> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://digirolla.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Steam Next Fest Starts Today, With More Than 8,000 Demos Lined Up - URL: https://digirolla.com/steam-next-fest-starts-today-with-more-than-8-000-demos-lined-up/ - Published: 2026-10-19T07:07:56.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-19T11:32:16.000Z - Description: Valve's October 2026 Next Fest runs from October 19 to 26, with free demos of unreleased PC games. PC Gamer counted 8,011 entries on the press preview page, roughly double June's event. - Author: Digirolla - Tags: Gaming Valve's week-long demo festival is back today. **Steam Next Fest: October 2026 Edition** runs from **October 19 at 10:00 AM PDT to October 26 at 10:00 AM PDT**, according to Valve's Steamworks documentation. That's 1:00 PM EDT (17:00 UTC) on both days. For a week, players can download free demos of upcoming games, chat with developers, watch developer livestreams and add games to their wishlists. ## How big is it? PC Gamer reports that the Next Fest press preview landing page listed **8,011 matches** ahead of launch. By the outlet's count, that's roughly double the number of demos in Steam's June 2026 Next Fest. For comparison, PC Gamer notes that the June 2022 edition had just over 1,000 demos. Some demos are already playable. Valve's press preview opened on October 8, and every demo that opted in was included. ## The rules this time Valve's Steamworks page sets out who can take part. A game needs: - A Steamworks developer account in good standing - A published, public store page - A publicly playable demo by the time the festival begins - A release date after the fest ends on October 26, 2026 The demo can't be a prologue, a "chapter 1" or any other demo version of content customers can already buy. Each title can only take part in one Next Fest, so a game featured this week won't come back for the next edition, which Valve says is planned for February 2027. Some format changes from earlier editions still apply. Since October 2024 there has been no official Next Fest livestream. Developer livestreams are optional and now live in their own tab, and Valve has replaced the old genre tabs with a new layout. ## What happens at the end When the fest wraps on October 26, Valve will publish a wrap-up featuring the games with the most played demos of the event. The official hashtag is #SteamNextFest. ## The AI clone problem This edition comes as developers raise concerns about fast AI-made copies of their games. One studio has already pulled out of the public demo lineup over that worry. Alliance Arts said on October 16 that it had cancelled the public demo of *Drunken Goddess Reflux*, which was due on October 19\. The company gave two reasons: - It had planned to restrict how gameplay could be posted and streamed, but concluded it could not properly manage those restrictions. - It was concerned that works "imitating or replicating this game's presentation and gameplay could be quickly produced using AI or other tools and released ahead of the game's launch." Instead, Alliance Arts will hold closed online play sessions. Participants will be picked by lottery from applicants on its official Discord server and must agree to its rules first. Polygon reports that the game has more than 25,000 Steam wishlists and is set to launch on December 8. PC Gamer also reported on a separate dispute. NoGlyph, the developer of *Needle In A Haystack*, says another studio's game released on October 16 contains code copied from its own, and has filed a copyright notice with Valve. ## How to join in Participating demos are collected on the Next Fest hub on the Steam store, which Valve describes as "a celebration of upcoming games featuring demos, livestreams and more." ## Sources - [Steamworks: Steam Next Fest October 2026](https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/upcoming%5Fevents/nextfest/2026october?ref=digirolla.com) - [Steam: Next Fest hub](https://store.steampowered.com/sale/nextfest?ref=digirolla.com) - [PC Gamer: Steam Week in Review: Steam Next Fest has over 8,000 demos](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/steam-week-in-review-steam-next-fest-has-over-8-000-demos-as-worthless-vibe-coded-slop-levels-up/?ref=digirolla.com) - [Alliance Arts: Change to the Demo Release Plan for Drunken Goddess Reflux](https://alliance-arts.co.jp/en/news-detail/3225/?ref=digirolla.com) - [Polygon: Drunken Goddess Reflux devs cancel Steam Next Fest demo over AI clone concerns](https://www.polygon.com/drunken-goddess-reflux-demo-canceled/?ref=digirolla.com)