How to Make the Most Out of Steam Next Fest — Tips & Tricks

One of Steam's main events — often put in the same ilk as their massive seasonal sales — is the Steam Next Fest. Reminiscing back to the era of demos before purchase, Valve looked at the long-lost tradition of playing games before paying and tried their best to bring it back, all the while mixing in the ever-so-limited marketing spotlight that's available in the industry.

After having spent a fair few Steam Next Fests in my time, as both videogame journalist and gamer, I've accrued a few tips (read: my secret ritual) to make the most out of Steam Next Fest. With the current relevance, I decided it was time to share my knowledge — here are five tips & tricks to get you through any Steam Next Fest!

#1 — Don't Hold Back — Download Everything You Want

Make space in your hard drive... or at this point, buy a whole new one.

This might sound a bit counter-productive in an article titled "How to Make the Most Out of Steam Next Fest", which is just short of saying "take the week off", but there's a real reason for this. Spend a while — maybe even the whole first day! — browsing through your Steam Next Fest front page, downloading the demos that catch your attention: top-trending, your wishlists, things that look mildly interesting.

There's a method to the madness of having a few dozen (or, Gaben forbid, hundreds) demos downloaded. See, even after Next Fest concludes a week after its debut, you might still have access to some of them, as developers like to extend them or sometimes outright neglect removing them.

This should give you the capability to extend Steam Next Fest from one week to eternity. Probably. Depending on how many terabytes you dedicate.

#2 — Narrow it Down

At first... because why be unambitious?

Once you've finished hoarding games like a goblin (we've all been there; there's no shame in admitting it), it's time to start thinking about what you actually want to play. At this point, you may have a lot of things to sift through, but it's a good way to keep yourself organised and ensure that you're finding what you want to play.

You might want to go by gut feeling or things you're most interested in, but at the very least, make sure that you're going through the games that you're most excited about first. Just in case they aren't part of the mythical few that won't leave libraries for years.

#3 — Leave Feedback

Though, make it a bit more constructive than

Steam Next Fest isn't only a "Hey! Check out our game ahead of its release", as it might seem. Sometimes — oftentimes, depending on your choice of games — you can find that developers are actively looking for feedback for their products before they commit to a full release.

It wouldn't be the first time that a game gets delayed due to its Steam Next Fest reception, and even recently, Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault saw a delay as the developers worked on some common feedback. If you're wondering where is the best place to get your voice heard, then the Steam Discussion for any specific game — although a cesspool of Jester farmers — is a great place to start. Oftentimes, developers will be vocal about the best places to leave feedback, too!

#4 — You Don't Have to Commit

Time is money... or in this case, time is more Steam Next Fest demos.

We've all been there: you're playing through your 10th Steam Next Fest demo, and you're starting to realise you kind of got hung up on the sixth, or you barely remember the last eight. Brain fatigue, even with exciting and fun things, is an entirely common and normal phenomenon, so don't forget to do a temperature check — don't let yourself get burnt out while playing demos just because they're free.

It's easy to get roped into the hype of trying to play through as many things as you can, but if you're not feeling a particular game or gaming session, it's okay to take a step back. Whether it's for a few hours, a day, or the whole week — Steam Next Fest will be back, and you don't have to overcommit to any given demo or sessions you might not want.

#5 — The Fun Doesn't Stop at Steam Next Fest

Maybe the real demos are the friends we made along the way—— wait, I said that wrong.

This is a bit more of a general Steam tip than one for Next Fest, but the truth is that demos are a dime a dozen nowadays, and all you have to do is know where to look. We have a weekly series where we cover top demos launching in any given week, and you can find plenty of titles to try out each week if that's what strikes your fancy.

It's not about when Steam Next Fest comes around, but learning how to find Steam Next Fest everywhere you go (poetic, I know). Learn where you can find common demos, like the Free Demos section on the store or seasonal events, either official or third-party. Once you know where to find demos and familiarise yourself with the process, you don't have to wait for one of the three times a year Next Fest comes around.

#6 — Have Fun!

That's all that matters.

That's all that matters.

At the end of it all, Steam Next Fest is all about having fun. Unless it's your job and you're being paid for playing through demos, it's best that you take it like a holiday event that you can enjoy, but not one that's worth burning yourself out for — that's what Christmas with family is for.

Just focus on doing you, and play what feels best for you. There's nothing wrong with doing what you want to do.