Hey you, you’re finally awake! That’s right, it was just yesterday that we were glistening in the glow of Steam Next Fest’s October 2025 feast. It was just yesterday, I swear.
Tomato, potato, what’s a day or 5 months between friends anyway? The Steam Next Fest is back with its February 2026 edition. As per our usual routine, we’ve collated an initial 10 games that we’ve played and think are worth your oh-so-precious minutes of time. From defending goblin treasures in tower defence mayhem, to selling trinkets under the threat of an ethereally intimidating being, before popping wheelies to speed down the motorway in a cyberpunk-themed racer, this Next Fest selection has it all.
We hope you have a spectacular time sampling the delectable delights of yet another Steam Next Fest. Now, onto the games!
The Alighieri Circle: Dante’s Bloodline
How else could I possibly kick off a Steam Next Fest than with a psychological horror? The most fearsome demons are the ones we hold within ourselves. The Alighieri Circle: Dante’s Bloodline follows Gabriele as he ventures into his family’s mansion, opens a portal into The Dive, and starts hearing murmurings from a voice that seems to know much more than he does.
Despite being relatively short, the demo teases some intriguing plot threads, with decent voice acting to boot. It took me longer than I’m willing to admit to hunt down the three obviously placed statues, while the walking simulator gameplay lets the underlying tension shine, rather than gunning for full-blown terror. An interesting opening into hell, which I’m sure will only lead to some horrific and traumatic revelations for Gabriele and the truth of his ancestry.
The Alighieri Circle: Dante’s Bloodline will be passing through the portal of Steam in 2026. It’s being developed by ONE-O-ONE Games and published by Entalto Publishing.
Dice Goblin’s Den
Charming 2D tower defence games just hit different, especially when it’s goblins throwing pickaxes at your noggin. Dice Goblin’s Den switches up the traditional good vs evil schtick by having you protect the demonised goblins against waves upon waves of do-gooder heroes. Set up scaffolds for ranged units, place down your melee “knights” to hold off giants and don’t forget to set your workers to scavenge resources during waves!
There’s something quirky about this tower defence game that just feels homely and welcoming. Maybe it’s the relaxing tune in the background, or watching your wizard fire bolts of elemental magic at the good guys. Am I a bad guy to find that wholesome? Probably. Even so, Dice Goblin’s Den is a solid and hearty strategy game with a lovely pixel-art aesthetic that promises to deliver plenty of fun.
Dice Goblin’s Den will be raiding your PC via Steam on March 9th. It’s being developed and published by babachoo.
Ex Sanguis
From the developers of Othercide comes the turn-based, monochrome, drenched-in-red battles of Ex Sanguis. I breezed through my first encounter, only to get utterly dismantled in my next one. Using traditional movement and ability-based gameplay, with enhanced emphasis on using multiple skills per move, it was an invigorating experience figuring it all out. I did have a rather strange bug where battles would auto-complete for a run, but upon starting anew, this fixed itself.
The challenging combat encounters are matched by a glistening sheen of white-and-black colour palette, which becomes awash with the blood of your foes. Othercide had quite a striking visual style, and Ex Sanguis is no different. There’s a mix of in-run and persistent progression as you attempt to fell the bosses that’ll tear your Stillae limb from bloody limb. All the more reason to keep at it until furious victory is yours.
Ex Sanguis will be carving its way onto Steam at an as-yet unannounced date. It’s being developed by Lightbulb Crew and published by Firesquid.
Fortune Seller
Nothin’ like the smell of fresh coin in the evening after a hard day of bargaining. Just be careful though, as not meeting your quota may lead an ethereal lady to consume your flesh in place of your debt. Yikes. Fortune Seller is basically the Resident Evil 4 inventory management case, but turned into a fully-fledged rogue-lite experience. Sell the trinkets to pay off your debts, use coins to purchase power-up cards and buffs, stave off death until the blood moon. You know, the usual.
This was surprisingly addictive. In my 20 minutes with the demo, I fought with cumbersomely shaped antiques, supercharged my way through two days with customers to spare and ultimately failed to meet even half of the allotted quota required on the final day. A pawn shop master I most certainly am not. Despite that, I had a really good time with Fortune Seller, and I look forward to seeing what the final sale of this game will look like.
Fortune Seller will be bartering its way onto Steam in future, though the release date remains mysterious. It’s being developed and published by Kiwick.
Homura Hime
I can safely say that I don’t have a single clue about what Homura Hime’s story is delivering to my ears and eyes. Something about emotions, exorcisms and… spirits? Whatever is going on, the flashy, over-the-top combat more than makes up for it. Mixing hack-and-slash with bullet-hell mechanics akin to the Nier series is never a bad idea. Throw in the explosive skills and you have a recipe for carnal fun.
As far as anime third-person action games go, Homura Hime is supremely enjoyable. I particularly took a liking to the frame-perfect parry system and mix of light and heavy combos. The traversal probably needs a little smoothing out, but with combat this enthralling, that’s a minor detail. I’ll probably need to work on my mouse and keyboard dexterity though, cause damn are my response times terrible when not on a controller.
Homura Hime will be slashing onto Steam on March 4th. It’s being developed by Crimson Dusk and published by PLAYISM.
