Steam Next Fest June 2026 had a quiet contradiction at its center.

Disclosed AI use fell to 11 percent of the field, down from 17 percent in February. But when Kotaku spot-checked sixteen random demos, ten of them showed signs of AI content. The field didn't use less AI. It disclosed less of it.

Here's the part that matters if you're planning an October entry. In the widest Next Fest field on record, 4,931 demos with a median of 200 wishlists, the breakout was a two-person handcrafted team. IRON NEST finished at 99 percent Overwhelmingly Positive and gained 124,622 wishlists in five days.

AI raised the noise floor. Execution decided who got noticed.

Full breakdown, every number sourced: