As if this week weren’t busy enough with the launch of the Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest celebrations, it’s time for yet another Steam Next Fest.
Recently, these events have been an absolute treasure trove to discover video games that I likely wouldn’t have stumbled across in any other circumstance. So often, they’re a great avenue to unearthing indies in need of valuable exposure, and now and then, there are a few demos for titles people are dying for.
Most importantly, for so many of these developers and teams just starting, adding their games to your wishlist, or pre-ordering if you’re that eager and have the dollars to spare, helps get them on charts and gets more eyeballs on their product.
While I could throw a blanket over many more, let’s take a look at twenty of the coolest games in this June 2025 Steam Next Fest that are worth keeping your eye on.
Desk Garden
Siesta Studio
This is a simple, cute idea to kick things off. It’s a small garden that grows idly in the corner of your desktop while you otherwise occupy yourself.
You’re able to arrange your plants, which range from the sweetest little sprouts to humanoid baby blossoms, to any position on the screen you choose, and it even offers a chill soundscape to complement the vibes and provide the perfect backdrop for your work or study.
There isn’t long to wait, it’s out June 18, so prepare those green thumbs.
Henry Halfhead
Lululu Entertainment
Henry Halfhead is a cleverly designed little puzzle game where you play a baby that’s quite literally half a head. No lower jaw to speak of. It’d be nightmare fuel were it not for the game’s adorable, bubbly look.
It’s a puzzler full of intuitively designed tasks, all built around the fact that Henry can possess and take the form of inanimate objects, which lets you beat the pots and pans as a wooden spoon or become a mesmerising, twirling mobile hanging above a crib.
Henry Halfhead doesn’t yet have a release date, however, you can try the demo here.
Dispatch
AdHoc Studio
Dispatch is a rather novel game about managing the professional lives of misfit superheroes, as well as the interoffice politics that come with the territory.
The game is being developed by veterans who worked at Telltale during their golden era, and it shows with the way they harness an all-star cast, including Aaron Paul as Robert Robertson, to effortlessly blend narrative with gameplay in a way that’s refreshing despite their pedigree.
Dispatch is set for release sometime this year. Check the demo out here.
The Royal Writ
Save Sloth Studios
I included The Royal Writ for its novel approach to presenting what is becoming quite a prevalent sub-genre in the strategy game scene, the roguelike deckbuilder.
This game sees you play and command cards on a battlefield, where the quirky characters adorned on them will taste either glory or defeat, and, if felled, they’ll become ingrained in your kingdom’s lore forevermore.
Creating this lasting legacy through strategic sacrifice creates “fallen heroes” within your war effort, and only that memory lives on as their card is permanently destroyed and condemned to history.
Check out this unique deck builder here.
Horripilant
Alexandre Declos
Horripilant takes a very understated approach to its visual identity that gives it a rushed, scrawly appearance, as though it has been generated by a decrepit machine that time itself forgot.
It combines auto-battling, puzzles, and incremental progression to create a rather chilling dungeon crawler with idle mechanics built in.
At a glance, it reminds me a little of Loop Hero—if it were first-person, of course. Check the demo out right now.
Hell is Us
Rogue Factor
As one of the highest profile titles taking part in this Next Fest, the demo does an exceptional job of showcasing all of the things that make Hell is Us a riveting, sci-fi dystopia.
Thematically, as evidenced through the civil war roaring at the heart of its world, Hell is Us speaks to the perpetual cycle of violence, and its unique, discovery-led exploration leaves the player bereft of a map, com, and quest markers.
Check out Hell is Us ahead of its launch in September.
Mala Petaka
Sanditio Bayu
Mala Petaka is an absolute surprise packet of a boomer shooter, it combines the ballistic energy of a classic Doom with the sprawling, hub-centric level design of the first Marathon game.
The game is largely the work of a solo Indonesian developer who, partnering with Hellforge Studios, built this candy-coloured corridor shooter using a modified Doom engine.
Mala Petaka is expected to be out soon, but check the demo out right here.
Watchword
Big Quail Games
Having spent a few rounds with Watchword, I feel like it could quite easily be the Balatro for word nerds, and people who love flexing their lexicons and doing word scrambles.
Like Balatro, where you’re able to operate outside of the rules to make some absurd, game-breaking combos, you can similarly use a mix of real and made-up words to get the most out of this anagram roguelike.
Watchword is set to release in Q3 2025. Check the demo out here.
One-Eyed Likho
Morteshka
Okay, let’s start with some facts: Slavic folklore is bad ass. I wish more games would dabble in it.
If you don’t mind the atmosphere in this game chilling, then I’m not sure what to tell you. As far as psychological odysseys go, I do think One-Eyed Likho is undeniably unsettling. I do hope the puzzles, which lean a little easy in the demo, get a bit harder as the game goes on, however, I’m loving the vision.
Soak in the game’s monochromatic look by playing the demo, which you can find here.
Dead as Disco
Brain Jar Games, Inc.
With the elevator pitch for Dead as Disco, I came in expecting something more akin to Kickbeat or a traditional rhythm game. What it is, in actual fact, is an action-brawler that feels like a mix of Hi-Fi Rush’s beat-feel and Arkham’s tried and true combat.
