.png)
.png)
2 hours ago
1
Published Feb 24, 2026, 1:36 PM EST
Daniel has been playing games for entirely too many years, with his Steam library currently numbering nearly 750 games and counting. When he's not working or watching anime, he's either playing or thinking about games, constantly on the lookout for fascinating new gameplay styles and stories to experience. Daniel has previously written lists for TheGamer, as well as guides for GamerJournalist, and he currently covers tech topics on SlashGear.
Sign in to your DualShockers account
It’s a new year, and we’ve officially made it past the January gaming drought. The indie sector is rife with possibilities for new and interesting games, some with wholly unique concepts, and others putting wild spins on familiar genres. It can be hard to keep all of it squared in your head with just a release calendar and a wishlist, but that’s why I’m thankful for the recurring Steam Next Fest, a showcase of demos for games releasing in the short- and long-term.
Related
Besides being a fun way to kill a few hours, trying out Next Fest Demos gives you a sense of the direction the industry is branching out into, as well as helps you start mapping out a calendar of releases to keep on your radar. Obviously, we can’t know for certain whether any of these games will be the new hotness until they actually come out, but for the time being, these are the demos I found most interesting during Steam Next Fest of February 2026.
10 Scott Pilgrim EX
Let Those Sparks Fly
The tie-in game for the film adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is still fondly regarded as a hidden gem amongst side-scrolling beat ‘em ups. With Scott Pilgrim back in the limelight following the success of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, it’s the perfect time to hit the streets of Toronto once again in Scott Pilgrim EX.
This new sidescrolling brawler adventure sees Scott, Ramona, and some less-likely allies like Roxy and Lucas Lee, journeying across a dimensionally-fragmented Toronto to rescue the members of Sex Bob-Omb from mysterious invaders. Based on some context clues, I’m assuming this takes place after Takes Off, but you probably don’t need to have seen that to enjoy this.
With a large, open map and various pathways to uncover, you (and up to three friends locally or online) can brawl your way through locales both new and iconic, gradually building up your character’s stats and equipping newer and better items. Just an FYI, Anamanaguchi is back to provide another excellent chiptune soundtrack, which you’ll get to appreciate when Scott Pilgrim EX launches on March 3, 2026.
9 People of Note
Show ‘em Your Range
|
Iridium Studios |
|
PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
|
April 2026 |
I’ve been hankering lately for a good party-based JRPG, something with a distinct, colorful conceptual hook that I can hyperfixate on for a while. Well, you know what always gets me interested? Worlds powered entirely by music, such as the setting of People of Note.
People of Note is a traditional JRPG adventure, following would-be pop songstress Cadence as she travels the world and recruits musicians from different genres to create a truly unique sound, and maybe save the world while she’s at it. People of Note puts a lot into its presentation, not only establishing various cities and societies centered on different musical genres, but even throwing in elaborate musical sequences to drive things home.
Combat is turn-based, but with a twist: the genre of the backing track is constantly shifting, and using a party member who matches that genre will empower their abilities while the others run support. It’s a system all about planning ahead and making the most out of each band member’s unique talents. You can get up on stage when People of Note launches on April 7, 2026.
8 Bobo Bay
Fine, Sega, We’ll Do it Ourselves
|
NewFutureKids |
|
PC |
|
April 2026 |
It is sincerely baffling that Sega has never bothered to make a standalone Chao Garden game. They know we want it, they regularly make art, animations, and merch depicting Chaos, but we just can’t seem to take that final, vital step. As often happens these days, one indie dev got tired of waiting, and decided to just make the game themselves, resulting in Bobo Bay.
Bobo Bay is, in the simplest terms, a copyright-safe standalone version of the Chao Garden from Sonic Adventure 2. You start a home on a little island crawling with adorable little critters called Bobos, which you can adopt, raise up, breed, and enter into races and martial arts competitions.
As you raise your Bobos, and they succeed in competitions, you’ll earn money that can be funneled back into the island’s town, unlocking new shops and utilities. You can also take your personal jetski out into the bay and explore local islands for additional resources. Bobo Bay will be eating Sega’s long-unattended lunch when it launches on April 29, 2026.
7 Forbidden Solitaire
Like Regular Solitaire, But Evil
|
Grey Alien Games, Night Signal Entertainment |
|
PC |
|
2026 |
I know Solitaire is often considered the “default” PC game, but I don’t think I booted it up once until I was already well into young adulthood, never hearing the distinctive ASMR appeal of its little clicking sounds. Perhaps what I needed was a hook, an impetus to play Solitaire beyond just killing time with cards. Perhaps what I needed was Forbidden Solitaire.
Forbidden Solitaire is a horror card game in which you traverse a demented dungeon filled with vicious monsters with the power of counting cards forward and backward. As you progress, you’ll unlock various upgrades and Joker cards that increase the damage your Solitaire stacks deal and improve your ability to find solutions.
The game also has a meta story in which you, the player, are playing “Forbidden Solitaire” after finding its CD in a thrift store, gradually uncovering the dark secrets behind its development and release. Forbidden Solitaire comes to us from the same developers as Home Safety Hotline, so you know we’re in for some classic looming horror when it releases in Q1 2026.
Kickin’ It Aussie Style
|
Powerbomb Games, Tinker Town |
|
PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch |
|
2026 |
Something I just recently learned is that when you talk about “footy” in Australia, rather than soccer, it’s referring to a completely different rugby-like sport. It’s aggressive, speedy, and high-impact, all the ingredients that would make for a perfect arcade-style sports game. That’s exactly what we’re getting from Pro Jank Footy.
