Summary
Steam Next Festis a recurring event where independent developers can showcase demos of the games they’re currently working on. It’s an excellent opportunity for developers to generate excitement about their projects, and it gives players a chance to explore innovations in the genres they love or dip their toes into ones they’ve never experienced.
A consistent highlight at Next Fest is the wide arrayofhorror gamesthat get showcased.Signalis, a shining gem among indie horror games, was featured in one of 2022’s Next Fests, introducing some players to its fascinating sci-fi world for the very first time.February 2025’s Next Festis no different, featuring a number of horror games that are worth players' time.
Genre
Horror, Roguelite, Strategy
Studio Evil’sDice of Arcanaisa horror roguelitewherein players bet their fingers on a dangerous game of dice. With players finding themselves trapped in a caravan driven by a monstrous figure lurking in the dark,Dice of Arcanawill immediately feel familiar to fans ofInscryptionandBuckshot Roulette.
It looks to be setting itself apart from those games with the various figurines players can collect on their nightmarish journey. These figures grant the player abilities like destroying their opponents' rolls or protecting their own from similar attacks. It turns what, on the surface, appears to be a simple game of chance into a strategic game of mechanical knowledge.
Survival Horror
InTotal Chaos,players assume the role of a coast guard who, after responding to a distress signal, is trapped on an abandoned mining island haunted by all manner of horrors. Developer Trigger Happy Interactive runs with the ‘survival’ in survival horror, with players being forced to scavenge for weapons, medical supplies, and even food.
It’s a harsh take on the traditional survival horror mechanics that fans have become used to. Paired with a gray industrial horror setting evocative of theSilent Hillfranchise,Total Chaosis shaping up to be a promising addition to the genre.
Psychological Horror
Monopixel’sLast Reportsees players assuming control of a park ranger working the night shift when strange sightings begin popping up all over the forest.Last Report’s gameplay mostly involves confirming the accuracy of park incident reports, which become increasingly disturbing as the game progresses, before sending them off to be processed.
It’s a bite-sized horror twist on games likePapers, Please, interspersed with conversations with fellow rangers—both in person and over the radio—that reveal more and more about the park’s mysterious past.
Post Trauma, from RED SOUL GAMES, is a survival horror game that wears itsSilent Hillinspirations on its sleeves. Players take control of Roman, a train conductor who awakens to find himself in a warped reflection of reality.
The subway tunnels the game takes place in will immediately feel familiar to fans ofSilent Hill 3and its liminal opening levels. As is par for the course with psychological horror games,Post Trauma’s environments are dripping with surreal imagery that players won’t be able to uncover the true meaning of until the game, hopefully, drops later this year.
Atmos Games’Twisted Towersees players blasting through blood-soaked mascots and monsters to rescue their love and learn the secrets of the titular tower. A skyscraper-sized funhouse, the game’s setting combines a 1920s art deco aesthetic—reminiscentofBioShock’s Rapture—with the horrific wackiness of a nightmare circus.
With its gameplay being focused on juggling an arsenal of toy-themed weapons—like a rubber-band pistol—and various traversal abilities,Twisted Towershould feel immediately familiar to fans of both arena shooters and horror FPS games.
Survival Horror, Dungeon Crawler
Set in feudal Japan,Labyrinth Of The Demon Kinglets players take control of a lone foot soldier determined to avenge their lord by finding the demon who betrayed him and killing it. Developer J.R. Hudepohl createsan oppressive world, visually enriching the game with heavy grain and bleak imagery while filling out the rest of the setting with disturbing monsters and haunting soundscapes.
The gameplay seems to take a page from the books of dungeon crawlers of old likeKingsfield, with slow first-person combat that will see players succeeding or failing depending on their ability to manage their stamina.
Psychological Horror, Visual Novel
HO! Games’Am I Nimaputs a spinon visual novelsby having players take control of Nima, a girl with a fractured mind who can’t remember herself. During conversation, players will have to string together words to unlock Nima’s memory, revealing more of the game’s secrets based on the player’s own intuition—similar to Sam Barlow’sHer StoryandImmortality.
This set-up is made all the more intriguing when players discover that Nima is being kept in her mother’s basement, who is not convinced that her daughter is who she says she is. Visually,Am I Nimais dripping with style and atmosphere. From its HUD to its characters, the game is striking in every respect.
Lab breaches and failed experiments are a trope we’ve seen countless times in horror games. Fazerdoo’sFESTEREDshakes things up by placing the player at the heart of one of these breaches in a true survival horror experience. There is no Gordon Freeman or Doomslayer to save the day, just an ordinary Joe.
Players plan excursions into the Orion Laboratory, where they’ll have to avoid mutated test subjects and scavenge for supplies. In the safety of the control room, players have access to a terminal that allows them to open doors and uncover the lab’s secrets through recovered documents.
Scarlet Lakeis another entry in the ‘looking for your wife’ genre. Players assume control of Ben Murphy who, after receiving a cryptic message from his wife, travels to Scarlet Lake, a town under government control whose populace has been driven mad.
The narrative seems to be blendingSilent Hill 2’s psychological horror and the conspiracies of evil corporate companies likeResident Evil’s Umbrella. It’s a combination that keepsScarlet Lakefeeling fresh among the many other stellar survival horror games that release every year. The game’s inspirations are present in its gameplay too, withScarlet Lakeadopting a top-down fixed camera and modernized tank controls.
Coming soon
Horror, Dungeon Crawler
Adopting a gameplay style reminiscent of classic dungeon crawlers, Bozó Attila Bertold’sREPOSEsees players moving through the dark environments of the simply-named Facility one step at a time. Each step and action players make will drain a limited energy supply, forcing them to strategize before doing anything.
It is a design choice that requires a more methodical and slow play style from gamers. This deliberate pace, paired withREPOSE’ssurreal one-bit visuals, creates an experience that feels tense and mysterious all the way through.
