Steam Next Fest Demo Roundup: 9 Wild Indie Games to Wishlist Now

Steam Next Fest demo extravaganza of June 2026 recently ended, and with thousands of demos being released before, during, and some remaining after it’s done, the choices can be overwhelming. Luckily, I managed to sift through the plethora of demos and played a couple I think might interest you, reader.

Below, you’ll find a diverse mix of horror—from the low-poly first-person experience to a Five Nights at Freddy’s hybrid mixed with a platformer à la Jump King. But not everything is horror, as you’ll also find an enormous artillery turret simulator set in a fictional world, immersive sims, and a satisfying grind-fest. Hopefully, you’ll find a new Steam demo to try, and a game to Wishlist!

About Fishing

• Developer: The Water Museum
• Publisher: Playstack

The waters may be calm, but what surrounds you is a mystery covered in blood. About Fishing is a third-person horror/mystery fishing game that is odd as it is unique. It has an inventory system like Resident Evil, fishing mechanic reminiscent of the Wii that will have you sliding your mouse everywhere, and a story eerie enough to make you wonder what’s below the waters. The game’s developed by the folks behind Arctic Eggs, and with the story starting with you as a child controlling a fish given to you by a mermaid and pulling out a corpse from inside a cave, you best believe it’s gonna be out there, and engaging.

Chunky Jump

• Developer: Pichon Games
• Publisher: Pichon Games

Late shifts are boring, and I’ve had more than just a couple of late shifts, but never one where crazed evil people tried to break into the shop at night. Chunky Jump is a fun hybrid that mixes the Five Nights at Freddy’s with platforming, as each night you have to keep an eye on your windows, the ceiling vent, and your battery, while also beating a platformer on your handheld.

While the demo showcases only a small portion of the game, it’s very promising because it did show that it’ll have minigames like Bunny Graveyard had. I was a fan of those minigames, as they were pretty cool. And thankfully, the Five Nights at Freddy’s portion didn’t feel incredibly hard or annoying, as it was forgiving, which can’t be said about the platformer. Don’t get me wrong, it was easy, but I did get stuck in one jump for some time. It got to the point where I had to change my flashlight’s batteries. Also, you’ve got to support them! PUERTO RICO! PUERTO RICO! PUERTO RICO!

DarkBazaar

• Developer: KeyQuest Studio
• Publisher: IndieArk

I’m not beating my friend’s gambling addict allegations anytime soon, but I’ve yet to gamble real money, and that includes getting into gacha games. DarkBazaar is, technically, a gambling game centered around the crate opening loop from Counter-Strike.

Instead of opening boxes and hoping you get a butterfly knife, you are accepting arms contracts, buying stolen goods—the boxes—in order to fulfill those contracts. Each box has its RNG through weapon types found in the boxes and rarities, and contracts will ask for specific weapons and rarities. You’ll also be able to buy some magazines or decorations that influence your find chance and other quirky things. This is truly what gaming is all about.

Desktop Explorer

• Developer: KeyQuest Studio
• Publisher: IndieArk

This game made me feel witty because it respects those who like puzzles, as long as they’re not too hard. Desktop Explorer is a text-based or desktop-based puzzle game where your late uncle leaves you his computer and a game named Desktop Explorer, and as you venture through the computer and the game, creepy things happen.

I will be honest and say that the creepypasta premise and retro interface/gameplay were extremely appealing and amusing. The puzzles are solved by finding the password to open the next file, and they’re pretty simple, such as opening up an image to find a code, searching on your browser to go through your history and notice a name, or resizing a window to form a password in the text. On the surface, it’s a sad tale of grief, but the deeper you explore, the more you realize there’s more underneath.

Foghorns Drown

• Developer: Studio Laaya
• Publisher: Studio Laay

A sickness is overtaking your town, but is there something else behind the mist? Foghorns Drown is a first-person horror game, where you become a ferryman in a remote village surrounded by a thick fog and your horrible dreams. Everyone’s already struggling given their conditions, and it only gets worse as your dreams confuse your reality, and a body is found dead floating in the water.

Normal Golf Game

• Developer: Luke Muscat
• Publisher: Luke Muscat

This game was actually irritating because, just like real golf, you need patience to not crash out and hit your target. Normal Golf Game is a physics-based game, where you golf by manually swinging your arms, controlling your angle and swing strength, and everything else you’d control in golf. But unlike real golf, this is a silly game that has you break ads, hit a giant bowling pin, and carries a very unserious tone, which absurd tasks makes you want to keep going. Or, at least, it got me to finish the demo.

IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator

• Developer: Nick Nieuwoudt, Dominik Latos
• Publisher: Nick Nieuwoudt, Dominik Latos

Simulator games are, in my opinion, either too complicated, or kind of boring because they’re set in the real world doing tedious tasks. I’m well aware that I’ve played games where the main mechanic is to look at the number go up, and they deeply enthrall me.

But, IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator is a diesel punk heavy-artillery game where you ensure that a colossal turret functions and destroys the enemy. The gameplay lies in ensuring the turret functions properly and shoots the right target. This means loading the shells, plotting the points on the map, angling and elevating the turret, and reading the instructions well enough that you don’t blow up your scout.

I think this may be the first time I played a simulator, and I wasn’t confused. I actually understood everything quickly. From reading my orders—although I did blow up the spotter—to picking the right shells to load, everything was simple, and satisfying. The sounds are so cool, and when you shoot? Amazing.

Static Dread: Submarine

• Developer: solarsuit.games
• Publisher: Polden Publishing

After an accident that happens because of an enemy army, definitely not some unimaginable horror beneath the sea, you become the second in command. Static Dread: Submarine continues the Lovecraftian narrative horror of Static Dread: The Lighthouse but changes the art style a bit and puts you in a stressful leadership role, where you’ll have to manage who does which tasks, including yourself. The gameplay is a mix of management; I guess you could call mini-games with a narrative focus. An interesting and fun setting for those looking to make hard choices that can cost people’s lives at the bottom of a horror-filled sea.

VOID DIVER: Escape from the Abyss

• Developer: STUDIO NEMO
• Publisher: LoadComplete

I did not think I’d be interested in this game that’s similar to MapleStory, but after being pestered for a week, I’m glad I did. VOID DIVER: Escape from the Abyss is an extraction 2.5D horror shooter that has you diving into levels to complete tasks and bring back artifacts to sell them to customers. It’s mostly a grindfest, as you’re searching for items to extract with to improve your talent trees and to sell to customers, although there’s a story, I just really enjoyed the shooting and bartering system in the game.

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