It is a free-demo event for upcoming games. Open the event page to browse; use the time table below if you are planning a demo night with friends.
Open Steam Next Fest ↗What time does it start in your city?
Valve gives both boundaries as 10 a.m. PDT, or 17:00 UTC. European readers need one extra check: London and Berlin change clocks during the festival, so the local closing hour is earlier than the local opening hour.
| City | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Oct 19 · 10 a.m. PDT | Oct 26 · 10 a.m. PDT |
| New York | Oct 19 · 1 p.m. EDT | Oct 26 · 1 p.m. EDT |
| London | Oct 19 · 6 p.m. BST | Oct 26 · 5 p.m. GMT |
| Berlin | Oct 19 · 7 p.m. CEST | Oct 26 · 6 p.m. CET |
| Sydney | Oct 20 · 4 a.m. AEDT | Oct 27 · 4 a.m. AEDT |
UTC boundaries: Valve’s October event documentation. Local conversions by Next Up Guide. For more on the clock change, see our US–UK daylight saving guide.
Do the demos stop working on October 26?
Not automatically because the festival ends. Valve encourages developers to leave demos available afterward, but the decision belongs to each developer. Check the game’s announcements for a specific deadline, especially for the demo you most want to try.
That is different from a fixed free weekend with one advertised closing time. A festival page can close while an individual demo remains available. Another developer may choose to withdraw theirs.
Valve’s Next Fest FAQ explains the post-event choice and asks developers to communicate planned deactivations.
Does downloading it mean you can keep playing?
No—installation is not a guarantee. Steam’s demo tools let a developer deactivate a released demo. Valve says that stops new downloads and prevents another launch through Steam, even when the demo still appears in your library.
The technical documentation also notes that some builds may remain launchable outside Steam, depending on their implementation. That is not a promise about the game you downloaded. Use the developer’s current availability notice when deciding what to play first.
Source: Valve’s demo documentation, “Disabling Your Demo”.
How do you find and download a demo?
Start with the official event page, then open a game’s store listing. A demo can have its own page or a button on the full game’s page. Valve supports both layouts, so the absence of a separate demo page does not by itself mean there is no demo.
Look for the demo entry rather than a purchase button for the full game. Read the demo description before arranging multiplayer: a feature advertised for the full game may not be included in its preview.
My suggested shortlist: choose one game you already want, one unfamiliar game in a favourite genre, and one wildcard. This keeps your evening manageable without pretending a pre-event list can identify the “best” demos before they have been played.
After trying each one, jot down whether the controls, text and performance worked for you. If it looks promising, wishlist the full game and follow its developer updates.
Will your demo save transfer to the full game?
Check the individual game. Valve provides tools developers can use to share cloud saves between a demo and its full game. The existence of that tool does not mean every developer uses it.
A clear save-transfer statement is more useful than assuming the hours you put into a demo will carry across. Keep the demo save until you know the game’s instructions, and avoid treating another game’s transfer rules as a universal Steam rule.
Is this the same as the Steam Autumn Sale?
No. The October Next Fest is about trying upcoming games through demos. It has its own dates. Do not use the Autumn Sale schedule as a countdown for this event, or assume a free demo means the full release will be free.
Sources & updates
Checked October 14, 2026. Dates come from Valve’s edition-specific documentation. Demo availability, installation behaviour and save-sharing capabilities come from its developer guides. Our shortlist and planning suggestions are editorial advice, not hands-on rankings.