From the small hands-on with the demo, which you can play here, the soundtrack seems to be made up of some pretty tongue-in-cheek, unexpected covers. Not the least is a hard rock take on “Maniac”—a club mainstay if there ever was one, and quite a pull from the Flashdance soundtrack.
Dead as Disco’s release window is yet to be determined.
Cast N Chill
Wombat Brawler
Ahead of its release next week, I encourage you to try the demo for Cast N Chill. The game, which also featured in the Frosty Game Fest showcase this week, is a serene fishing game that, quite frankly, makes me wonder if I should cast a line one of these days.
Like Dredge, you pull up whatever’s hooked, catalogue your catches, buy licenses to bigger lakes, and improve your gear with the money you’ve made selling each day’s haul. The only difference is the lack of eldritch horrors, which certainly makes for a peaceful change of pace.
It’s got a beautiful pixel art aesthetic, too.
Ratatan
TVT Co. Ltd., Ratata Arts
With no Patapon experience at all, this game has quite a steep learning curve, I feel, but once you get into the rhythm of it, this musical, strategic roguelike is a whole heap of fun.
I think it’s incredible that Ratatan exists. The fact that this team is staffed with original creatives from PlayStation’s Japan Studio, which created the series, seems like a miracle with how much of the industry is positioned today.
It’s got the look, it’s got flair, it’s there, it’s Ratatan. And it’s out this year.
Ayna: Shattered Truth
designmatic
In Ayna: Shattered Truth, you play as Sae as she edges nearer to her mask ceremony at the Water Spring.
It’s a small demo showing off a small section of the game, but I decided it was one to spotlight as it really spoke to me. It’s got a beautiful, painterly look, and I can already tell it’s going to have the emotional resonance of an Ori.
More so, it’s a labour of love as the developer has already sunk eight years into the game, with several more on the horizon yet.
Check the demo out here and to wishlist it to track its development.
Oscuro: Blossom’s Glow
Hongoneon
Like Ayna before it, Oscuro: Blossom’s Glow is a pretty arresting platformer that, from a mechanical perspective, seems a little basic on the surface but preaches a worthy message.
Its world feels lavish, overgrown, and there’s a yearning for nature that I expect will persist throughout the full journey. Sure, it’s got big “we’ve got Ori at home” vibes, but that surely can’t be a bad thing?
It’s set to launch in August, but check out the demo now.
Possessions
Lucid Labs
Although Possessions doesn’t shy away from airing the imperfections of relationships and cohabitation, the game’s vignette delivery of its story about a young couple feels as though it’s left by the wayside by its exceptional perspective-driven puzzles.
Far from a novel idea, Possessions is just nostalgic in an odd way. Looking at small dioramas of rooms in a home, you shift and change the viewpoint to correctly position household items where they need to go.
Although this melancholic little gem is out next month, you should play it now.
MIO: Memories in Orbit
Douze Dixièmes
I got my first look at MIO: Memories in Orbit during the State of Play the other day, and this game is about as Gris-coded as one gets without being made by Nomada.
There’s a fleeting briskness to the movement in this game, and the combat is basic without detracting from the gorgeous combination of art and music that underpins the whole thing.
MIO: Memories in Orbit releases this year, but go play it now. Tell me if you, too, are reminded of the IX in Destiny by the game’s future tech iconography.
Possessor(s)
Heart Machine
As a big fan of Hyper Light Drifter, Solar Ash, and Devolver Digital, I’ve had my eye on Possessor(s) ever since it was first revealed. Not only is it not set in the same universe, it marks a considerable departure from their other games.
It retains the punishing combat that became their trademark, and it once again pushes narrative and world-building, which are both delivered in a way that feels quite Supergiant-coded, to the fore as they did with Solar Ash.
Possessor(s) has an undetermined release window for now, but try the demo here.
No Way Home
SMG Studio
As one of a few games SMG have been cooking—the others are SPiNG and LEGO Party—this one is perhaps the one that’s most my shit. It feels a little like Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, a kind of underrated twin-stick Metroidvania from a couple of generations ago.
It’s got a great Adult Swim-inspired approach to its art, and it’s undeniably snappy and assured on the sticks. Aside from its grin-inducing quippy humour, it’s got some to-die-for skirmishes that speak to how volatile this far-flung galaxy you’re in actually is.
No Way Home releases on June 17, but you can try it now.
Monument Valley 3
ustwo games
I’m not one who’s ever played either of the Monument Valley titles, however, with a demo available for the third in the series, I thought it was an opportune time to hop in and give it a chance.
Obviously, without any context for the world and characters, all I can say is this is such a quaint, peaceful puzzle game that is a triumph of clean, geometric design, and plays with perspective in fun and intuitive ways.
Monument Valley 3 is coming out soon.
Mina the Hollower
Yacht Club Games
Just as this team riffed on the style and concept of Mega Man to create Shovel Knight, Mina the Hollower seems to borrow many of its design sensibilities from classic adventure games like The Legend of Zelda while combining them with Mina’s ability to burrow underground.
Like only Yacht Club Games can seem to do, classic game design is made to feel new again as you slash your way through an overworld, and a bop of a soundtrack, that wouldn’t be out of place on the Game Boy Color.
Mina the Hollower is out October 31. Check the demo out here.
