Steam Next Fest: the weeks before, the fest week and the days after
Steam Next Fest runs for about a week in February, June and October, and an unreleased game can join only one edition, with a playable demo. The useful questions change through the period: eligibility and demo deadlines first, then the wishlist pace of each fest day, then how much of the gain stayed.
Last reviewed · SteamStats team
The period and its timeline
The dates below use the June 2027 edition, 14 June 2027 to 21 June 2027, as Valve lists it. The February 2027 edition runs from 22 February to 1 March 2027.
| When | What happens | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Before the registration deadline | The game registers through the full game, not the demo | The full game's store page must be published and public |
| 10 May 2027 | Latest demo review request to be live for Press Preview | Five weeks before the fest |
| 24 May 2027 | Latest demo review request to be live for the fest itself | Three weeks before the fest |
| 14 June 2027 | The fest opens | A publicly playable demo by the start; Valve suggests going live at least half an hour earlier |
| 14 June 2027 to 21 June 2027 | Fest week: players try demos and wishlist the games they like | The game must stay unreleased |
| After 21 June 2027 | The game may release | Releasing before the edition ends makes the game ineligible |
A game that has taken part once cannot take part again, so the edition is chosen once. Valve also suggests leaving the demo up after the fest, and telling players in advance if it is taken down.
Questions studios ask around a Next Fest
- Is the game still eligible for the next edition, and when is the registration deadline?
- Is today's wishlist pace ahead of or behind a usual day, hour by hour?
- Which countries are adding the most wishlists during the fest?
- Where does the game rank on Popular Upcoming and Top Wishlisted, country by country?
- Did any single day stand out, and from which country?
- How many of the fest's wishlists were deleted in the week after it?
- Which Steam traffic sources brought the store visits, and how many visits became wishlists?
Which SteamStats views answer them
| Question | View | Refresh |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility and deadline | Calendar: Next Fest marked Eligible or Not eligible, with the registration deadline when Steam publishes it | Follows Steam's official event dates |
| Today's wishlist pace | Wishlists: today by hour against the usual day and its range | every 60 min on Indie, Studio, and Publisher |
| Countries | Wishlists: countries adding the most today and the country × day grid | every 60 min on Indie, Studio, and Publisher |
| Store ranks | Store visibility: Popular Upcoming and Top Wishlisted before launch | daily on Indie, Studio, and Publisher |
| Standout days | Inbox: Wishlist spike and Rising country alerts | Wishlist spike is checked once a day has closed |
| Deletions after the fest | Wishlists: daily adds, deletes and net, and the deletion rate | every 60 min on Indie, Studio, and Publisher |
| Traffic sources | Traffic & campaigns: impressions, visits and wishlists by Steam traffic source | daily on Indie, Studio, and Publisher |
Traffic reports cover days up to yesterday, so a fest day's visits appear the next day, while wishlists arrive within the hour. Reviews, Players, and Community Hub are not fetched before launch, so they play no part in a Next Fest.
A fest day for the demo game
On a fest day, a line above the shaded range shows the fest at work hour by hour. The comparison that matters comes after: once the fest days enter the last seven full days, the usual day itself rises, so the weeks after the fest are best read against the daily net from before it.
Plans
Steam events and eligibility marks are the same for everyone. Wishlists and their alerts need a connected Steamworks key, so they are part of Indie, Studio, and Publisher; traffic is an optional beta source on the same plans.
Sources
- Steamworks: Steam Next Fest · checked November 1, 2026
- Steamworks: Upcoming events and seasonal sales · checked November 1, 2026
- Steamworks: Demos · checked November 1, 2026