Steam Next Fest has at least 42 VR demos to try before October 26
Steam Next Fest runs until October 26, and at least 42 unreleased VR games have a free demo in it. Valve has not published a list of VR entries, so we went through the store pages ourselves on October 19.
A screenshot from Pool of Madness on its own Steam store page. The game is tagged VR Supported and its demo listing carries no VR category. Image: Bit Golem
We checked 428 listings, every upcoming VR game on Steam plus the 300 newest VR demos, and counted the games that carry the Next Fest banner and offer a demo. Developers can add demos during the week, so the real number may grow.
Ten have a release date
Ten of the 42 have a firm release day. First is Cloud JourneyVR on October 27, the day after the fest ends, followed by MOLY on November 1; Dance of Drauganna, Saddlebow and Wurst and Glory on November 2; STUFFED: Two Foot Hero and Undead Development 2 on November 3; PAYDAY: Aces High on November 5; Gas N Cars on November 11; and Pool of Madness on November 13.
A screenshot from Sol Protocol on its own Steam store page, one of the four fest demos listed on October 19 itself. Image: Singular Perception
The rest say "Q4 2026", "November 2026" or just "Coming soon". That is still a better rate than Steam's upcoming VR games overall, where 13 of 118 had a release day within a month when we counted on October 3.
Four demos went live on the opening day: ASMBL, Archery Pro with James Jean Trickshots, PAYDAY: Aces High and Sol Protocol. Three of the full games, MOLY, Atlas Proxima: Tether and Ancient Duel, will be free.
A screenshot from Wurst and Glory on its own Steam store page, which shares its November 2 date with two other fest entries. Image: Yaga Studio
Five games send mixed signals about VR
Steam's VR filters rely on store tags, and five entries are tagged inconsistently. Pool of Madness is tagged VR Supported, but its demo has no VR tag. CRASHLAND, Doodle Figure, Gas N Cars and RAID VR are the reverse: their demos are tagged for VR, but the games are not.
A screenshot from Outlanders VR on its own Steam store page, whose demo was listed on October 16 and whose release field reads “Coming soon”. Image: Mucho Games
Headset owners browsing by tag could miss these, and a tag alone does not prove a demo runs in a headset, so check each store page before you download.
