We Played These Steam Next Fest Demos, So Now You Have To

Ah… the smell of it: a backlog full of demos and games that God knows when we'll ever finish.

Each year, Steam hosts a series of showcases where developers can show off their upcoming games ahead of release. Among them is the legendary Steam Next Fest.

Refering to Gamespot, this edition of Steam Next Fest features an amazing 4,931 demos (nearly 5,000!) across all genres. Now if we do the math, since the event runs for seven days –and assuming each game gets at least 30 minutes of playtime, you'd only be able to get through about 336 games.

That's if you're not working, eating, showering, or sleeping. Please don't do this.

So that's where we come in!

While there's no way we can fairly sift through all 4,931 demos available during Steam Next Fest, we did spend a healthy (or perhaps unhealthy) amount of time doomscrolling through Steam and downloading anything that caught our eye. As always, these picks are based entirely on our personal tastes and interests. If you're a developer whose game didn't make the list, please don't take it personally; there are only so many hours in a day, and only so many words we can fit into a single article. 

But enough of the yapping. Grab your gear and prepare to witness some of the most exciting games from Steam Next Fest June 2026, brought to you by Alienware Arena!

ALYSSA

Yesterday, while scrolling through X, I stumbled upon something interesting. ALYSSA caught my attention immediately with its cool looking trailer and thumbnail. 

ALYSSA is a first-person psychological horror game that opens with a simple but unsettling premise: you wake up in an unfamiliar place and are greeted by a little girl in a gas mask named Emily. Now… what are the odds of waking up in a dark room, only to be greeted by a little girl wearing a gas mask? 

Well, in this game, you’ll have to fight against those odds.

ALYSSA's Steam Next Fest demo introduces players to the game's opening chapter while showcasing several of its key features, including environmental puzzles, deadly enemies, and a dark, atmospheric world. 

One thing I love about ALYSSA is just how good the sound design is. Every piece of audio blends really well with the environment, and the audio cues are chef’s kisses. You instantly know when to feel nervous and stay aware of your surroundings, or when you can finally breathe for a second… at least until the next horror cue kicks in. Exploring a dark alleyway feels like having a knife pressed against your throat. 

As for my final verdict, if the rest of the game can maintain the same level of tension as this opening chapter, ALYSSA might end up becoming one of my favorite horror releases to watch. 

LEAFY CORNER

Now that we've escaped the dark alleyways and the creepy little girl in the gas mask, it's time for something a little cozier. Prepare your shop and get ready to welcome your customers in this cozy little plant shop management game!

In Leafy Corner, your main objective is to open and manage your very own plant shop. You'll set up your store, decorate your displays, take care of your plants by watering them every day, and make sure your customers' special requests are fulfilled.

One thing I absolutely loved about Leafy Corner is the shop decoration. There are plenty of unique decorative items available in different colors, and even the demo includes around 100 different plants to grow and sell. As you care for your plants, you'll even discover beautiful variegations. Better yet, completing customer requests unlocks even more plants, pots, and decorations while helping build your shop's reputation. You can even customize your own character to make the experience feel even more personal! It's such a fun and cozy game to unwind with after a long, tiring day. 

FRUITBEARER

If you're looking for something a little less intense, Fruitbearer is a dark fantasy roguelike deckbuilder that takes the familiar fruit-merging mechanics of Suika Game and turns them into something much darker, deadlier, and surprisingly strategic.

You awaken as the forgotten deity known as the Fruitbearer, once worshipped by a prosperous kingdom. As the kingdom grew richer, its people slowly abandoned their faith, and with no one left to pray, the land became barren, the harvests failed, and the kingdom crumbled into ruin. Now it's up to you to restore balance, one fruit at a time.

Outside of the fruit-merging gameplay, there's actually quite a lot to do. Before each battle, you'll get to choose which path you want to take through a node-based map. Some routes will lead you into battles, while others throw random events your way or let you stop by a shop to buy and sell cards for your deck.

I honestly didn't expect there to be this much strategy. Choosing which fruits to bring into battle and deciding what cards to keep became just as important as merging fruits without overflowing the board. It starts off pretty relaxing, but after a few runs you'll realize the game can get pretty challenging.

And that's all from us! Despite Steam Next Fest featuring thousands of demos this June, plenty of interesting and unique games managed to stand out from the crowd. If you're looking for something fresh to play, now is a perfect time to doomscrool and add more games to your backlog.

Now if you'll excuse us, we'll be going back to downloading "just one more demo." 

Until next time!