3 Games I Wishlisted Immediately After Steam Next Fest
As someone who's gotten a taste of demoing games at events like PAX and E3 (RIP), Steam Next Fest has quietly become the best alternative if you can't attend those events in person. You can play as many demos for upcoming games both big and small without any of the lines or BO that plague the convention floor. I almost always leave these events with more games to add to my wishlist and this time was no different. Here are three games I'm excited for now after Steam Next Fest February 2026. In some cases, these demos may still be available to download, so check them out if any of them catch your eye:
Far Far West – (Evil Raptor/Fireshrine Games)
If your For You page is anything like mine, you've seen plenty of streamers playing this game during the open playtest, so I was primed to give this a try during Next Fest. After a few rounds, I think this has potential to be a similar viral hit to other games that have infected my FYP over the years.
For those who aren't as addicted to scrolling as me, Far Far West is a co-op extraction shooter that closely resembles Helldivers 2's general setup and mission structure. You and up to three other players drop into a series of missions with a variety of objectives that require teamwork and coordination to complete. In your way stand legions of undead soldiers that you shoot down with a mixture of Wild West-inspired weaponry and supernatural abilities.
Each round plays out in as similarly thrilling and bombastic fashion as Helldivers' missions do. While I think the hit feedback could be improved so that blasting through the game's enemies feels better, the swappable player abilities allow for a flexible and classless combat system from the start. That, plus there's a great variety of in-mission activities and fearsome bosses that give the team a great foundation to expand on with future updates. Progression in between missions looks to be just as compelling with a blueprint system that allows you to effectively spec your character by controlling what upgrades and rewards you get during missions.
It all adds up to something that looks great visually and has enough gameplay variety to make it worth playing multiple rounds, especially if you have a group of friends to play with. Whether or not mine squad up with me, I'll likely be checking Far Far West out when it releases on PC later this year.
Wardrum – (Mopeful Games/Team17)
Wardrum is further evidence that everything can be turned into a roguelike if it's fun enough, and this one in particular feels right in my wheelhouse. It's got what feels like a perfect mixture of turn based tactics and rhythm gameplay styles, but what really impressed me was how intertwined the two are.
As you would expect in any turn based tactics game, you take turns positioning your units on a map while attacking enemy units. Where Wardrum spices things up, however, is during combat. There are a handful of different unit types with varying strengths and weaknesses whose unique abilities require a variety of different button inputs.
Once you've picked a combat skill and a target, a short note highway appears. Play the notes in sequence and you'll land critical hits and inflict status ailments on your enemies. Miss, and you'll do less damage and set yourself up for a damaging counter attack.
What I found to be most interesting was how different status ailments would impact the rhythm gameplay. For example, when one of my characters was confused, the button inputs during my attacks would change randomly. This means I constantly had to be on my toes and it gave status ailments a more pronounced effect on the gameplay.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Wardrum's demo and I'm excited for the full release later this year. If the progression in between runs is just as satisfying as this unique blend of rhythm and strategy, this is one I could see myself sinking a lot of time into when it eventually releases on PC.
Super Meat Boy 3D (Team Meat, Sluggerfly/Headup)
I still can't believe we're getting what looks like a true, bonafide successor to one of indie gaming's original success stories. That Team Meat has seemingly adapted the tough-as-nails platforming that made the original game so special into 3D has me even more ecstactic. Having played through most of the game's demo during Next Fest, I'm excited to say that Super Meat Boy 3D looks like the followup we always deserved.
It's hard to describe Super Meat Boy 3D as anything other than...Super Meat Boy, in 3D, but that's exactly what you should expect here. Unreal Engine 5 facilitates the transition to 3D and the game takes advantage of it with fantastic lighting that shows off a vibrant and colorful art style that still captures the spirit of the original game. And in case you needed reminding in 2026: the platforming in Super Meat Boy is good in a way that holds up today and Team Meat has completely nailed how running and jumping feels in a 3D space, even though you should still expect to die plenty of times here as well.
I'm not sure be able to make it all the way through without completely cramping up my hands (I played mostly on a Steam Deck, which ended up hurting after a while), but I'm thrilled I'll get to play another great Super Meat Boy game on PC, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 later this year.
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