Steam Next Fest - February 2025 suggestions

Strap in, it is that time of year again where you can play lots of demos but probably have decision paralysis due to the sheer number. The Steam Next Fest for February 2025 is here and like every SNF, someone might break a hip, invent some weird carbon nano-tube-based blanket, or get a concussion. Two people get that entire joke, I’m one of them. Being serious for a second, I’m once again asking for the love of all that is holy, developers please let the demos stay after the SNF, or Steam make these things two weeks long.

I think the first demo to highlight is something that’s a bit old but now with a fresh coat of paint: Streetdog BMX. Much like your THUGs and THPS, there were other extreme sports titles such as the PS2 title next to me, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2. Basically, Pro Skater but on a bike, Streetdog BMX looks to be another one of those indie titles that goes back to when games were brighter, more colorful, more interesting, and less annoying. This is one that’s already had a demo available for a short while, but it is worth the highlight for being so niche.

Sticking with the niche, there is a “narrative puzzle-thriller” that is also launching later in March that has the stippling art style of classic comic books. YOUR HOUSE (as it is stylized), is the next game from the people at PATRONES & ESCONDITES, who also made DELETE AFTER READING and UNMEMORY. Don’t worry, the font in the game is less like your gran’s texts about the Wifi password. A little dark and mysterious in places, from its trailer and screenshots I’m getting a very Gone Home vibe, but different.

Set to release on PC and mobile on March 27th, you can check out the first chapter of YOUR HOUSE now.

Sticking with the demos ahead of a very near release date, Grimoire Groves is a Rogue-like/lite dungeon crawler… but cozy? With color that is the answer to “What would happen if a bunch of Copics exploded?” Grimoire Groves has you playing as Primrose, a plucky young adventurer who discovers the Groves and other areas surrounding it are no longer teeming with plant life. You know how this rigmarole works now, everything is a Rogue-like/lite, so you’ll grow stronger over the course of multiple runs to restore the surrounding areas of Primrose’s home to lush glory. Grimoire Groves releases March 4th.

Next is one we’ve seen a bit of before in faux-E3 showcases, and might surprise someone given my disillusion with survival-crafting titles, Solarpunk. Despite the press release gaslighting me saying it was revealed in 2024, we saw Solarpunk back at the 2023 Wholesome Direct. Ahh, happier times. Basically, everything the genre is known for, you arrive on a floating archipelago, you build, craft, grow, and survive. The twist this time is that you do so with an eco-centric mechanical mindset. There is still no release date, but a 2025 window is promising.

If you want a bit more of a blend of Factorio, RPG Maker, and classic JRPG styles, you might want to check out Youle Fun (it’s the best translation I have) and 2P Games’ Faun Town. Not only is the demo available now, but it will be released fully onto Steam on March 13th. You know how this RPG mess goes though: You wake up somewhere nice, you have no memories, the old man at the bar with the big mustache grunts at you, the colorful-haired woman is nice to you, and you fight god, capitalism, or Nyarlathotep. Just this time you’re also farming and creating the means of production.

If you’re looking for something a bit more side-on but still crafting, there is a demo for RedSaw Games Studio’s Doloc Town. According to the press release: “Navigate through lush forests, treacherous wetlands, and ancient ruins. Manage your resources, cultivate crops under the threat of acid rain, and uncover the land’s forgotten stories,” across the two-hour-long demo available now. Again, I’m a whore for art styles and I genuinely can’t pinpoint why this crisp, I want to say 32-bit platformer style works. A bit chibi, but still appealing without looking like you’ll be put on a list.

Moving away from the art styles and more to the gameplay focus, Brazillian studio QUByte Interactive’s next game Extinction Rifts is set to release later this year. Ahead of that though, the first-person “boomer shooter,” “arena shooter,” or I’ll even accept Doom/Quake-clone looks… interesting might be the wrong word. A bit less serious (not in the Gen-Z way) than other boomer shooters we’ve got going on, Extinction Rifts has you saving the world with a Nintendo Power Glove against the mighty morphin’ robot genocide. Need I say more?

For those freaks who enjoy strategic management/city builder games, there is Wizdom Academy. Hi, I’m the freak, it’s me. Pumbaa can keep his warts because no one needs that woman around, but you can create your school of wizardry, even ahead of Witchbrook‘s release. Though the demo is available now, you won’t have to wait too long for Wizdom Academy‘s early access release either. Kipwak Studio’s title is set to come out on April 17th, 2025. Manage, build, and bully that one kid who’s annoying you, what being a wizard-teacher is all about.

The “It’s just a prank bro” meme audience isn’t getting their fill, so let’s point out Blast Furnace Games’ slapstick party game, A Gentlemen’s Dispute. Wear top hats of every color and hit each other with baseball bats – a real gentleman would use a cricket bat (then kiss his boyfriend) -, use flamethrowers, and all sorts of assorted nonsense across several basic locations. This is one you’d have been better hearing about from the likes of Mike.

After recently buying a power washer last week to clear cobwebs from the guttering, I don’t know what sort of vandal I’ll turn into in about 2-3 years after playing Spray Paint Simulator. Set to release later this year, the PowerWash Simulator-like dad game is taking yob-ery to a more productive place. From painting busses, kitchens, and to great big Mecha, you turn your vandalism of writing “C.Y.T.” on walls and breasts on pensioners (another niche joke) into something good.

Hopefully, that’s a little bit of something for everyone. There are millions (and millions!) of demos out there, many of which I already have emails about. So if you find something special, tell us about it! Don’t hoard it.