My name is Patrick, and I am the Art Director for Zockrates Laboratories, the indie studio currently developing Ruffy and the Riverside. Together with our publisher, Phiphen Games, we are proud to announce that Ruffy and the Riverside will be released on PlayStation 5 on June 26, 2025. We are happy to contribute to Playstation's tradition of representing innovative and unique gameplay.

A platformer adventure with unique gameplay
Ruffy and the Riverside is a platformer adventure with truly unique gameplay. When Ruffy isn't jumping, running, skating, or gliding, he is using his unique Swap ability. With the Swap, you can copy and paste textures to change the game world, solve puzzles, beat enemies, and eventually save the world. Just grab a texture and throw it somewhere else, and the world will change! It is as easy as it sounds and has huge impacts: Transform water into ice to cross an ocean. Throw a climbing vine onto a waterfall, and you can climb up. With the Swap, you can exchange materials, symbols, the sun for the moon, and all colors. If you color birds the same color, they might end up as a couple. Apples are more yummy when they are red, and some bushes will drop coins if they have a golden look. Of course, the Swap can help in combat, too. Why not freeze an enemy or catch him in flight by turning him into stone? The elements are on your side if you swap them wisely. Use your imagination and make it happen. It really feels magic to swap things.

Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive are excited to share a Reaction Trailer for their upcoming game RoadCraft, celebrating its demo's success during Steam Next Fest and allowing everyone to witness all kinds of memorable moments filled with truckloads of fun. The next-gen heavy-machinery simulation and sandbox game where players reshape the Aftermath is coming May 20 to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

The demo is still live for a few days!
In one week, over 350,000 players tried out the RoadCraft demo. With almost 12,000 simultaneous active users, it ranks 3rd most played demo during the Steam Next Fest. Having been greeted so warmly, the demo has won an extended lifetime following its Steam Next Fest participation, giving everyone the opportunity to get in on the fun… or go back to it until March 20, 6 pm CET!

Hello everyone, RoadCraft's demo has been rolling for the past week, and seeing so many of you give a try to our game filled us with joy! Thousands of you downloaded and tried out the demo and you covered altogether more than 2 billion km on the demo, which is absolutely awesome! We've custom-made this demo to give you a sample of the gameplay and vehicles, but be assured that you're far from having seen everything! Now, we are focused on carefully reading your feedback, and we want to address some of them before we release the full game on May 20th.

First, the elephant in the room, the absence of fuel consumption
We know that fuel consumption is a core element in SnowRunner or Expeditions. But RoadCraft is a totally new experience for us, in the simulation field. It has been developed on a new iteration of our engine, and its technical specifications differ from those of our other games. For those reasons, it doesn't offer the same gameplay features. Map exploration and traversal is not as central, rebuilding and reshaping terrain are. When we started the development, we initially had a fuel consumption system, however this mechanic was tedious and didn't bring anything interesting to the core gameplay of the game. However, it doesn't mean we want to throw away the idea without any reflection, and especially after seeing all your feedback on it. We might think about integrating fuel consumption, but later on, in a new game mode for example.

Hello Builders, time to roll up your sleeves! The RoadCraft demo is now live for Steam Next Fest. Whether solo or with up to 4 friends, clear debris, restore roads, and bring industries back to life! Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive have shared an announcement trailer for RoadCraft's first playable demo (see below), available until March 3. Players can finally get hands-on with the next-gen heavy-machinery simulation and sandbox game where they will reshape the Aftermath. Fans of Saber's simulation expertise as well as construction and heavy-machinery lovers can dig into this demo before pre-ordering. Coming May 20 to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, the Standard and Rebuild Editions are already available for pre-order on Steam, PlayStation Store, and Microsoft Store.

A comprehensive RoadCraft co-op warm-up
In RoadCraft, you take on a challenging enterprise as a front-line rebuilder, reviving shattered industries in a range of disaster-stricken environments across the globe. Your mission is to deploy an impressive fleet of construction vehicles to clear debris, reactivate dormant factories, and rebuild crucial infrastructure like roads and bridges to revive local production. During Steam Next Fest, players get to test three maps with unique environments and sets of missions. Specifically designed for the demo, they provide a substantial taste of the full game experience, showcasing the immersive, seamless blend of driving, operating construction machinery, and managing reconstruction resources, all powered by a cutting-edge visual and physics simulation. This co-op build lets up to four players join forces ahead of many more team endeavors in the final game.

