How to Market Your Steam Next Fest Demo

Short answer: most players who try your demo during Steam Next Fest already heard of the game before the festival started. So the work happens in two waves. Three to four weeks before, build wishlists with your own clips and a first creator push. Then get creators the demo early, under embargo, so their videos go live the hour the festival opens. During the week itself, keep reposting, answering and reminding people to wishlist.

Steam Next Fest can put your demo in front of more players in one week than you would normally reach in months. It can also pass without anyone noticing, because hundreds of other demos are competing for the same front page. The studios that do well rarely have better games. They start earlier.

Next Fest runs three times a year, in February, June and October. Dates and registration rules for each edition are on the Steamworks Next Fest page.

Before the festival: get the demo right

Get to the fun fast. If the good part starts after 20 minutes of tutorial, most players never see it. Cut what you can and reach the core loop in the first few minutes. Steam's demo documentation covers how demos sit on your store page.

End on a reason to wishlist. The last thing a player sees should make them want more: a cliffhanger, a new mechanic, a boss they can't fight yet. Then a clear "Wishlist now" screen.

Update the store page. Festival visitors land on it first. Capsule, screenshots and the opening seconds of the trailer should show gameplay right away, and the page should say clearly that a demo is available. Our wishlist guide has the full store page checklist.

3 to 4 weeks before: the first wave

• Post short gameplay clips on TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
• Tell your Discord, newsletter and followers the date.
• Run a first creator push aimed at wishlists, so the game already has momentum when the festival list goes live.

Festival week: the second wave

This is the week to put most of the budget to work. A creator campaign timed with the festival gives players a reason to search for your game exactly when the demo is free to play.

Short-form creators fit this moment well. One video is often posted on three platforms, and a viewer can download the demo the same minute they see it.

Speed matters in a seven day window. On more than half of Trapster campaigns the first video is live within 3 hours of launch, and on two thirds within 24 hours. With an embargo you can go further: creators get the demo a few days early, record in advance and publish at the moment the festival opens.

For scale, here is what one short-form push did outside any festival: Clay Clinic took its page from zero to 16,750 wishlists in one day of posting at $0.16 each. A festival week adds a playable demo on top of that, so viewers can act the same minute.

Make it easy for creators

Creators make better videos when you help them:

• Send the demo early so they can record before the festival starts.
• Point to the best moments: a funny mechanic, a big boss, a satisfying loop. Give timestamps if the demo is long.
• Keep the rules short: show the game in the first two seconds, say the demo is free, link the Steam page.

During the festival: stay visible yourself

• Reshare the best creator videos on your own channels.
• Answer comments on the store page, in the Steam discussions and in Discord.
• Post short daily updates. Player counts, funny bugs, fan art. Anything that shows the game is alive.

After the festival: keep the momentum

The festival ends, the videos don't. Check wishlists per day for the whole week and match the jumps to what went live. Keep the demo up if it's still converting. What you learn about hooks is the most valuable input for your launch campaign.

Quick checklist

1. Demo reaches the core loop in the first few minutes
2. Clear wishlist screen at the end of the demo
3. Store page shows gameplay first and mentions the demo
4. Own clips posted 3 to 4 weeks before the festival
5. First creator wave aimed at wishlists before the festival
6. Second creator wave with the demo, timed for opening day
7. Best creator videos reshared during the week
8. Wishlists tracked daily and matched to what went live

FAQ

When should I start marketing for Steam Next Fest?
Three to four weeks before it opens at the latest. Players who already know the game are the ones who download the demo on day one.

Should creators post before or during Next Fest?
Both. Posts before the festival build wishlists and recognition. Posts on opening day send players straight to a demo they can play right now.

Can creators record the demo before the festival?
Yes, if you give them access early with an embargo on publishing. That way the videos are ready to go live the hour the festival starts.

How much does a Next Fest creator campaign cost on Trapster?
Each wave is a regular campaign starting at $3,000. Cost per wishlist on our recent campaigns ranged from $0.10 to $1.22; details in how much game influencer marketing costs.

Plan your festival with us

We run Next Fest campaigns in two waves: wishlists before the festival, demo videos on opening day. Every studio gets an account manager to help with timing and the brief. See the Next Fest plan or book a call.

Sources: Steamworks documentation on Next Fest and demos. Campaign figures come from Trapster case studies. Cost per wishlist excludes the platform fee.