Steam Next Fest is underway for 2026, and with thousands of indie darlings, proof of concepts and the unfortunate asset flip or two, it can feel quite daunting to know what to look for. Even with Steam’s tailored discovery pages, navigating through the “rogue-lite deckbuilder” tag and its sea of Balatro clones is enough to make your head spin!
This alone makes finding good or even fresh games tricky; let alone the great ones. But thankfully, here in Australia and New Zealand, spectacular indie games are easy to come by. So, chances are if you find a local indie developer or publisher among that gargantuan list of games, you may be uncovering the next Hollow Knight or Cult of the Lamb without even realising it.
But if you’re still struggling and looking for the absolute best place to start, Next Play has compiled just some of the best demos to watch out for in Steam Next Fest until March 2nd.
Teeto
Explore a world of mayhem and Michaels! Join Teeto the blob and Nory the bunny in this 3D adventure platformer to stop the shadow corruption from spreading. Absorb wild powers, help eccentric characters, and save the world – one Michael at a time!
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Momento
Momento is a cozy room decorator with a twist: the choices you make play out over the course of a lifetime! Decorate your room, choose which items are important to you, and discover how the objects you choose will alter the course of the story, in a winding ode to the power of everyday things.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Factory 95
Factory 95 is a retro Windows inspired puzzle-automation game about making a slide show factory… in a slide show! Manage your space, make increasingly complex slides and worry about Y2K in this minimalistic factory builder.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Crabmeat
A short first-person point & click survival horror game where you’re a prisoner tasked with crabbing for priceless Southern King Crabs to pay off your debt to the Feudostate. Navigate the harsh waters of the Antarctic and defend your ship from the threats that dwell under the icy waters.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar
Portal with cats – Become entangled in a quantum puzzle adventure! Mittens gains the incredible power to be in two places at once. Explore twisted test chambers, make mischief and evade capture by a whisker! 🐈🐈⬛
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
WIZARD PUNKS!!!
WIZARD PUNKS!!! is a fast-paced, spell-slinging 4-player local party game. Create spells by combining the four elements of Air, Earth, Fire and Water, and defeat your fellow wizards with a variety of bombastic magics.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Delverium
Explore, Build, Farm, Craft and Fight in this survival sandbox adventure for 1-8 players. Delve deep to uncover the secret of the invading ‘Faults’ and restore stability to the land.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Blades, Bows and Magic
A casual, medieval fantasy, strategy card battler. Duel champions across the land in singleplayer and unlock new cards with special abilities. Challenge other players or your friends in online PvP multiplayer with our distinctive tactical battle system.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Rollick n’ Roll
Rollick N’ Roll combines fun physics with intuitive controls to deliver a joyful puzzle experience for all ages. Explore a collection of marvelous marble runs, with a modern twist.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
The Dungeon Experience
The Dungeon Experience is a comedy first-person adventure about a low-level mudcrab chasing his dream of helping YOU experience the true bliss of Financial Freedom*
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Ashes
After witnessing a murder, 16-year-old skater Azar Warren seeks refuge with her estranged grandfather on his rural compound, only to suspect he may be more dangerous than her pursuers. Ashes blends graphic novel panels with interactive puzzles in a story of murder and unease.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Low Earth Orbit Adventures
Low Earth Orbit Adventures is a relaxing space sim set in the near future where the space around Earth has become a frontier of science, commerce and diplomacy. Retrieve the Hubble, rescue astronauts, assemble space stations and many other missions in this realistic but friendly adventure.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Deck of Treads
Deck of Treads is a chaotic 2–6 player tank brawler with a deckbuilding twist. Stack upgrades that transform how your tank looks — and how it fights. Each match spirals into unpredictable mayhem, packed with ridiculous, over-the-top tank builds!
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Enter The Chronosphere
Everything moves when you do in Enter the Chronosphere, the turn-based bullet hell roguelike. Each chronosphere is procedurally generated with defenders and biomes from the worlds it has consumed. Break in, find exotic weaponry and gadgets, outsmart hostile aliens, and fight your way to the core.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Box Knight
A funny, silly and irreverent action RPG roguelike. A mix of ‘the Office’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ with a comic like aesthetic.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Pro Jank Footy
Pro Jank Footy is an over-the-top arcade comedy-sports game. Score goals to unleash game-changing power-ups, build a deck of absurd abilities, and tackle a season where no two matches are ever the same—solo or with your mates.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Zodiac Mountain
Climb Zodiac Mountain in a roguelike deckbuilder inspired by Chinese myth. Build Yin & Yang hands, outplay mythical enemies, and prove your worth among the legendary Zodiacs.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Bravest Coconut
Help Coco become a certified adventurer on her epic quest to return a book to the library and unravel the mysterious goings on in Tambryn Valley. Explore a beautiful pixel art world full of secrets, puzzles, and action in this retro adventure.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Unhomely
Unhomely is a retro-inspired first person psychological indie horror game. You play a journalist who has 3 days alone in a reclusive tech CEO’s cabin to get the exclusive on his new project and save your career.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
Pachincro
An action-packed pachinko–plinko incremental game with a massive skill tree and tons of upgrades. Drop balls, stack multipliers, unlock new abilities, watch the chaos scale into pure satisfaction, all while trying to defeat the boss and staying alive.
Wishlist it on Steam HERE.
So there you have it! Steam Next Fest is on till March 2nd, but many of the demos will still be available after if you’re still eager to jump in!
Thanks to Amy from Frosty Games for starting a Bluesky thread for local developers that allowed us to put this together a lot quicker!
