New year, new games! With hundreds of game demos waiting to be discovered and played, you can expect your wishlist to grow as the first Steam Next Fest of 2025 is upon us. To make your lives a little easier, we’ve taken the liberty of curating a list of indie games releasing this year and beyond that won us over and deserve your attention.
Is This Seat Taken? – Poti Poti Studio
In the era of cozy games, Is This Seat Taken? might easily be the most unique and charming puzzle game I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. You play as a matchmaker and help adorable characters find the right seat based on their likes, dislikes, and preferences. The game boasts various levels, environments, and challenges to keep the players engaged while also allowing them to relax and advance at their own pace. The demo smartly shows off its gameplay with six different levels along with a warm pastel-like art style, making me eagerly await the game’s release date.
Best Served Cold – Rogueside
What surprised me the most about Best Served Cold is how invested I got in its characters and their stories in such a short time. As a bartender at the Nightcap, solve crimes and uncover mysteries while mixing cocktails and striking conversations with your customers — who also might be criminals. It’s not as easy as it sounds as every interaction matters and it’s up to the cheeky bartender to keep his customers in a good mood so they talk and provide crucial information. The mini game of mixing cocktails adds another layer of challenge to this already complex visual novel that kept me glued to my screen.
Duck Detective: The Ghost of Gampling – Happy Broccoli Games
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami was one of the breakout indie titles from last year. So, it was a no-brainer to continue the Duck Detective series with its sequel, The Ghost of Gampling, which is just as hilarious and joyful as the first one. With the return of Duck Detective and familiar faces from the first game, players will also get to meet new characters and tackle a new mystery. As far as the gameplay goes, the sequel retains most of the same mechanics, including the “quack” button because why fix perfection?
Arctic Awakening – GoldFire Studios
I got to play the demo of Arctic Awakening early and what mesmerized me the most was exploring the beautiful yet vast Alaskan wilderness with just a compass to guide me. You play as Kai, a pilot who crash lands in the middle of nowhere when a routine supply drop goes awry. Separated from his co-pilot Donovan, Kai is stuck with his court mandated therapy bot, Alfie, whose witty humor is infectious. Arctic Awakening’s story has a big mystery to it that leaves you curious with anticipation.
Spray Paint Simulator – North Star Video Games
As a PowerWash Simulator veteran, Spray Paint Simulator’s demo hit all the right notes for me. Painting kitchen cabinets or a sports car with vibrant colors is as therapeutic as it gets. My favorite detail from the demo was the preparation process before starting to paint, where you mask your surroundings with paper and tape. Additionally, the game offers a career mode and a free spray mode so you can paint to your heart’s content. I just know I am going to be spending an ungodly amount of hours painting away when this indie game officially launches.
Static Dread – solarsuit.games
Static Dread is like if Five Nights At Freddy’s met Lovecraftian horror. Because of a mysterious, unexplained phenomenon affecting the harbor, a new lighthouse keeper is appointed to help guide the ships through his radio. But there’s something sinister lurking in the shadows, and, as the lighthouse keeper, the player’s sole responsibility is to keep the lights running come what may. Getting through each night was terrifying and anxiety-inducing as the game relies on a fear of the dark, which works incredibly well in its first-person setting.
WRYMHALL: Brush and Banter – Leafy Games
Brush and Banter is a first-person comedy and cozy game that takes place in Wrymhall where all kinds of beings stop by your kiosk to get their artifact cleaned. You play as a goblin who takes up the job to temporarily run a cleaning business as the original owner is on a vacation. The gameplay is relaxing and easy to follow but what stands out are the hilarious dialogues and interactions. It gave me D&D vibes, especially with the goofy and weird character designs that brought a smile to my face.
Koira – Studio Tolima
If an indie game has a puppy and lots of wholesomeness, it automatically goes onto my wishlist and Koira is no exception. It’s one of those games that purely speaks through the beauty of artistic expression. Solve puzzles, protect your newfound canine best friend, and survive a difficult journey together. The demo was longer than expected and, by the end of it, I really felt an attachment towards both the characters.
Wheel World – Messhof
I’m gonna be real, cycling games aren’t usually my thing. But Wheel World‘s (formerly Ghost Bike) stunning art style is what enticed me to try out the demo for Wheel World and I am so glad I did. As Kat, you are chosen by the cycling spirits to fulfill the mission of saving Wheel World from destruction. Taking on this journey, you get to meet and race other elite cyclist teams, build your reputation, explore, and customize your bike. The cycling mechanic is very satisfying that I just wanted to explore for hours in this limited demo. By the end, I realized maybe I don’t mind cycling games, after all.
Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days – PikPok
The biggest surprise to come out of this Steam Next Fest for me is the side-scrolling zombie game Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days. You can select which pair of survivors you want to play as and each of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. The main goal in Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days is to survive by going on scavenger hunts for resources and keep your shelter and survivors protected. The demo shows this game is by no means merciful as I found my survivors dying in different ways due to minor negligence. For a side-scroller, the visuals and lighting are utterly gorgeous, further elevating its immersive world.
Despelote – Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena
Playing as eight year old Julián, the rules of soccer in the streets of Quito, Ecuador, doesn’t matter because life is all about being carefree and having fun. The slice-of-life Despelote takes place in the year 2001 where soccer is a symbol of unity. At its core, you can witness that Despelote is a passion project from the developers where they want to share their love for the simple things in life and the joy of playing a sport in their childhood. I don’t think I have felt this satisfied while dribbling the ball around in a video game.
Lost in Random: The Eternal Die – Stormteller Games
Lost in Random: The Eternal Die blends roguelike with gothic fantasy, and it might end up becoming my next big obsession. Queen Aleksandra and her adorable die-companion Fortune end up getting trapped in the dark and twisted realm of the Black Die where death isn’t permanent and escape isn’t easy. Spinning off from 2021’s Lost in Random, The game brings in standard roguelike gameplay but incorporates a dice mechanic that makes each run feel more unique and tactical. I found myself exploring different playstyles in the demo and I can only imagine the many possibilities the full game will offer.
Twisted Tower – Atmos Games, LLC
If there is one game that left me confused but made me stay strictly for its vibes and aesthetics, it would be Twisted Tower. You play as Tiny, who gets an invite challenging him to reach the top of Twisted Tower, an abandoned 1950s theme park, where a prize awaits him. At first glance, the theme park feels normal but the more you advance, the more you come across creepy enemies and changing environments. You can unlock new weapons and upgrade them fairly easily as you make your way floor by floor. Even though the demo kept me on the edge of my seat, I adored fighting masked enemies that uncannily resembled twisted versions of Disney characters.
Once Upon A Puppet – Flatter Than Earth
Once Upon A Puppet is the kind of game that makes you wish you could experience it as a kid. It’s a puzzle platformer that follows a puppet, Drev, and a stagehand, Nieve, who are magically bound together by the threads of fate. As they journey through the world of theater, one can clearly see the inspiration of classic fairy tales reflected in this established setting. The art style is perhaps my most favorite part of the game along with the budding friendship of Drev and Nieve.
Blueberry – MELLOW Games
Ending this list with an indie game that touched my heart in more ways than one, Blueberry is a narrative-driven, choice-based puzzle platformer that explores generational trauma within a woman’s mind. The demo included two stages of life, childhood and teenage years, and every moment resonated with me because of how relatable the game feels on a personal level. You collect and combine puzzle pieces as the story progresses while also selecting dialogue and decisions during certain situations to affect the story. I absolutely loved what little I got to play and can’t wait to experience the rest when the game fully launches.
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