You heard us the first time! The demo is playable RIGHT NOW! GO GO! Welcome to Kaso-Machi, where chaos goblins and crime mysteries await! For the first time EVER, you can get hands on with our colourful, sentient (of course, why wouldn't they be?!) mascots, get behind the wheel of your truck, and start discovering the mysteries that await you in Promise Mascot Agency! GO GO GO!

Delve into this open-world, genre-bending, creature collector, RPG. Be the boss, turn a profit, and collect the most chaotic roster of bizarre mascots. Severed pinky fingers run businesses? Sobbing Tofu! A Very Innocent Cat!? Oh my! Experience the star-studded cast FOR THE FIRST TIME! Featuring the dulcet tones of Takaya Kuroda (Yakuza's Kiryu Kazuma), Ayano Shibuya (Zelda Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom), and introducing Nobuyuki Hiyama (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask) as Captain Sign! So what are you waiting for? Mascots of every variety are waiting to be put on your books in this epic new 80-minute demo, now available as part of Steam Next Fest!

We're proud to reveal Chip 'n' Clawz vs. The Brainioids, a new action-packed strategy game that combines thrilling third-person action with the strategic depth of real-time strategy (RTS) gameplay - all set in a colorful, comic book-style world brimming with a unique cast of characters. Whether strategizing in battle or diving into the action firsthand, you will find a uniquely engaging and heroic adventure that keeps you coming back for more.

PLAY THE DEMO
As part of Steam Next Fest: February Edition from February 24 to March 3, the first-ever demo of Chip 'n' Clawz vs. The Brainioids will be available for you to experience this exciting heroic action RTS adventure before it launches on PC, Xbox and PlayStation this spring with cross-platform play support at launch. The demo will give you plenty of Chip 'n' Clawz action to dive into, as it'll feature online and local campaign co-op and PvP multiplayer support, four Mission levels, two Challenge levels, two PvP maps, and plenty of weapons, mods, collectibles and base building options! If you want to join the Chip 'n' Clawz community and find fellow Earthlings to adventure with or challenge in PvP, join the official Chip 'n' Clawz Discord!

Ale Abbey is now released in Early Access! Enjoy a 10% launch discount until March 4th, and you can enjoy the Brewmaster Edition with the entire game soundtrack. We hope you'll enjoy the game to its fullest. If you did, don't forget to leave us a review—it helps us a lot!

The game was announced in 2022 and was covered every week on IndieDB. It then joined Steam in 2024, and after last year's Next Fest and the first demo becoming available. We are happy to count you as one of our brewers! It was a long time in the making, and no matter when you joined the journey, we have built this abbey, and now it's finally time for you to brew something in it.

Altergaze is thrilled to announce that HoverGrease 2 will be part of Steam Next Fest: February 2025, giving players the first chance to experience the adrenaline-fueled action of its single-player campaign and 5v5 multiplayer mode during special weekend playtests. This is the first opportunity to dive into HoverGrease 2 and explore its high-speed combat, deep strategy, and diverse mutant roster ahead of launch.

Whether you prefer mastering a story-driven campaign or testing your skills in competitive multiplayer, the demo offers something for every player.

As autumn arrives, Valve's Steam platform is heating up the gaming world with its latest Steam Next Fest. From now until October 21st, gamers can dive into hundreds of free demos from upcoming indie titles, turning their homes into a virtual gaming convention. Steam Next Fest spotlights indie projects and games from smaller development teams, offering various genres, from action RPGs to building strategies and visual novels. Valve compares the event to traditional gaming fairs, with one key advantage: players can try out demos at their leisure, without the time constraints and crowds typically found at physical events. To help users navigate the vast selection, Steam's homepage features an algorithmically curated discovery list tailored to each user's gaming preferences. Additional sorting options include lists of the most popular games, soon-to-be-released titles, and the most requested games participating in the fest.

For those seeking specific experiences, games can be filtered by categories such as action, adventure, strategy, and more. One of the event's unique aspects is that developers can only participate once with a particular game, ensuring that most demos are available to the public for the first time. This exclusivity adds to the excitement, giving players a first look at upcoming releases. Enhancing the interactive experience, Steam Next Fest also features numerous live streams where developers showcase their games, provide behind-the-scenes insights, and engage with the audience through Q&A sessions. These streams offer a personal touch, mimicking the developer interactions one might have at a physical gaming convention.