One of my favorite Next Fest demos turned out to be this speedrunner's delight modeled after 3D Sonic games, which just added ranked multiplayer races

One of my favorite Next Fest demos turned out to be this speedrunner’s delight modeled after 3D Sonic games, which just added ranked multiplayer races | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Roguelike Steam Next Fest is full of Balatro-likes: here’s 7 demos I think you should try Horror Burglin’ Gnomes is the next great friend-slop game that everyone with a PC and at least one other friend should check out FPS If you love Marathon’s vectorheart style but not its PvP, get your aesthetic fix from the gorgeously overstimulating demo for this time trial FPS instead Games Steam Next Fest is back and you’ve once again got just 7 days to find your favorite demos among hundreds of choices MOBA After deciding to make a MOBA, Quantic Dream also decides to release it at the same time as the Marathon server slam, the first Horizon Hunters Gather playtest, and the Steam Next Fest Racing The creators of Rain World were tired of making something so depressing, so their next game is a ‘loud and dumb and fast’ cyberpunk racer you can try in the Steam Next Fest Roguelike Balatro meets Scrabble in this new roguelike from the creators of TimeSplitters—and I’m just thrilled to finally find a word game that lets me score with swear words Card Game If you’ve ever had a crippling Vampire Survivors or Slay the Spire habit, avoid Vampire Crawlers at all costs Games Steam Next Fest’s top demos were packed with gnomeslop hijinks, open world piracy, and vampire card battling, but then—well—Marathon happened Resident Evil Capcom’s RE Engine is the gift that keeps on giving: Resident Evil Requiem runs surprisingly well on the Steam Deck FPS This co-op FPS Steam demo feels poised to do for spellslinging robot cowboys what Deep Rock Galactic did for space dwarves Survival & Crafting My new indie darling is this crafting game stuffed with hand-sculpted creatures made by a husband and wife dev team Adventure Amanita Design teases the Orwell-inspired Phonopolis with a surprisingly funny demo about messing with people, running from the cops, and fighting fascism even when you don’t really want to RPG This musical RPG is doing important work by letting you beat up music snobs, but I really stuck around for the painful (brilliant) puns RPG The new game from Disco Elysium’s studio feels like the first Christmas after your parents’ divorce PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!Resident EvilArc RaidersBest PC gearGame Quizzes Games Action One of my favorite Next Fest demos turned out to be this speedrunner’s delight modeled after 3D Sonic games, which just added ranked multiplayer races News By Justin Wagner published 1 March 2026 You’re even good enough to be my fake. 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From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter If there are 0 fans of Sonic the Hedgehog’s early 3D outings from the Dreamcast days, I am dead twice over, because someone will almost certainly have to kill my over-enthusiastic ghost. Granted, the games did have their problems—levels were too cramped to accommodate your top speed, alternate characters came with less fun playstyles, and the camera was about as bad as any early-’00s platformer.Games starring the infamous hedgehog look a whole lot different now, but I think the Sonic Adventure games tease a lot of untapped potential. It seems I’m not alone, as I found in the demo for Rollin’ Rascal which just got an update for the current Steam Next Fest. Rollin’ Rascal Demo Trailer – YouTube Watch On The game’s similarities to the Blue Blur’s 3D outings are numerous—and unsurprising given that lead developer Gabriel Gonzales worked on Sonic GT, a relatively elaborate Sonic fangame. Rascal seems like a bigger and better version of GT with the Sega characters filed off, taking Sonic Adventure-esque momentum physics and supplying the player with sprawling levels stuffed to the gills with ramps, slides, and grind rails. Related articles Sonic Racing: Crossworlds review – Always chaotic, occasionally frustrating The creators of Rain World were tired of making something so depressing, so their next game is a ‘loud and dumb and fast’ cyberpunk racer you can try in the Steam Next Fest The Denshattack! demo sees you kickflipping, grinding, and joyriding a Ferris wheel into an active