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Valve announced the top 50 most played game demos from Steam Next Fest 2024, and as it turns out this was the biggest Steam Next Fest event Valve has run so far.

In their email Valve mentioned not only did they have more games participating than ever before at over 1,200, but developers will hopefully be happy too since over 3 million wishlist entries were added by players after play-testing various demos which is the most of any Next Fest so far.

To celebrate Valve put up a big list of the top 50 most-played demos during the event which includes:

Dungeonborne
"Dungeonborne is an immersive first-person PvPvE dungeon crawler. Venture solo or join forces with trusted companions to hunt for treasure, explore ominous dungeons, and battle terrifying monsters and cunning adversaries. Escape before succumbing to darkness and greed."

Stormgate
"Stormgate is a next-gen real-time strategy game set in a new science fantasy universe. Command mechs to defend the Earth or invade it as the Infernals. Explore an ever-evolving campaign, group up for 3P co-op vs. AI, compete in 1v1 or 3v3, or get creative in the editor. Welcome to the future of RTS!"

Pacific Drive
"Face the supernatural dangers of the Olympic Exclusion Zone with a car as your only lifeline in this driving survival adventure! Scavenge resources, load up your trusty station wagon, and drive like hell to make it through alive."

Homeworld 3
"Tactical, beautiful, and wholly unique, the GOTY-winning sci-fi RTS returns with Homeworld 3. Assume control and battle through fleet combat in dazzling, fully 3D space while the award-winning story unfolds on a galactic scale."

Backpack Battles
"A PvP inventory management auto battler! Buy and craft powerful items, then carefully arrange them in your backpack."

Dread Dawn
"This is an open-world zombie survival game set in a quarantined city. You play as a student left behind due to missing the evacuation convoy. Together with classmates and other survivors, you must defend the school, survive, and await rescue."

Millennia
"Create your own nation in Millennia, a historical turn-based 4X game that challenges your strategic prowess across 10,000 years of history, from the dawn of humanity to our possible futures."

Balatro
"The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos."

Rotwood
"Rotwood is a 1-4 player hack-and-slash dungeon crawler by the makers of Don't Starve and Mark of the Ninja. Battle corrupted beasts, gather what remains, and forge a safe haven with your friends."

DEVIATOR
"Deviator is a Metroidvania game centered around deflect, featuring exquisite 2D hand-drawn visuals. Exploring unknown wilderness and mysterious cities, delving into enigmatic realms of consciousness and encountering peculiar creatures. Try to find the truth behind this chaotic world."

Steam Next Fest will return in June 2024 but until then there's the Remote Play Together Fest ongoing until February 19.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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8 comments

Great to see Demo culture getting a comeback.
Dungeonborne is currently listed as borked on protondb, btw.
Quoting: SchattenspiegelGreat to see Demo culture getting a comeback

For the first time, I had tried out a lot of demos in this Next Fest and it was great! It really remembered me on my early childhood days in which I tried demos on PS2. That was great days back then.

And also the Steam Next Fest February 2024 was really nice, can't await the Next Fest in June 2024
whizse Feb 14
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Quoting: AndroidNougat7It really remembered me on my early childhood days in which I tried demos on PS2. That was great days back then.
For me it was the demos in the PC Gamer magazine, CD Gamer. My bread and butter during those halcyon childhood years.
Pengling Feb 14
Quoting: SchattenspiegelGreat to see Demo culture getting a comeback.
Quoting: AndroidNougat7It really remembered me on my early childhood days in which I tried demos on PS2.
Quoting: whizseFor me it was the demos in the PC Gamer magazine, CD Gamer. My bread and butter during those halcyon childhood years.
Mine was the Official UK PlayStation Magazine demos The most utterly iconic demo-disc, for me, was the one from issue 17 volume 2, which PS1DemoMuseum has recordings of on YouTube.
Ehvis Feb 14
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Didn't try a lot, but nothing that I didn't know was coming stood out for me. One unfortunate find was that Escape Simulator VR is XR based and won't work.
redneckdrow Feb 14
New dungeon crawler, where do I sign?!
Anza Feb 14
Quoting: EhvisDidn't try a lot, but nothing that I didn't know was coming stood out for me. One unfortunate find was that Escape Simulator VR is XR based and won't work.

Works for me. Though I did at some point fiddle with OpenXR settings with SteamVR beta.
anewson Feb 17
some notes on the mentioned games that I tried:

- Homeworld 3 multiplayer doesn't work on linux; same issue as HW remastered with instant desyncs.
- Rotwood is awesome, it's a Klei roguelike and it's going to be an absolute banger.
- Stormgate: works great! the return of the classic RTS genre? :O
- Backpack Battles: Great addictive game. Similar primary mechanic to Backpack Hero; both games are on itch with working demos.
- Dread Dawn: trash. Constant crashes, terrible English localization. It looks like "Project Zomboid but action instead of survival" but it's borked on linux and furthermore has terrible UI, dialogue, and plot. The visuals are nice though.
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