Steam Next Fest
News, coverage and analysis tracking Steam Next Fest across the outlets.
Latest coverage
Valve Knows Steam Next Fest Has An AI Slop Problem, And It’s Looking For Solutions
Valve is aware of the issue of low-quality, AI-generated game demos surfacing during Steam Next Fest and is exploring solutions. The company acknowledges that the randomized game selection at the start of the event, designed to give all developers equal exposure, leads to some "AI slop" being presented to users. While Valve is actively considering fixes, their current temporary solution is to wait a few days into the event for personalized recommendations to kick in.
This Steam Next Fest has over 7,000 games so far, almost double what we saw in June 2026 - and so, so many of them are…
The current Steam Next Fest features over 7,000 game demos, nearly double the amount from June, but a significant portion appears to heavily utilize AI-generated assets. This trend is raising concerns about the quality and originality of submissions, with some developers even withdrawing their games due to fears of being copied by quickly made, AI-driven titles.
I ran 45 idle game demos from Steam Next Fest all at once for a desktop companion battle royale
An author details their experience testing 45 idle game demos from Steam Next Fest simultaneously to find suitable desktop companion titles. The article highlights the challenges of sifting through numerous demos and recommends 11 surviving idle games, including farm sims, shop management, and auto-battlers.
