Steam Next Fest 2026 has more than double the number of demos than last year, but how much of it is generative ‘AI slop’?
Steam Next Fest 2026 launched today with 8,202 demos available for PC players—more than double last year’s event. Running through October 26, the festival offers free access to upcoming indie games and early-access titles ahead of November’s major releases, including GTA 6.
However, the expanded event has surfaced significant concerns about submission quality and authenticity. Community members report widespread AI-generated content, with numerous games featuring artwork created using generative AI tools rather than original assets. The proliferation of “AI slop” has made discoverability increasingly difficult, as low-effort submissions compete for visibility alongside genuine indie projects.
The issue appears linked to recent advances in AI technology, with tools like Claude Opus 5.5 accelerating AI-assisted game development and asset creation. Players are actively requesting a dedicated filter option to exclude AI-generated content, citing concerns about plagiarism and overall catalog quality.
Despite the challenges, Next Fest continues to offer opportunities to discover unique indie games before year-end, though finding quality titles now requires greater effort to navigate the growing volume of low-effort submissions.