Pro Jank Footy is an NBA Jam-like competitive sports game. Two players control two teams of players, passing the ball around, tackling each other, and trying to kick it into the opposing goal. The game has a normal mode where that’s all there is to it, but the real draw is the jank mode; in this mode, every time a team scores a goal, the opposing team gets to pick a power-up card that adds wacky modifiers to the game, such as making players gigantic or summoning dive-bombing seagulls.
It is both a lot of fun and exceptionally silly, bolstered by live commentary from Aunty Donna's Broden Kelly, and would make a great addition to your couch multiplayer lineup. Get ready to kick that thing when Pro Jank Footy launches in 2026.
5 Denshattack!
Trains Without Limits
There’s something inherently awesome about using a train in ways that it’s not supposed to be used. I think that’s why the idea of flying trains is cool, for example. It doesn’t need to fly, though; just jumping the tracks and doing sick Tony Hawk stunts works just as well, as you get to do in Denshattack!
Denshattack is a trick racing game in which you take control of a single railcar on a massive, dystopian rail line, challenging other railway riders in skills of speed, technique, and survival. From the moment you take off from the station, the game has a breakneck pace, teaching you to power-slide through corners and jump the tracks to do sick flip tricks. The tracks are dotted with optional objectives, and completing all of them with a strong time gets you the highest scores.
The game has an anime-esque color palette and some seriously awesome music, with the whole experience feeling reminiscent of Dreamcast games like Jet Set Radio. Our own Ethan Krieger got to try this demo before it was publicly available, and had nothing but glowing praise for it. You’ll get to ride the rails yourself when Denshattack launches in 2026.
4 The Witch’s Bakery
There’s No Vibes like Parisian Bakery Vibes
I love the vibe of a small bakery; warm pastries on the counter, dough rising in the back, a little magical shapeshifter off in the corner- well, maybe not that last one, at least not in a typical bakery. We’re not talking about a typical bakery, though, we’re talking about The Witch’s Bakery.
This cozy adventure followers Lunne, a fledgling witch who decides to open her own bakery on the bustling streets of Paris. During the day, you’ll make and bake dough into various tasty treats for hungry Parisians, and in the evening, you can explore the city, uncover the many magical secrets hiding in the alleyways, meet the neighbors, and help them through some personal issues with a little enchanted assistance.
The Witch’s Bakery is shaping up to be an archetypal cozy game, not just full of those immaculate French bakery vibes, but some good feelings for those who like a bit of emotional catharsis with their baguettes. Enjoy The Witch’s Bakery with a side of jam when the game launches in 2026.
3 Inkonbini: One Store, Many Stories
The People You Meet in Retail
inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories
Speaking of immaculate vibes, there’s something to be said about the vibes of your favorite convenience store late at night, with nobody there but you and a sleepy cashier. It’s the kind of quiet space where you might just learn a little something about yourself, whether you’re a customer or, in the case of Inkonbini, the cashier.
Inkonbini follows Makoto, a young lady working the late shift at a small-town convenience store in Japan in the early 90s. It’s a quiet little existence; you stock products, make sure the day shifters didn’t shelve anything wrong, and occasionally lend an ear to the locals when they come for their nightly snacks and shopping.
Depending on how you interact with shoppers, including answering their questions and helping them find the right products, the story will unfold in slightly different ways, gradually illuminating the state of this quiet corner of the neighborhood. Inkonbini doesn’t have a release date yet, but that just means more time to browse the snack shelves.
2 The Eternal Life of Goldman
Scrooge McDuck Would be Proud
The Eternal Life of Goldman
We don’t get a lot of games with elderly protagonists, likely for the obvious reason that an older person wouldn’t be very mobile. There are always exceptions to the rule, though; all it takes is the right piece of equipment, such as a modular cane, and the titular hero of The Eternal Life of Goldman can leap to new heights.
Set in a world inspired by ancient myth and folktale, this game follows Goldman as he journeys across an enchanted archipelago in search of a monstrous deity to vanquish. Goldman’s chief tool and weapon is his cane, which can be modified with various parts to unlock new functions. These parts can be quickly swapped on the fly, which is good, because this is a precision platformer requiring snap reactions not to fall to your death.
Of course, the most noteworthy thing about this game is its incredible visual presentation, featuring extremely elaborate hand-drawn character and background animation, the likes of which I haven’t seen since Cuphead. The Eternal Life of Goldman doesn’t have a release date yet, but they’ve already been working on this one for a good few years, so what’s a little longer?
1 Future Knight
An LCD Game That’s Actually a Game
|
Studio Koba, Aeternum Game Studios |
|
PC |
|
TBA |
Everyone remembers those crummy LCD games they sold in toy stores, with “animation” limited to the little light-up drawings dotted along the screen. What if you could play one of those, but instead of a dumb toy that’s interesting for maybe five minutes, it’s an actual, full-scale action-adventure? Well, then you’d have Future Knight.
This distinctly off-kilter side-scrolling shoot ‘em up is about a Terminator-esque cyborg hero and his partner, an oversized living tumor, traveling back in time to kill a cult leader before she can brainwash all of humanity. All of this is depicted in the form of a LCD game, with characters and environments displayed as static art in the background before springing to life to attack.
Gameplay-wise, Future Knight is similar to games like Contra, having you gun down any enemies that appear to menace you. When the path is too narrow for Future Knight, eject Two More the tumor from his abdomen to sneak through small cracks, then summon Future Knight back to unleash hell. No release date on this one yet, but it’s bizarre enough that I’m content to let them cook.
Next
50 Best Indie Games of All Time
Forget blockbuster AAA games! We want some plucky little indies!
![ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN: Deluxe Edition [FitGirl Repack]](https://i5.imageban.ru/out/2025/05/30/c2e3dcd3fc13fa43f3e4306eeea33a6f.jpg)
English (US) ·