Steam Next Fest October 2026 and Scream V Halloween Sale: Full Dates
Steam Next Fest: October 2026 Edition runs from Monday, October 19 at 10 AM Pacific to Monday, October 26 at 10 AM Pacific. In Southeast Asia that is Tuesday, October 20 at 00:00 WIB (01:00 Malaysia and Singapore time) to Tuesday, October 27 at 00:00 WIB (01:00 MYT/SGT). For seven days you can play free demos of games that have not been released yet. The moment Next Fest closes, Steam opens Steam Scream V, its festival for horror and Halloween games and effectively this year’s Steam Halloween sale, which lasts until Monday, November 2 at 10 AM Pacific. Every date below comes from Valve’s Steamworks event pages, converted to local time.
Steam Next Fest October 2026 and Scream V Schedule
The United States is still on daylight saving time (PDT, UTC-7) in late October, so Pacific time is exactly 14 hours behind WIB and 15 hours behind Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.
| Event | Steam time (Pacific) | WIB (UTC+7) | MYT/SGT (UTC+8) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Cooking Fest ends | Mon, Oct 19, 10 AM | Tue, Oct 20, 00:00 | Tue, Oct 20, 01:00 |
| Steam Next Fest begins | Mon, Oct 19, 10 AM | Tue, Oct 20, 00:00 | Tue, Oct 20, 01:00 |
| Official Steam Scream V trailer | Thu, Oct 22 | Time not announced | Time not announced |
| Next Fest ends, Scream V begins | Mon, Oct 26, 10 AM | Tue, Oct 27, 00:00 | Tue, Oct 27, 01:00 |
| Next Fest Wrap-Up page launches | Oct 26, after the fest | Oct 27 | Oct 27 |
| Steam Scream V ends | Mon, Nov 2, 10 AM | Tue, Nov 3, 00:00 or 01:00 | Tue, Nov 3, 01:00 or 02:00 |
The Next Fest dates and times are listed in the Steam Next Fest October 2026 documentation, and they match the start and end timestamps on the event page in the Steam store.
Why the Scream V End Time Can Shift by an Hour
Steamworks says Scream V ends on “2 November @ 10:00am PDT”. However, the United States returns to standard time on Sunday, November 1, 2026, so on November 2 the Pacific zone is on PST (UTC-8). If Steam follows local Pacific time, the sale closes at 01:00 WIB (02:00 MYT/SGT) on Tuesday, November 3. If the PDT label is taken literally, it closes an hour earlier. The safe move is to finish any Scream V shopping before the end of Monday, November 2.
What Is Steam Next Fest October 2026?
Valve describes Steam Next Fest as a multi-day celebration where players try out demos, chat with developers, watch livestreams, and learn about upcoming games on Steam. It runs three times a year, in February, June, and October.
A few participation rules that matter to players:
- Every game is unreleased. Games need a public demo when the fest starts and must launch after Next Fest ends on October 26, 2026.
- No prologues or “chapter 1” releases. A demo version of content that is already on sale is not eligible.
- One Next Fest per game. A game that took part in June 2026 will not be back in October.
- No official Steam livestream. Since the October 2024 edition, developer livestreams live in a separate tab and are optional.
Some demos are already playable before October 19. Developers can release a demo any time before the fest, and the press preview opened on October 8. Any demo released for that preview is public to everyone on Steam.
How to Play Free Demos During Steam Next Fest
- Open the Steam Next Fest page in the Steam app or a browser and log in. Personalized recommendations only appear for logged-in accounts.
- Pick a game and download its demo. Next Fest demos are free and do not use your Steam Wallet balance.
- Wishlist the games you like. Since July 2026, Steam wishlists support custom categories, so you can file everything under something like “Next Fest October 2026”. Steam also highlights wishlisted games that have a demo and can notify you when a demo is released for a game on your wishlist.
- Come back after a few days. According to Steamworks, the first few days of Next Fest are randomized in every section except named lists and personalized segments. After that, carousels are ordered by an algorithm based on what similar players are trying during the fest.
- Play before Next Fest closes. Valve encourages developers to leave demos up after the fest, but the choice is theirs. A demo you want could disappear on October 26.
- Check the Wrap-Up page. Once the fest ends, Steam publishes a page featuring the games with the most played demos of the October 2026 edition.
Steam Scream V: The 2026 Steam Halloween Sale for Horror Games
Steam Scream V is the fifth edition of Steam’s Halloween festival. This year Valve narrowed it to horror: classic horror, psychological horror, body horror, jump scares, and supernatural or uncanny themes. Games that are specifically about Halloween can still join even if they are not horror, for example a game with Halloween in the title or trick-or-treating as a feature. That rule applies to the base game only. Halloween DLC or a Halloween event inside a game does not make it eligible.
The Scream V page is split into discounted games, unreleased Coming Soon titles, games with demos, and more. Developers can enter discounts right up to the start of the event, so the full list of deals only appears on October 26 at 10 AM Pacific. The official trailer goes live on October 22. The sale page itself will not feature livestreams, although developers may stream on their own store pages.
Steam Events After Scream V
According to the Upcoming Steam Events page on Steamworks, these are next:
| Event | Steam dates |
|---|---|
| Auto-Battler RPG Fest | November 16 to 23, 2026 |
| Winter Sale 2026 | December 17, 2026 to January 4, 2027 |
| Steam Next Fest February 2027 | February 22 to March 1, 2027 |
| Steam Next Fest June 2027 | June 14 to 21, 2027 |
Start times for these events have not been detailed for players yet.
Steam Wallet for Scream V
Next Fest demos cost nothing. You only need wallet funds if you plan to buy discounted horror games during Scream V or a wishlisted game once it launches. For accounts with a Rupiah wallet, Steam Wallet IDR codes on ItemGame do not require a User ID. Redeem steps, wallet currency rules, and Steam’s refund policy are covered in our guide to redeeming a Steam Wallet code.
FAQ
When does Steam Next Fest October 2026 start? Monday, October 19, 2026 at 10 AM Pacific, which is Tuesday, October 20 at 00:00 WIB or 01:00 Malaysia and Singapore time. It ends Tuesday, October 27 at 00:00 WIB (01:00 MYT/SGT).
Are Steam Next Fest demos free? Yes. Every demo can be downloaded without paying and without using Steam Wallet funds.
When is the Steam Halloween sale 2026? This year’s Halloween sale is Steam Scream V, from October 26 to November 2 at 10 AM Pacific. In WIB that is Tuesday, October 27 at 00:00 until the early hours of Tuesday, November 3.
Can I still play demos after Next Fest ends? It depends on the developer. Valve recommends keeping demos live, but developers may remove them, so play the ones you want before October 27, 00:00 WIB.
When is the next Steam Next Fest? The next editions run February 22 to March 1, 2027, and June 14 to 21, 2027.
