Steam Next Fest Scheduling Guide

Steam Next Fest Scheduling: When to Participate and How to Register

TL;DR: Each game can participate in exactly one Next Fest, ever. Registration deadlines are 7-8 weeks before the event. Choose the last Next Fest before your planned launch date to maximize accumulated wishlists. Your demo must be publicly playable before the fest begins. You can cancel registration before Press Preview if plans change.

Key Takeaways

• 2026 dates: February 23-March 2, June 15-22, October 19-26 (registration deadlines ~7-8 weeks before each)
• Eligibility: unreleased game, not participated before, public Coming Soon page, playable demo by fest start
• Choose the last available Next Fest before launch to maximize existing wishlists since Next Fest is a multiplier, not a generator
• Press Preview begins 11 days before the fest; your demo should be live by then for press to play it
• Developer Preview launches ~5 weeks before; check where your game appears and adjust tags if needed

You get one shot. That's the first thing to understand about Steam Next Fest scheduling. Each game can participate in exactly one Next Fest, ever. Pick the wrong edition and you've spent your only token on a suboptimal window. Pick the right one and you've given your game the biggest free marketing boost available on Steam.

This article covers the practical side: dates, deadlines, registration steps, eligibility, and the strategic question of which Next Fest to choose. Our complete Next Fest preparation guide covers the week-by-week timeline and Day 1 through Day 7 strategy. This is the "when and how to sign up" companion piece.

2026 Next Fest Dates

Steam runs three Next Fest editions per year, in February, June, and October. Here are the confirmed and projected 2026 dates:

February 2026

• Event: February 23 to March 2
• Registration deadline: January 5
• Demo submitted for Press Preview: January 26
• All items submitted for review: February 9
• Press Preview begins: February 12
• Next Fest begins: February 23 at 10:00 AM Pacific

June 2026

• Event: June 15 to June 22
• Registration deadline: Approximately early May (exact date confirmed on Steamworks closer to the event)

October 2026

• Event: October 19 to October 26
• Registration deadline: Approximately early September (exact date confirmed on Steamworks closer to the event)

Valve publishes exact deadlines for each edition on the Upcoming Events page in Steamworks. The deadlines shift slightly between editions, so check the specific page for the edition you're targeting.

Registration deadlines are typically 7 to 8 weeks before the event. But that deadline is not when you should start thinking about Next Fest. It's the date by which your marketing materials should already be polished. Valve uses your store page, trailer, and tags to make curation decisions (including potential inclusion in the official Next Fest trailer) shortly after registration closes.

Eligibility Requirements

Valve's rules are clear. Your game must:

1. Be unreleased. No Early Access games that have already launched. No games that shipped and then "re-launched." The base game must not be available for purchase or free download at the time of the fest.
2. Not have participated in a previous Next Fest. One game, one Next Fest. Period.
3. Have a published, public Steam store page. Your "Coming Soon" page must be live before you register.
4. Include a publicly playable demo by the time Next Fest begins. No demo, no participation. The demo must be live before the fest starts.
5. Not be released before Next Fest ends. If you launch during the event, your game becomes ineligible and gets removed.
6. Not be a prologue, preview, or short-form version of an existing released game. Steam-specific prologues (like those standalone "Chapter 1" releases) don't qualify.
7. Be associated with a Steamworks developer account in good standing.

There are no requirements about when your full game releases after Next Fest. No requirements about demo length. No exclusivity requirements. Early Access titles are eligible as long as they haven't launched yet. Free-to-play games are eligible as long as they're unreleased.

One nuance worth knowing: if you register and then change your plans, you can cancel your registration by returning to the registration page and unchecking the opt-in box. Do this before Press Preview begins if possible, since the Press Preview list includes all registered games.

How to Register

Registration happens through your base game's Steamworks page, not through the demo.

Step by step:

1. Log into Steamworks and go to your base game's App Landing Page
2. Look for the Next Fest registration link (it appears automatically for eligible titles, usually on the landing page or your dashboard)
3. Complete the registration form, which asks you to select one or two primary genre categories for your game
4. Save and confirm your registration
5. A green checkmark should appear on the App Landing Page confirming you're enrolled

If you can't find the registration option, check your dashboard for a link to the registration and appeals page for that specific Next Fest edition. Valve's event-specific documentation pages (accessible from the Steamworks sidebar) include direct links.

Genre Category Selection

During registration, you choose one or two categories that best fit your game. This determines where your game appears within the Next Fest browsing structure. Choose carefully.

Steam also uses your store tags to further sort you into subcategories within the fest. If your tags are inaccurate or incomplete, you'll end up in the wrong section. A Developer Preview page goes live approximately 5 weeks before the fest so you can see where your game is positioned. If you're not showing up where you expect, adjust your tags.

Choosing Which Next Fest to Join

This is the strategic decision that most developers underestimate. You have one chance. Here are the factors to weigh.

