On October 19, 2026, the Steam Next Fest began, where countless demos can again be tried. However, players are currently complaining about the multitude of AI-generated titles and are calling on Valve to take action.
From October 19 to 26, 2026, the Steam Next Fest is taking place. During this digital event, free demos of countless games can be tried. Ideally, one might find a future favorite game.
There is a lot of choice, as the selection includes over 8,000 demos. To make matters worse, AI titles are now mixed in with the traditionally developed games. It is not always easy to tell the difference, and such games are flooding the platform, making it difficult to find quality demos. Just in June, a nearly fully AI-generated game made the rounds.
For this reason, many users are currently gathering on Reddit and demanding a new feature on Steam.
“What is the purpose of the Next Fest?”
What do the users say? User max_akadem poses a simple question on Reddit that he believes could solve the problem: “Can we please get an option to hide AI games?”
Another user, Shogo-MAD, complains in a separate Reddit post about the numerous AI-generated contents and recalls earlier installments of the Steam Next Fest, where it was still possible to find good games.
This has now changed: “It would be more likely to buy a lottery ticket and win than to discover a good game demo. You literally have to sift through THOUSANDS of AI rubbish games to find something valuable. And what is the purpose of the Next Fest at this point?”
These two users are not alone in their dissatisfaction. Numerous comments agree with them and reject the use of generative AI in games. A filter could help.
However, there are also nuances that make a distinction between generative AI and AI assistance during development.
User WildMedia5467 points out: “Steam should add granular filters for AI-generated art, dialogue, music etc. instead of a binary AI tag. Otherwise you get false positives and filter out legit indie games for no good reason.”
Do you think the demands for an AI filter on Steam are good, or do you not care if games use generative tools? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
What does MeinMMO author Christoph think? In principle, I support the calls for a filter or a corresponding category. As for the specific use of AI, I agree with users like WildMedia5467: If a small team of indie developers uses AI to facilitate work processes (for example, in writing code or debugging), I see hardly any problem with that.
It becomes more complicated when AI takes over creative aspects, such as creating designs, music, or stories. With that, the human component in games is lost for me. Just as I appreciate the handcrafted in films, books, or music, I also want to have the feeling in games that behind every creative decision there is a person and not an AI.
Only then can unique games emerge and ideally become art – a claim that the medium has wanted to fulfill for years and in some cases also succeeds.
Steam would do well to introduce a clear labeling when quickly browsing (and not just on the actual shop page) of games in the future. Otherwise, the platform will become even more confusing in the long run, and true gaming gems will hardly have a chance to stand out from the crowd. Pure gaming quality is no longer enough. AI has other consequences: Developers are hesitant to publish their demo on Steam – Fears AI
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