There were a lot of fantastic games this Next Fest; so many, in fact, that I couldn’t fit all the ones I wanted to recommend to people into one article, or even two. I already wrote a whole article about my top 15 demos from Next Fest and another about all my favorite art styles from Next Fest, but there were so many left over that I decided to write yet another one all about demos I enjoyed that just didn’t quite make the cut. Here are my honorable mentions from Steam’s June 2026 Next Fest, in no particular order:
Milki Delivery
Milki Delivery is a cozy 2D adventure game where you move to a new town with your pet cow only to find the town is completely rundown and… cowless?! That’s right, now that you’re here there are no cows left to befriend yours. On a journey to find more cows for your lonely heifer, rebuild the town, deliver milk, and make connections with the locals.
The art is cute, the music is cozy, the atmosphere is wholesome, and the gameplay loop is satisfying and addicting. I really loved the simplistic beauty of not only the game, but the themes within it and the way those themes are visually represented. Another wonderful game in the Doot Tiny Games library.
Check out Milki Delivery on Steam
Release Date: 2026
Demo is still LIVE at the time of writing
Capy Castaway
Capy Castaway is a single player or co-op cozy adventure game where you control a little capybara (and a crow) on your journey to help all the local animals after a devastating flood has impacted the island you’re on. With no pressure, no time limits, and a lot of freedom, roam around these small sandbox maps, interact with items, and try to solve puzzles to make the animals around you happy.
I played this demo single player, which meant I was able to control Capy the capybara and Crovi the crow simultaneously. This mechanic is what ultimately sold me on the game and put it up on the honorable mentions list. Being able to control both characters at the same time, each with one of the sticks, was really interesting and I’m hoping that mechanic becomes increasingly more necessary as the game progresses and puzzles become more complicated. I will say, the dual controls didn't work as easily with mouse and keyboard, so small warning that this may be predominantly a controller game.
Check out Capy Castaway on Steam
Release Date: August 6th, 2026
Demo is still LIVE at the time of writing
Neighborhood Video
Neighborhood Video is a slightly spooky mystery game where you play as an investigator posing as the new cashier at a local video rental store. Replacing the previous cashier who mysteriously went missing some time back, look into what happened to her and why this video store is so eerie. While taking place all in one location, the video store, you’ll quickly find the location is packed with puzzles and complexity that will keep you invested for hours. Explore this eerily empty setting, pick up items, interact with them to discover clues, and slowly unravel a mystery while you learn how to close this strange video store.
While some puzzles are a bit of a stretch at present and I was bumping up against some jank, especially with the physics, I still quite enjoyed what I saw of Neighborhood Video and I’m pretty thrilled to get back into it and try my hand at more complex puzzles, especially after my endeavor with Desktop Explorer.
Check out Neighborhood Video on Steam
Release Date: 2026
Demo is still LIVE at the time of writing
Penguin Colony
Penguin Colony is a dizzying experience that I’m not really sure how to describe, and I think that’s wonderful. So often when a cosmic horror game comes out, more specifically an H.P. Lovecraft cosmic horror game, it’s so algorithmic. A beast of some kind haunts a town. A man is driven to investigate. Said man falls too deep into something he couldn’t possibly understand. Horror ensues. The End. But in Penguin Colony the horror is laying in wait. It’s not easy to pinpoint or explain. It is beyond our comprehension, even if the harsh environment isn’t.
You play as a penguin, waddling through the snow. Sometimes you will stumble upon abandoned settlements that seem out of place in this desolate, snowy land. Other times you’ll find abandoned humans; remnants of what you’ll only tangentially discover much later on. You can switch between different penguins in a kind of puzzle-like manner, as some obstacles can only be managed by certain penguins. You can collect records, which confusingly explain the humans’ motivation for being here, or you can simply waddle off in the direction of the light. While mostly uneventful in terms of "scares" or other more bombastic interactions, I found this story to interest me regardless and it has kept me wanting more.
Check out Penguin Colony on Steam
Release Date: 2026
Demo is still LIVE at the time of writing
ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs
ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs is an electronics repair simulator where you are the proud new owner of a mid-2000s repair shop in Tokyo. Help customers repair or replace their old broken items by completely disassembling the item, cleaning the parts, diagnosing the problem, and replacing any broken parts necessary before putting it all back together again and giving it back to the customer. Complete with a computer where you can check emails, order parts, shop online, and get your repair license (among other things).
The character art is cute and all the customers that come up to the window are interesting to talk to and make me want to learn more about them and the town. When the physical customers at your store aren’t enough you can take online orders and send the repaired items back to them via the mail. While taking apart the items and cleaning/repairing them was very satisfying, there were some bugs that caused the experience to be less than ideal. Still, I think this was very unique for a shop simulator and I’m excited to see how development goes for the full release.
Check out ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs on Steam
Release Date: 2026
Demo is still LIVE at the time of writing
Lou’s Lagoon
Lou’s Lagoon is an 3D exploration and crafting adventure game where you explore different islands, craft materials to help rebuild, and fly your uncle’s plane around in the process. After the lagoon was struck with a devastating storm you find the islands in ruins and your uncle Lou missing. As you explore you’ll meet people that need your help, discover resources that allow you to help the people you’ve met on your journey, and learn more about the storm that took your uncle. The more you journey across the lagoon the closer you get to finding your uncle and bringing him home.
The color palette and art direction here are absolutely beautiful and are what drew me to this demo. In addition, I will play any game where you can fly a plane around a cozy island. With that said, there were some moments of frustration with the controls, like the plane being a bit unwieldy and the character movement being a bit unreliable. I also had a moment where the game broke my controller connection while flying, which was too bad as the controller setup was very satisfying otherwise. Hoping for these issues to be ironed out before release because the game was very enjoyable in a lot of moments and I found it to be extremely cute.
Check out Lou’s Lagoon on Steam
Release Date: August 27th, 2026
Demo is still LIVE at the time of writing
Thanks for reading and make sure to add some games to your wishlist! I've got a review coming out soon for Desktop Explorer but I had some questions for the developers that I wanted answered before I wrote it, so stay tuned! In the meantime, check out my other articles and enjoy some demos. Cheers!