The "Last Next Fest Before Launch" Strategy

Most experienced developers choose the Next Fest closest to (but before) their planned launch date. The logic is sound and backed by data. Developers who ship regularly report that the "last Next Fest before launch" strategy consistently outperforms earlier participation, even when earlier fests seem more convenient timing-wise.

Zukowski's surveys consistently show that games entering with more wishlists earn more wishlists. Next Fest is a multiplier, not a generator. If you enter the February fest with 500 wishlists, you'll earn a few hundred more. If you enter the October fest (after 8 more months of marketing) with 15,000 wishlists, you'll earn thousands more.

By choosing the last available Next Fest before launch, you maximize the wishlists you've accumulated through months of marketing, smaller festivals, and organic discovery. You also minimize the gap between Next Fest and launch, keeping the momentum fresh in players' minds.

The practical version: if you're planning a Q1 2027 launch, the October 2026 Next Fest is your target. If you're planning a summer 2027 launch, February 2027 makes sense.

When Earlier Might Be Better

There are legitimate reasons to pick an earlier Next Fest:

Market validation. If you're genuinely unsure whether players want your game, an earlier Next Fest gives you data before you're deep into production. A poor showing 12 months before launch gives you time to pivot. A poor showing 6 weeks before launch gives you time to panic. In practice, developers who use early Next Fests for validation often discover genre-market fit issues they would have missed with internal playtesting alone.

Demo testing. Some developers use Next Fest primarily as a large-scale playtest. The feedback from thousands of players is worth more than the wishlist count. If your development timeline is long enough, an early Next Fest gives you player data that shapes the rest of production.

Genre timing. If your genre is having a moment (horror in 2024, co-op "friend slop" in 2025), catching that wave might be more valuable than waiting for maximum wishlists. Genre trends shift. A crafty-buildy-strategy game that would have dominated in October 2024 might face stiffer competition by October 2026 as the category matures.

Seasonal Considerations

Each Next Fest edition has a slightly different character:

February: Follows the holiday break. Players are back and looking for new things. Press is active after a quiet January. Competition from major AAA releases is typically lower in early March.

June: Overlaps with E3 season (or whatever replaces it each year), Summer Game Fest, and the build-up to Steam Summer Sale. More media noise, which means more competition for attention but also more players actively browsing Steam. The Cairn team used this edition and found the combination of Next Fest plus Summer Game Fest proximity effective.

October: Leads into the holiday buying season. Players are building wishlists for sales and gift purchases. Horror games overperform in October for obvious reasons. The October fest feeds directly into the Autumn Sale and Winter Sale discovery cycles.

No edition is objectively "best." The right one depends on your game, your genre, and your timeline.

Combining Next Fest with Other Events

Next Fest doesn't exist in isolation. The smartest developers layer it with other marketing beats for compounding effect. Our guide to indie game showcases and festivals covers the broader festival circuit, but here's how it intersects with Next Fest scheduling.

Pre-Next Fest: Build Momentum with Smaller Festivals

Before your chosen Next Fest, participate in smaller festivals to beta-test your demo and accumulate wishlists. Chris Zukowski maintains a running list of Steam festivals and events at howtomarketagame.com/festivals. These smaller events are your save points before the final dungeon.

Typical sequence:

• 6 months before Next Fest: Release your demo publicly
• 4 to 5 months before: Participate in 1 to 2 genre-specific festivals (horror fests, strategy game fests, etc.)
• 2 to 3 months before: Participate in a broader festival or two
• 8 weeks before: Register for Next Fest with your polished, battle-tested demo

This sequence means you enter Next Fest with:

• An already-public demo that's been bug-fixed and refined
• Thousands of existing wishlists from previous events
• Content creator relationships built during earlier festivals
• Confidence that your demo actually works because thousands of people have already played it

The Showcase Combo

Xalavier Nelson Jr.'s "Double Jump" strategy with I Am Your Beast combined a PC Gamer Show appearance (timed 24 hours before Next Fest) with the festival itself. The showcase announcement drove 15,000 wishlists before Next Fest even started, which launched the game onto trending charts on Day 1.

You don't need a PC Gamer Show slot to use this approach. Any concentrated burst of attention immediately before Next Fest helps. A major content creator publishing an exclusive video the morning of Day 1. A coordinated social media campaign. An announcement tied to a smaller showcase that happens to align with your Next Fest dates.

The key is timing. The burst needs to happen within 24 to 48 hours before the fest begins, so the algorithm picks up the resulting wishlist velocity on Day 1 and amplifies it.

Post-Next Fest: Ride Into the Next Sale

If your Next Fest edition ends near a major Steam sale (Summer Sale after June, Autumn Sale after October), your freshly boosted visibility carries into the sale's browsing patterns. Your game appears in "Popular Upcoming" lists and personalized recommendations. Players who wishlisted during Next Fest receive wishlist notifications when the sale begins (if your game has a discount, which demos and unreleased games don't, but your full game launch could align with the following sale).

