Playtest your Next Fest demo before the festival
Next Fest puts your demo in front of a lot of new players at once, and most decide in the first minutes whether to keep playing. Watching a few people who play games like yours try it first shows you what to fix while there's still time.
Updated October 25, 2026.
What a few players will show you
- Where they quit, and in their own words why: the recording has their screen and their voice as they play.
- Where they get lost: a tutorial step nobody reads, a control nobody finds, a goal that isn't clear.
- Bugs and slow spots you stopped seeing after the hundredth run.
- Whether they want more: each player says if they'd keep playing, with a range on the share in the report.
Five to ten players usually show the biggest problems. A bigger test is for numbers you want to compare after you fix things.
When to book
Invitations go out an hour after you book. Players get 5 days to play, and the report is usually ready 2 days after that, so about 7 days in all. Book at least two weeks before the festival so there's time to fix what players hit, and run a second, smaller test on the fixed build if you can.
If your demo isn't public on Steam yet, you can test it first as a hidden Steam Playtest: upload Playtest keys and each invited player gets one. Make the public demo the one you take to the festival.
Which size to pick
- Quick Look (3 players), $49: a first look, one per studio.
- Demo Check (5 players), $99: enough to find the biggest problems.
- Demo Read 10 (10 players), $179: more voices before you lock the build.
Every size includes each player's recording and transcript, their answers and a summary. All prices, a sample report and how a playtest works.
Indie Jury isn't affiliated with Valve or Steam Next Fest.