I’m always excited to sift through the pages and pages of demos available at Steam Next Fest, but I can’t lie, even I get a bit exhausted after scrolling for god knows how long. Let’s be real, we all want to play the next big cozy game ahead of time, but the sheer amount of them doesn’t make narrowing down the best of the best any easier.
From building an online shop selling plushies to restoring derelict houses, Steam Next Fest is home to plenty of games worth wishlisting from the demo alone. I’ve decided to save you the stress of searching for yourself and narrowed down our top picks for must-play cozy game demos.
Hozy
This relaxing restoration game challenges you to restore a forgotten neighborhood, bringing life back to dusty old homes through a fresh lick of paint and some new decorations. I absolutely hate cleaning my house, and dusting is one of the worst jobs imaginable, but there is something really satisfying about watching a room come together in Hozy. From pulling up floorboards to wiping down windows, it’s all about the attention to detail. The best part? You don’t have to pay a penny to carry out any of these renovations.
Post Apocalypse Microbe Lab
Idle games and desktop pets have certainly been on the rise over the last few years, and I genuinely couldn’t tell you a single day when I didn’t have some sort of idle game running in the background. So, what’s one more to the collection? Post Apocalypse Microbe Lab lets you watch over a little pink-haired android girl who researched different microbes floating in a pool. You can let her work away solo, or interact with the window every now and then if you fancy speeding up your research. But, if you don’t quite have the time to dedicate to a regular demo, this is the idle game I’d recommend sinking some time into.
Socks!
The worst part of doing laundry is sorting out socks—there’s no denying that. I don’t know how, but single socks always go missing, and I’ve probably lost hours of my life trying to find their pair. A game like Socks! is the motivation I need to get it sorted, making pairing socks together infinitely more fun than it is in real life. Simply drop socks from the clothes line into the washing basket, connecting the same colors and patterns to make a pair. Once paired, these sock balls will go into a separate basket to merge and earn you even more points. I love a simple yet visually satisfying puzzle, and Socks! seems like the perfect partner for that from the demo.
Plush Parade
In Plush Parade, you get to design and sell custom plushies from your very own online shop. I love running a cozy little business like this, and given how many plushies I own in real life, it felt like I simply had to play. Although your options are slightly limited in the demo, you’re still given quite a bit of creative freedom to try out different looks on your plushie. I can already tell that so much of my time will go into creating the ultimate plushie shop when this launches at some point in 2026, and I cannot wait to convince all my fellow cozy gamers to do the same. I mean, who wouldn’t want a plushie version of themselves?
Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts
Lauren Morton
I thought the demos for Thrifty Business and OddFauna were great, but you don’t really need to play them to know if they’re your type of game. What you should absolutely try while you’ve got the chance is the silly illuminated manuscripts game Scriptorium from the same folks behind comedy medieval illustrations battler Inkulinati. You’ve taken over your uncle’s scriptorium and accidentally made a deal with a devil, so now you’ve got to mix pigments and assemble sketches to fulfill requests like collaging together an elephant from memory. Not many games let you slap together goofy artwork, so it’s worth trying to find out if it’s your kind of cozy or not!
The Last Cat in the Universe
Andrea Shearton
I played a lot of Creature Kitchen recently, and it seems I’m destined to continue my cozy critter gaming spree for the month after tending to The Last Cat in The Universe demo. It should hardly take you half an hour to complete, but the sci-fi kitty-sitting clicker didn’t even need that long before it started tuggin’ on the ol’ heart strings. As a lonely AI on an abandoned space station, you’re tasked with one final order to protect the last cat. That directive mostly translates into mining resources and upgrading your laser, but when you head back home, you’re always greeted by a warm, comforting companion that I can’t help but adore.
The Witch’s Bakery
The Witch’s Bakery
I am an absolute sucker for a game that manages to encapsulate all the cosy warm vibes of a Studio Ghibli film, and that’s exactly what The Witch’s Bakery demo has. Parisian streets basking in golden hues, every night wrapping up with a gorgeous rooftop view of the city while Clair de Lune plays, and an adorable cat companion. Spend the day baking pastries and serving them to customers—occasionally using your witchy powers to heal their emotions through the power of sweet treats. Use the evenings to get to know your neighbours better, eat delicious croque monsieurs, and cook up new recipe ideas in your atelier. A game with all the comfort of biting into a warm croissant.
