Steam Next Fest is meant to put indie demos in front of players, but this October’s crowded lineup has turned discovery into a flashpoint. Players are asking Valve for a way to filter out AI-generated content, as complaints about low-effort listings add another hurdle to finding games worth trying.
A bigger lineup, with more to sort through
The festival began on October 19, 2026, with 8,202 playable demos, according to Gagadget and The Outpost. That is more than twice last year’s total, Gagadget reported, making the hunt for standouts a bigger job even before AI became part of the argument.
IGN reported that browsing the event turned up games with artwork that appeared AI-generated, along with titles promoted using AI-generated images or described as made entirely with AI. Its coverage also found players saying they had to dig through these listings to find human-made games, with the event seeming to have more low-effort submissions than usual.
Players want more control over discovery
A Steam subreddit user called for more ways to personalize the Discovery Queue, including filtering games that disclose AI-generated content and excluding selected tags such as Incremental Games. Steam requires developers to disclose AI-generated content, but the disclosure does not currently give players a dedicated filter for sorting the festival’s lineup.
IGN noted that Valve would need to add AI as a tag for that kind of filter to work, and that it cut back the number of user-defined tags in May. Gagadget likewise reported that Steam has no dedicated AI tag players can search for, leaving the requested option dependent on a change to the platform’s discovery tools.
Other subreddit users described AI-associated and low-effort games as getting in the way of browsing, while one argued that weaker engagement could prompt Valve to tighten submission guidelines. The frustration is about more than an individual store page: for players using Next Fest to find new projects, the quality of discovery depends on being able to narrow a very large pool.
Valve’s algorithm remains the current sorting tool
Low-effort submissions are not new to Steam, and Valve has generally relied on its algorithms to push popular games higher while less popular ones sink. IGN said this festival appeared worse than previous events, while noting that popular demos may rise naturally and bury lower-effort listings after a few days.
That leaves players with a wait-and-browse approach while the festival’s recommendations shift. The debate also arrives as AI use in game development grows more common, putting Valve’s existing disclosure and tagging setup under renewed pressure during one of Steam’s biggest demo showcases.
