Steam Next Fest 2026 Demos Impressions

Steam Next Fest 2026 is currently live and it's a wonderful multi-day celebration of games where gamers can download a plethora of demos, watch live streams and check out some unknown games.

For the next few days, I'll be updating this post with impressions of games I've tried out and give you some recommendations.

Scott Pilgrim EX is just as good as Scott Pilgrim vs The World The Game

Scott Pilgrim EX

Developer: Tribute Games

Publisher: Tribute Games

Release Date: March 3, 2026

I'm a huge Scott Pilgrim fan. I own the movie and watch it annually, I own a sealed Switch version of Scott Pilgrim vs The World The Game from Limited Run games and own the digital versions on multiple consoles. When Scott Pilgrim EX was announced, my hat hit the ceiling in excitement!

Scott Pilgrim EX is an action-adventure beat em up like its predecessor. You take control of Scott (or Ramona Flowers, Lucas Lee or Roxy Richter in co-op) with the primary goal of finding the rest of your Sex Bomb-omb band members who were abducted by Metal Scott.

You're dropped into Toronto in 20XX as the city is overrun by three distinct gangs: the vegans, the demons and the robots armed with the ability to punch, kick and throw things as you try to find your bandmates so you can play the big show tonight.

If you've played Scott Pilgrim vs The World The Game then you'll very quickly get acclimated to the controls. Much like other games in Tribute Games library (like the incredible Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder's Revenge), the combat is fast, fluid and easy to understand. I played on controller and everything was a delightful button mash as I tossed robot and demon alike to the side.

The visuals are great. Sprites are incredibly fluid, the scenery is colorful and the game looks exactly how you'd expect a Scott Pilgrim game to look. Another standout is the music. Anamanaguchi returns on this soundtrack and I'm excited to fall in love with some tracks like I did with the first game. Some of the tunes I've already heard throughout the demo have that distinct Anamanaguchi sound and I'm looking forward to more!

Impressions: Wishlisted on Steam, Potential Day 1 purchase

A cozy, narrative driven visual novel where you learn from all walks of life!

Coffee Talk Tokyo

Developer: Chorus Worldwide Games, Toge Productions

Publisher: Chorus Worldwide Games

Release Date: May 21, 2026

Anyone who has paid attention to Three Dads and a Console knows my love for the Coffee Talk franchise. I was absolutely in love with this narrative driven, cozy visual novels where you take the role of a late night barista in your own coffee shop.

While the first two games were located in Seattle, Coffee Talk Tokyo takes place in a modernized-fantasy version of Tokyo. You'll come across faces new and old, and you'll brew them late night drinks as you learn more about their stories. If you're a fan of the Coffee Talk series, this will feel extremely familiar and warm.

In the demo you start by meeting Vin, your...robotic?...assistant who seems sweet, but is clearly struggling with something from her past that you'll learn more about. Hendry, Rachel's father from Coffee Talk Episode 2 shows up to meet with a musician, Jun, who is having issues with his new album and struggling to deal with his fans hating it.

The music is top notch as Andrew Jeremy has created some more lovely lo-fi tracks you'd expect to hear in a late night coffee shop.

Chorus and Toge continue to do the Coffee Talk franchise justice, creating enriching narrative driven story telling behind the premise of pouring hot (and now iced) drinks and lending a friendly ear to every walk of life.

This game will be such a cozy Steam Deck game like the first two.

Impressions: Wishlisted on Steam, Definite Day 1 purchase

Pirate themed survival game

Windrose

Developer: Windrose Crew

Publisher: Windrose Crew

Release Date: "Coming Soon"

I have a love/hate relationship with survival games. Some of them (Grounded, Enshrouded) I absolutely love and some of them (Rust) I absolutely loathe. There are elements of Windrose that I absolutely love and there are some that are extremely frustrating. I absolutely love the setting of this game. You're a well known pirate captain who suddenly has their ship attacked and wind up on a deserted island trying to survive, craft and rebuild your ship. The introduction and tutorial is very good and teaches you the basic mechanics of combat.

Combat is fine. Enemies have tells when they're about to strike, so you can't hack and slash your way through baddies and expect to live. One thing I found frustrating is that you can't cancel your strikes once you begin the input. This tends to slow hand to hand combat down as you learn your enemy patterns, but once you're ganged up on, I found myself retreating to reposition and attack once more. This, however, also makes sense as you're washed up on a beach with just your bearing, a half broken sword and an empty gun.

If base building is your jam, Windrose has the ability to build bases. I really, really enjoy base building when the mechanics are tight with games like Grounded and Enshrouded being examples. Windrose has some wonderfully tight mechanics. Pieces snap well to one another unlike the Fallout series and there are a variety of walls and roofs to bring a diverse build to your remote island.

Out of all the demos I've played, this is the one I've spent the most time with. I'm still unsure about my feelings with this game. There are some really good aspects of it and some really poor ones, like where to find clay. Part of the tutorial is to teach you how to smelt ore into bars, but to build your kiln, you need to find clay. Your journal doesn't give you hints on where to find play, you just need to wander throughout the world and find it. Personally, I find these types of things frustrating. Give me a hint so I have a chance.

Impressions: Wishlisted on Steam, "Wait and See"

Cute roguelike

Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike

Developer: Doraccoon

Publisher: Playstack

Release Date: March 31, 2026

Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike is a charming game made by three people where you are playing a coin pusher machine. Essentially, you're spitting out coins at the top of the pusher with the goal of pushing coins into your bin, collecting your desired amount and moving onto the next stage.

Much like Balatro, another Playstack hit, Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike is a deckbuilder game. Once you meet your goal in coins pushed down the chute, you receive tickets. You can use those tickets to buy special coins like bomb coin or a mating coin which changes the value if the same type hits it. These allow you to change how you want to attack the coins in front of you.

While I really enjoy Balatro and I am a big fan of roguelikes all together, Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike didn't grab me. In fact, it just made me want to play more Balatro. I appreciate what Doraccoon was trying to do with this game, but I don't think a coin pusher machine is engaging enough for me to continue on.

Impressions: Not for me. Not wishlisted.