Kiipluu
The Neolithic period isn’t typically well-trodden ground in video games, but Kiipluu is aiming to change that. I died on this one, rather a few times. I enjoy a good stealth game, and Kiipluu will put your sneaking skills to the test more than Sam Fisher himself. I dropped rocks on enemies’ heads, pinged a headshot with my bow and carved a Na’ush up with my hatchet. Man was gruesome back in the day, huh?
The plot follows Anku as he attempts to save his tribe from the cannibalistic Na’ush. The game incentivises careful navigation of space, seeking optimal routes and picking foes off one-by-one like a true hunter. Get into a group fight and you’ll be going down like a sack of concrete. It’s tough and harrowing, which feels fitting given the setting and general atmosphere it’s evoking.
Kiipluu will be cutting through the brush at an unknown time in future via Steam. It’s being developed and published by Nieko.
Moto Rush Reborn
I’m not one for racing games, but if every entry into the genre was like Moto Rush Reborn, I’d be a convert. I popped a wheelie to speed up to 292MPH before smashing into a bollard with the ferocity of a bull seeing a red towel. I dashed between civilian cars, police cruisers and road hazards with reckless abandon, all the while pulling off Akira slides left and right. Some games are just a blast to play, and this is one of them.
I only haphazardly surfed these streets for about 15 minutes to its trance-like synth soundtrack and high octane racing, but boy was it an exhilarating quarter of an hour. Beating objectives unlocks the story through a comic strip, with a litany of collectibles to hoover up as well. Moto Rush Reborn is the kind of racing game that makes even non-racing fans love racing. What a thrill.
Moto Rush Reborn will be speeding onto Steam… soon, with no release date yet, sadly. It’s being developed and published by Baltoro Games.
Two Sides of Hell
Does any other combo go together as well as Steam Next Fest and pixel-art 2D side-scrolling shooters? Didn’t think so either. Fast and furious, you’ll be swapping between machine guns, shotguns and laser pistols in double-quick time to slaughter waves upon waves of demonic hordes. Can you survive the onslaught? I unfortunately did not. A Doom Slayer I have yet to become.
Two Sides of Hell is an old-school kind of game, from the gruff commander voice demanding you venture forth, to the fluid and quick-paced controls. Accompany your destructive tendencies with a suitably rock-themed soundtrack and you have yourself a winner. Even though it doesn’t fit my chosen categories of preferred games, Two Sides of Hell is still pretty sick.
Two Sides of Hell will be decimating everything in its path on the way onto Steam in April 2026. It’s being developed by Red Sky Games and published by Stratos Gaming.
Vultures – Scavengers of Death
A Police Station overridden with the undead. A grizzled tough guy armed with nothing but his trusty pistol. A stylised 90s retro survival-horror vibe. You might be thinking this is Resident Evil 2, but you’d be wrong. Vultures – Scavengers of Death clearly takes plenty of inspiration from the survival-horror series we all know and love, but this time, it’s turn-based combat with limited movement and actions. I’m sure that’s scared off more people than the horror, but for me, that’s a Requiem.
After blowing all of my ammo not even realising you can target specific body parts of the zombies, I quickly came to realise that Vultures is a “proper” survival-horror game. Resources are scarce, save points are limited, you’ll die brutally and often, and most importantly, there are locked doors everywhere. The demo mission I played offers a superb first look at what might be an indie survival-horror gem of 2026.
Vultures – Scavengers of Death will be shambling onto Steam at some point in the future. It’s being developed by Team Vultures and published by Firesquid.
Wild West Pioneers
If you’re a cowpoke who likes your city builders laid back and relatively streamlined, Wild West Pioneers will bring a gentle tune to your saloon. Establish your colony and make sure your settlers’ needs are well met. Dispatch your scouts to traverse nearby locations for resources and bring further resource settlements up to speed to boost your fledgling town into a new age. Wild West Pioneers is pretty straightforward and plays akin to a relaxing version of Frostpunk, just with more dust bowls and less child labour.
I spent the best part of half an hour building up my ol’ western, fulfilling my settler’s whims and building one too many saloons. I can certainly see a decent number of people losing large chunks of time raising their colonies. The demo provides a hearty serving of what’s to come, and if you’re into colony sims, you’d do well to keep your revolver clocked onto this one.
Wild West Pioneers will be claiming the frontier of Steam in 2026. It’s being developed by EmpireCraft Studios and published by Toplitz Productions.
That’ll do it for our first foray into Steam Next Fest February 2026. I hope you’ve found a little treat that takes your [French] fancy. As per, there are quite literally (not actually) endless smatterings of awesome indie titles just begging for your time and attention in this year’s iteration. If you spot any that particularly attract the glint in your eye, why not let us know in the comments below, or via X or BlueSky? Even yours truly is on BlueSky now, so there’s really no excuse at all, is there?
At the risk of breaking my own record from previous features, I once again implore you to use this spectacular week-long celebration of games to dish out all the love and positivity to the developers and teams who work so hard to create their art. We all know that the scourge of AI “slop” is making things ever more difficult for small teams and projects to attract awareness, so leave comments, add to your wishlists and spread the word for any gems that inspire your appreciation. It means the world of difference to so many, and that’s what the Next Fest is all about.
I wish you all the best in submerging yourself into the ocean-sized whirlpool of this year’s Steam Next Fest. The rest of the team may well be spotlighting any highlights they come across, so keep your eyes peeled right here for more.
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