5 chaotic games to try in Steam Next Fest 2026

Looking for new, chaotic, arcade games in the Steam Next Fest 2026? Here are five demos that you can check out.

Catmarine

Submerged in the ocean in a Cat Submarine, players will be a group of cats who will navigate through the deep waters in a two-four player co-operative, typing game. Players communicate while maneuvering the terminals in order to survive the oceanic dangers. 

It is possible to play as a single player, but it will be hard for the Cat Submarine to roam around the ocean without any help. Hex Foundry, Catmarine’s studio, hasn’t announced a potential release date for the game.

Notebook Battlegrounds

In Notebook Battlegrounds, players will be playing as a letter. The letter will have the ability to shoot opponents by using proximity voice chat to shout random prompts like ‘K-Pop Kiss’ or ‘Obese Rat.’ 

There are two modes: Battle Royale (Solo/Duos) or Death match. A competitive mode is also available for competitive players. Notebook Battlegrounds will be available this 2026.

No More Pesticide

In No More Pesticide, players will play as a frog living in a farm that’s tasked to fight off against a swarm of bugs. Aside from its cute and cozy, pixelated graphics, it contains straightforward gameplay: defeating mutant bugs and avoiding losing lives until they reach the final boss.

Players can upgrade their skills in a skill tree— upgrading their pitchfork attacks, managing daylight, or raising their defenses. Resources can also be earned by catching fish and mining ore. No More Pesticide is set to be released in the second quarter of 2026.

Tiny Transit

In this single player game, players can deliver packages and complete quests to earn money.

This game can be played without the thought of overanalyzing every move or attack. There is no right or wrong way to play Tiny Transit, as long as players can have fun by either crashing against objects or saving an alien from a spacecraft crash. Lab Grown Games hasn’t announced the official release for Tiny Transit.

Paws Coven

Paws Coven is a three versus one, co-op, horror, multiplayer game that offers another touch in the ‘Who’s the Impostor?’ games: finding three occult cats who happened to be summoning eldritch monsters from a different dimension. As the only human, players must identify these three impostors before they complete five rituals or unleash entities beyond comprehension.

Paws Coven will be officially released in March 2026.

The Steam Next Fest is a platform for game developers to showcase their games through a demo, ranging from cozy horror games to immersive life simulation games. Steam Next Fest will be available starting from February 23 until March 2. (Regine Andres, INQUIRER.net Intern)