Can you tell which of these seemingly identical bits of Steam iconography were generated using AI (trick question, it’s none of them). (credit: Aurich Lawson)

Back in the days when E3 was still a thing, a relative handful of approved journalists and industry members had to pack themselves into the Los Angeles Convention Center once a year to awkwardly stand in front of demo stations to play some of the hottest upcoming games. Today, any PC gamer can easily sample similar early preview demos from the comfort of their own homes during Steam’s periodic Next Fest events.

While we weren’t able to try all of the literally hundreds of demos on offer during the most recent Steam Next Fest, we did have a great time trying out a few dozen offerings that caught our interest. Here’s a selection of the demos that made the biggest impression on us over the last few days.

Backpack Battles

Developer: PlayWithFurcifer
Planned release date: March 8, 2024
Steam store page