How to prepare for Steam Next Fest

Updated · Valve's rules and public benchmarks, each with its source.

Steam Next Fest is the only festival every Steam game can count on, and each game gets one chance. It multiplies the wishlists you already have rather than creating them from nothing. Here are Valve's rules, the deadlines that matter, and what the public data says about doing well.

Steam Next Fest rules

  • Three editions a year: February, June and October.
  • One Next Fest per game, ever. Another edition or version of a game that already took part can't join, nor a prologue of a released game.
  • Your game must not release before the edition ends.
  • You need a public store page, a developer account in good standing, a playable demo at the start of the fest, and at least one public trailer before registration closes.
  • Pick your categories when you register: without them, your game isn't placed.

Demo deadlines for the next editions

Submit your demo for review at least 5 weeks before the fest to be live for the Press Preview (it starts 11 days before), or at least 3 weeks before to be live when the fest begins. Here are the next editions, recalculated every day:

EditionFestDemo for the Press PreviewDemo for the fest start
October 2026 – (passed) (passed)
February 2027 –
June 2027 –

All dates, seasonal sales and themed fests: the Steam Next Fest calendar.

How many wishlists to aim for before Next Fest

Wishlists before the fest are the best predictor of wishlists gained during it (a correlation of 0.825 in February 2026). Median gains reported by 182 developers that month:

  • 0 to 999 wishlists before: about 322 gained.
  • 1,000 to 9,999 before: about 1,006 gained.
  • 10,000 to 99,999 before: about 5,215 gained.

Around 2,000 wishlists is the practical threshold: below 1,000, most games vanish from the lists after day two. The momentum of the two weeks before the fest predicts almost as well as the total, so push in those two weeks. These come from developer surveys, which lean towards developers already active in marketing.

Not there yet? Steam's themed fests and third-party festivals let you build wishlists first without using your one Next Fest. More in how to get more Steam wishlists.

Your Next Fest demo

  • Release it early: a demo released months before the fest earned about 2.5 times more wishlists at the fest than one released during it (February 2026).
  • Polish it: a vertical slice tested by outside players, no crashes, tight controls, art and sound close to final, 15 to 30 minutes, ending on a high.
  • Watch its conversion: in June 2026 the median demo turned about 19% of its players into wishlists. Below about 12%, fix the demo before sending more people to it.
  • Your page does most of the work: 68% to 88% of fest wishlists come from players who never launched the demo. The capsule, trailer and page convert them.

During the fest

  • The first days, Steam shows games at random (outside named lists); after that, its carousels are personalized from what players do during the fest. Days 1 and 2 matter most.
  • In June 2026, impressions peaked on day 4 and from Thursday to Saturday: plan a second push then.
  • Livestreaming your demo on your store page is optional.
  • Afterwards, keep the momentum: an update, themed fests, and your release date announced about 8 weeks ahead.

Get ready with NextWishlist

NextWishlist checks your wishlists and your demo against each edition, tells you if you're ready or should target the next one, and follows you against comparable games during the fest. Join the private beta.

How to prepare for Steam Next Fest: quick answers

Can a game take part in Steam Next Fest twice?

No. Each game can take part in only one Steam Next Fest, and another edition or version of a game that already took part can't join either.

When do I need to submit my Next Fest demo?

At least 5 weeks before the fest to be live for the Press Preview, which starts 11 days before, and at least 3 weeks before to be live at the start of the fest.

How many wishlists can I get from Steam Next Fest?

It depends mostly on the wishlists you had before. In February 2026, developers with 1,000 to 9,999 wishlists before the fest gained a median of about 1,006; those under 1,000 gained about 322.

Can a released game join Steam Next Fest?

No. Next Fest is for unreleased games with a playable demo, and the game must not release before the edition ends.

Do I need a trailer for Steam Next Fest?

Yes. Valve requires at least one public trailer on your store page before registration closes.

Sources

Valve's rules can change: the official Steamworks page always wins. Practitioner benchmarks are surveys of developers, given as ranges.

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