Steam Next Fest - February 2025 is live with tons of demos

Valve has launched Steam Next Fest, another good opportunity for you to jump in and test some upcoming games that runs through until March 3rd. You'll be able to download demos, watch developer livestreams and more.

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Thanks to Valve's Proton, most of the demos should run on Linux without you even needing to check. Unless they have some kernel-level anti-cheat forced on them or other strange Windows behaviour not implemented in Proton yet.

Personally, I was quite excited for Mecha BREAK but the anti-cheat is problematic with how it blocks Desktop Linux. Although it does allow people to play on Steam Deck. RoadCraft is another I was excited about but it's sadly broken across Steam Deck and Desktop Linux.

Another I checked out early was Spray Paint Simulator. It's like the direct opposite of PowerWash Simulator and worked perfectly with the latest Proton 9.0-4. Instead of cleaning up you're preparing with tape and papering over things you don't want painted, to then make a big mess everywhere. Something about it is just incredibly therapeutic and I want more of it — a lot more.

Pictured - Spray Paint Simulator on Linux

At the complete opposite end of the genre spectrum is The First Berserker, a hardcore action RPG souls-like. It's a lot more demanding of your attention and the demo runs beautifully too. So much so that it's gained a Very Positive user rating on Steam. This is not usually a genre I would go for but the visuals and the world really do look great, and it's impressive from a performance look as well with it being silky smooth. Definitely worth a shot if you're in the mood for some sword swinging with good visuals.

Pictured - The First Berserker on Linux

Another shout out for Adventures of a Cat in Space (Native Linux) because it's really sweet. If you love point and click adventures, it's one for you. Just don't blame me if the theme song gets stuck in your head. It randomly pops into mine at least once a day since testing out the demo previously.

Pictured - Adventures of a Cat in Space (from the Steam page)

Being a big fan of the original extreme sports game Descenders, I think Descenders Next could turn out to be another great one. This time with the addition of a few different board sports in addition to bikes, it's a whole lot bigger and better. So far it runs great on Linux too (and they just announced a release date with it getting Steam Deck Verified). They need to fix the demo launch options right now though.

Pictured - Descenders Next on Linux

Another pick for those who like things a bit more chill is Mudborne: Frog Management Sim (Native Linux). A game about running around capturing and breeding frogs. From the developer of beekeeping sim APICO, this is high up on my list of wants.

Pictured - Mudborne: Frog Management Sim on Linux

I personally find these big events more than a little overwhelming. I fear I'm missing out on so much because masses of developers choose to only have their demos up for such a limited amount of time. I'll continue highlighting games and demos during the event, just like I do every day if there's some I spot that are particularly interesting. Check out the Demo article tag for any previous and future coverage.

Be sure to also join us on Discord to easily share more games you find.

Check out Steam Next Fest. The event runs through until March 3rd.