Steam Next Fest for developers: dates and data
Published · Numbers as of
1,658 of 3,318October 2026 Next Fest demos matched to Twitch were seen streamed, full report as of 27 Oct 2026
Steam Next Fest runs three times a year, in February, June and October. In October 2026 we checked Twitch about every 20 minutes for the 3,318 fest demos we could match to a Twitch category: 1,658 were seen streamed at least once, and 926 had three or more different streamers.
Upcoming editions and developer dates
- Steam Next Fest February 2027: 22 Feb - 1 Mar 2027. Registration deadline: 10 Jan 2027. Dates checked 6 Nov 2026; confirm on the organiser's page.
- Steam Next Fest June 2027: 14-21 Jun 2027. Registration deadline: 25 Apr 2027. Dates checked 6 Nov 2026; confirm on the organiser's page.
All nine February 2027 developer dates, including demo review deadlines, with a calendar file (.ics).
Every edition we counted
| Edition | Demos matched | Seen streamed | 3+ streamers | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 3,318 | 1,658 (50%) | 926 (28%) | Full report, counted 27 Oct 2026 |
Counts cover demos we could match to a Twitch category, out of 7,319 entries listed on Steam for October. A category can include streams of the full game or a different game with the same name. Twitch only; we don't count YouTube or Kick here.
What the October 2026 numbers say about a typical demo
About half of the demos we matched were never seen streamed. Demos with three or more streamers (926) accounted for 98% of the stream hours we saw.
A demo with one or two streams still has playthroughs worth watching before the recordings expire (how long Next Fest VODs stay online). Feedback from the streams we transcribed is in the October 2026 report.
February 2027 counts will follow after the fest. We'll compare editions once a second one has been counted with the same method.
How we count
About every 20 minutes during the fest week we look up the Twitch categories of the fest's demos through Twitch's official API and record which channels are live. A demo counts as streamed when at least one channel was live in its matched category; different streamers are distinct channels. Short streams between checks can be missed. The Steam list is a dated snapshot; each report gives its collection window, gaps and other limits.
For another view of demo streams, see how many streamers play a demo. To turn playthroughs into changes, see what to do after Next Fest.
Know when streamers play your game
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