currently does not feature any release date window.
A Little Bit Of Love
if you stay
Happy Pride Month, everyone! In celebration, here are two visual novel demos with an incredible art style that surely won’t make you cry when they’re out in full. First up is if you stay by YukimiSoft: a story about the final date of two girls from Japan in the Winter of 1999. After Fumiko was outed by her best friend, she decides to leave for Tokyo in hopes of restarting her life’s path. There isn’t much left in a place that’s openly and intensely homophobic. Unless… just maybe… her girlfriend Mika can convince her to stay.
The demo alone was a positively depressing read. The author ends it by saying that parts of her own life are reflected in both protagonists, but mostly the player character Fumiko, whose relationship with Mika feels all but doomed. She overanalyzes her speech, her behavior, clearly still paranoid. They both unexpectedly overshare to a stranger. The tension can be cut with a knife. The 16bit art for the game is inspired by PC-98 Japanese romance games, which, to me, implies the creator seriously knows their stuff. I’m in. I just need to prepare for a world of hurt.
Thankfully, I still have a little time, because if you stay is slated for this October on Steam.
Truth Scrapper
My lists tend to have one cheat entry, and this one will be no different. Truth Scrapper by insertdisc5 technically does not have the Next Fest banner on its page, nor will you find it when searching the event, but its demo released two weeks ago, and many people might not yet be aware that the follow-up to In Stars and Time is currently playable, and that it absolutely rocks.
What makes the game similar to the creator’s previous project is the mastery at shaping characters around the world’s layered mechanics. The player character Sosotte was sent to investigate a mystery as a member of the titular Truth Scrapper guild: someone whose memories reset each day, and can only be regained upon touching a magical book. Whatever you choose to put in there is up to you, as you pick a few senses and points of focus for Sosotte in each section. The problem: you’re being guided by two individuals: the mischievous and curious Amour (he/she) and the kind and proper Betz (he/they). You’re not likely to find space for both in your book. Sosotte can play a very mischievous, clever character and use her status to her advantage, and she will try to trick people before revealing her true nature, which makes for such an entertaining protagonist.
If you’re familiar with the creator’s previous work, you’ve likely already wishlisted Truth Scrapper on Steam, but if not, you should so you can learn about its release date when it’s revealed.
Important Topics Deserve The Weirdest Games
Catechesis
I could have called this category “follow-ups to cult classics,” but I like this name better. Catechesis by Baroque Decay is the third game from the developers of Yuppie Psycho, and the second cheat game from this list, as it’s also not officially part of Next Fest. It’s difficult for me to say this is their weirdest one yet, but you do start by controlling a mosquito throughout what feels like an endless, pitch-black maze until you find Daniel, an altar boy, in a church, who after being bitten becomes the playable character, doing chores, hiding from a monster, before fading and waking up in the future where he’s being experimented on as a weapon by his father and eventually breaks out of the testing grounds to shoot monsters. Actually, maybe it’s not that difficult for me to say this is their craziest game yet.
Every sentence and screenshot on Catechesis’s store page just keeps adding another layer of insanity, but I think at its core it’s a horror game about the unexpected, dark consequences of childish innocence. Each good deed opens up a gate to hell due to Daniel getting possessed by a demon after all. The protagonist has to clean up after his friend steals from the church’s alcohol supply, and must break out from a training facility after being subjected to brutal training from his father figure. That’s the best read I got so far, but I’m sure the full game will hold many more surprises. Somehow.
Catechesis will release on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch and PC, and though it does not yet have a release date, you can play the demo right now on Steam.
Penguin Colony
Penguin Colony by Umurangi Generation developers ORIGAME DIGITAL opens up with a message: “This game was made on Wurundjeri Woiwurrung land. The Kulin Nation never ceded sovereignty to the British Commonwealth. We pay respect to Elders past present and emerging as Indigenous creatives working on land that isn’t our own. The land will always be Aboriginal Land no matter what.” You then begin to transfer your conscience between various penguins as you follow a blinding red light, guided by the deep voice of Lenval Brown. Eventually, you stumble upon a person. They immediately, violently explode. A few steps later, you see a camp of his compatriots. Waving Nazi Germany flags.
The soldiers are drawn to a monument deep in the largely empty land of ice. It seems to have already overtaken their minds. See, Penguin Colony is a reimagining of the H.P. Lovecraft mythos. It’s difficult to say what exactly you are controlling or what your goal is, but the experience of waddling and sliding through the overwhelmingly empty Antarctic is terrifyingly intense. There are bits and pieces of human stories, but getting there won’t be easy. The penguins can barely walk, let alone get on top of a table. It’s terrifying, intense, captivating, bizarre. A surefire game of the year contender for all the curious souls out there.
Penguin Colony is targeting a 2026 release on Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam.
Virtue and a Sledgehammer
This time around, I’m cheating three times. New record! Virtue and a Sledgehammer’s demo is also technically not part of Next Fest, but it is just too haunting for me to ignore. Frankly, I think I’m still not over it. When I finished it, I went screaming to everyone who’d listen. This is the most cutting-edge game out there. This is the voice of a generation who’s so tired of what’s being shoved down our throats. We’ve seen the dead be played with like puppets; all our lives we’ve been enjoying stories of the inanimate learning how to live, and we’ve really felt for them. Now, all we want is to see it gone. To destroy it ourselves, perhaps. How will you feel when a robot pretends to be someone you know? To tell you of compassion, to act as a human would?
There’s far more to Virtue and a Sledgehammer by Deconstructeam, the creators of Many Nights a Whisper and The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, that I don’t want to spoil, and it is just so maddening, so full of life if only to spite its ever-present mockery. Some of the robots fight back as you approach, others run in fear. Some sit and accept whatever comes, others talk to you earnestly. Are these the people you knew? It’s overwhelming to the point where I feel my heart wanting to burst out of my chest because I don’t have the answers that I want so badly. It’s the kind of art that I search for every day. I feel the heft of the sledgehammer in each variant of the swing, whether it’s a quick sweeping destruction of a home or a long-winded overhead annihilation of a cyber-life. I believe it’s an experience we all need.
Virtue and a Sledgehammer is set to release somewhere in 2026 via Steam.
Even if I have mentioned the unfortunate reality of having to wade through a good bit of disappointment, Next Fest has truly been the best way to find the weird niches that I cherish most these past few years, and I hope everyone else finds theirs. Drop them in the comments below, and check back to GameObserver for more lists in the future!