Planning your marketing timeline to connect these events creates a chain of visibility that no single event could provide alone.

Registration Deadlines Are Not Suggestions

Let's be specific about what happens at each deadline.

Registration closes (7 to 8 weeks before). If you miss this, you're out. No exceptions. Valve also begins the trailer selection process shortly after registration closes, so your store page and trailer should be in their best possible state by this date.

Demo submitted for build review, Press Preview deadline (4 weeks before). If you want your demo live for Press Preview (11 days before the fest), submit your build for review 4 weeks out. Build review takes time, and you might fail the first submission. Give yourself a 3 to 5 business day buffer.

Demo submitted for build review, hard deadline (2 weeks before). This is the absolute last chance to submit your demo build and still have it reviewed before the fest starts. Miss this and your demo might not be live in time.

Press Preview begins (11 days before). Valve shares the full list of participating games with select press outlets. If your demo is live, press can play it. If not, they'll see your game listed but can't try it. Press coverage that includes actual gameplay impressions is significantly more valuable than coverage based solely on your store page.

Next Fest begins. Your demo must be live. Valve recommends having it live at least 30 minutes before the event starts, so you can verify it's working.

After Registration: The Developer Preview

About 5 weeks before the fest, Valve launches a Developer Preview page. This shows you exactly how the Next Fest will be organized and where your game appears.

Check this immediately. You should see your game in the genre categories you selected during registration, plus any subcategories that match your store tags. The pattern we see most often is developers who skip this step and wonder why their cozy farming game ended up next to hardcore survival titles. If your game isn't showing up where you expect:

1. Verify your registration categories are correct
2. Review your store tags and compare them against the subcategory names in the Developer Preview
3. Add or adjust tags to match the sections where your target audience will browse

This is free visibility tuning. It takes 10 minutes and can mean the difference between appearing in a section with your target audience and being buried in a category where nobody is looking for your type of game.

Canceling Your Registration

Life happens. Maybe your demo isn't ready. Maybe your timeline shifted. Maybe you realized you're entering with 200 wishlists and the data strongly suggests waiting for the next edition.

To cancel: return to your game's Next Fest registration page and uncheck the opt-in box at the bottom. Do this before Press Preview starts if possible. After Press Preview begins, your game appears on the list shared with press outlets. Canceling after that point means journalists might draft coverage of a game that isn't participating.

Canceling doesn't burn your one-time participation. You can register for a future Next Fest as long as your game meets the eligibility criteria.

The Decision Framework

Still not sure which Next Fest to target? Run through these questions:

1. How many wishlists do you have right now? If under 1,000, you probably need more time to build momentum before Next Fest. Consider waiting for a later edition.
2. Is your demo ready? Not "almost ready." Ready. Polished. Tested. If it needs more than 8 weeks of work, target the next edition.
3. When are you planning to launch? Pick the last Next Fest before your launch window.
4. Is your genre trending? If your genre is hot right now, there's an argument for acting sooner rather than later.
5. Do you have press kit, outreach list, and marketing materials ready? These take weeks to prepare properly. If they don't exist yet, you need more lead time.

The right Next Fest is the one where your game enters with maximum preparation and maximum existing wishlists. For most developers, that means the last available edition before launch. The patience to wait for that window, rather than jumping into the first available fest, is often the difference between Silver and Gold tier results.

Free Tool: Next Fest Readiness Score — Score your Next Fest readiness before you register. Runs in your browser, no signup required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I participate in more than one Next Fest?

No. Each game can participate in exactly one Next Fest, ever. Pick the wrong edition and you've spent your only token on a suboptimal window. This is why choosing strategically matters.

What happens if I miss the registration deadline?

You're out for that edition. No exceptions. You'll need to target the next Next Fest (roughly 4 months later). Build the calendar of deadlines at the start of each year.

Should I pick an earlier Next Fest for market validation?

If you're genuinely unsure whether players want your game, an earlier fest gives you data before you're deep into production. A poor showing 12 months before launch gives you time to pivot. But for most games, the "last Next Fest before launch" strategy wins.

What if my demo isn't ready by Press Preview?

Press will see your game listed but can't try it. Press coverage that includes actual gameplay impressions is significantly more valuable than coverage based solely on your store page. Get your demo live before Press Preview begins (11 days before the fest).

Related Guides

This article is part of our series on steam next fest. Start with the complete guide:

• The Steam Next Fest guide

Also in this series:

• Content creator outreach for Next Fest
• Building a game demo
• Analyzing your Next Fest results

2026 Next Fest dates verified against Valve's Steamworks documentation as of February 2026. Exact deadlines for June and October editions are published on Steamworks as each event approaches. For the full preparation timeline, see our Steam Next Fest guide.