The Overlooked Sideshows of Summer Game Fest 2026

The big game reveal week for 2026 has come and gone in a whirlwind. It’s been… a lot, to say the least. The main show event was dominated by some honestly great surprises like Resident Evil: Veronica remake, that there is going to be a Guild Wars 3, The Wolf Among Us 2, and of course, a huge trailer for the third part of the Final Fantasy 7 game, Revelation. There really was a lot to like.

However, I’m not here for those titles. As we know from leaked data from previous years, a trailer on the main show costs six digits or more. Games that end up here often already have a huge budget for production and advertisement, and don’t need the additional hype. Instead, I’m here for all of the side shows that accompany the main one. Did you know that if you go to the youtube page for Summer Game Fest, there are twelve co-sponsored different shows aside from the main one? Twelve. Thirteen if you count Day of the Devs that follows the main event on the same stream, and that’s without counting the separate Nintendo Direct, which I don’t feel the need to cover here.

I’ve spent the last weekend and a few days catching up on all of these shows, doing a little digging, and now I want to showcase a lot of games that I don’t want to have buried in the hype of the main show. Many of these are indie, some of them are strange, and to be honest… many might not be to your own personal taste. However, I feel like you can see the love and attention put into them thanks to an attached interview or just the production value. I tried to choose those that had demos as well, so you can test them out yourself.

I’ve covered seven game shows in this article, and a whopping thirty-six games summarized; I kept my game picks for each show between 4-6, or else I would have been here forever. I’ve also added a small mini ‘review’ of each show based on my own perspective. Some people like just trailers, while others want lots of interviews. I’m somewhere in between, where I want some developer and designer thoughts but not enough to slow down the flow. Finally, my personal opinion about games will skew things, as I’m 40 and grew up through the ‘classics’. I like a lot of genres, but ones based around the spectacle of extreme violence or which are extremely cozy (no tension at all) aren’t usually my thing. I highly suggest you watch through some of these shows on your own time so you don’t miss anything.

One last side note: I checked the games on steam to see if there was any AI used. I wanted to spotlight games made by humans specifically; if you hear or see that any of the games I listed used AI to be created, let me know so I can change the list. With that being said, here we go!

Day Of The Devs: The Polished Side Show

If there’s one show that got it right, it’s Day of the Devs. It’s the show that comes on directly after Summer Game Fest, so it probably is the most well known. Started in 2012, it’s a not-for-profit that was begun by Double Fine Productions and iam8bit, with Tim Schaefer of Psychonauts fame being the one who’s beat the drum for this sort of show the longest. Each reveal is accompanied by a small polished introduction that highlights the studio and what the game is about, and each game trailer usually comes alongside someone from the game studio talking about their game passionately.

• Tenebris Somnia - Movie Horror, Old school Gameplay. I’m not usually a ‘jump scare horror’ sort of person, but I’m just blown away by the audacity of this project. It’s a classic point and click adventure.. But is intermixed with live action horror cutscenes. You wouldn’t be remiss to think this is trying to be a campy callback to the original Resident Evil, but you have to really watch the trailer for yourself. There’s even a demo, if you're really curious. A real director that’s really leaning into putting quality into the project… it’s worth your appreciation even if it isn’t for you.
• 33 Immortals - MMORPG Lite (Complimentary). So by the time this article has come out, I’ve bought this game and absolutely love playing with friends. I really enjoy when game devs challenge themselves to work in different genres, so when the people behind Spiritfarer decided to make a game where you attack heaven alongside 32 other sickos? Wonderful. As an Ex-MMORPG player, this scratches a very particular itch, and the gorgeous art you’d expect from these guys elevates it. It’s worth 13 bucks, even if the gimmick gets old for you after a few hours. Expect a review from me after I manage to take on the final boss and win.
• Dreadmoor - Oh Goody, Fishing For Existential Dread! A few years ago we fell in love with Dredge, a game about fishing in an area of the world where things have gone terribly wrong. Whether you liked the gameplay (or the ending) or not, almost everyone agreed that the mood was perfectly on point. In that same vein, here comes Dreadmoor, a game that according to the trailer is promising another fishing-spooky experience, but leaning into more of the act of fishing with needing different lures, keeping your boat fixed up, etc. I’m excited and following, but a note of caution: while researching, I discovered that this game was revealed a year ago and people had concerns about false advertising. I’m still optimistic because I trust Day of the Devs to have picked their games to advertise themselves, but do your own research as it gets closer to release in the winter of 2026.

• Threads of Time - We All Love Chrono Trigger, Right? I’m sorry if my subtitle is a little on the nose, but I can’t help myself. Chronotrigger is one of the most beloved ‘classic’ games I can think of, and one that’s been waiting for a modern spiritual sequel. With this game leaning into jumping around time and an absolutely jaw dropping pixel-art style, it’s very much on the nose. If you watch the trailer, you can see how the developers themselves are complete fanboys of the original. While I’m worried they might be promising too much in some of their boasts, this is on my wishlist due to a heady mix of nostalgia and ambition.
• Shot One Fighters - Roguelike Street Fighter?! This one is very simple: they are promising a Street Fighter experience where you learn your moves during runs, building up your fighter as you go. It has a lot of wishlists and is preparing for a Kickstarter campaign, but I love this blend of genres as a concept. Check the trailer for yourself to see if the art style and promise is right for you.

• Super Yooka-Laylee Kart - Classic 32 bit Racing Love. This one is another appeal to nostalgia, but it loks so well done I couldn’t help myself. I remember playing SNES Mario Kart when visiting my friends very fondly, and this game really tries to re-capture that style in form and function. If its price point is low, it’ll be an impulse buy from me.

Wholesome Direct - Let’s Relax And Enjoy Our Games, Okay

This show is always an interesting one to cover for me because of an inherent paradox. On one hand, I’m an elder millennial who was raised on Goldeneye and well, games all about violence and conflict; if a game feels too ‘cozy’, it’s hard for me to fully invest. On the other hand, I just adore the cozy community for a bunch of reasons. People curate exactly what they like to play, love sharing their creations with each other, and well… this is the one showcase where turning on the live comments doesn’t just immediately fill you up with bile and hatred.

Also? Shout out to the people who make this show and put timestamps directly into their finished video. It’s a small thing, but again, goes to show the care they put into giving their community what they want front and center.

• Moonlight Peaks - Vampire Stardew Valley. This one is an easy explanation: it looks like Stardew Valley/Animal Crossing, but everything’s now a cute/spooky purple. I say this with love, as I know many, many people who would love this. You are a vampire living in a monster town, just trying to find a place. I liked how your daily chores can be automated with spells and the like, giving it a genre gimmick I enjoy. What’s best is the game is coming out soon on July 6th, and currently has a demo! See for yourself if it stands on its own.

• Discounty - Ah Yes, “Cozy Capitalism”. I fell in love with this game when I saw this trailer years ago. In the middle of a slew of strictly ‘good vibes only’ games, the fact that this game was blending a usual cozy game loop with some uncomfortable talks about aggressive companies ruining small towns… I was in. This game has been out now for nearly a year, and people enjoyed it, but felt it ended too abruptly and without enough choice for the multiple endings. However with this new announcement, a huge free update to the game to give more content, endings, and player agency has made the game shoot up to very positive. Discounty still has a free demo available and is only $20 when full price.. Expect a review sometime this year on this one.
• Dungeon Tourists - Multiplayer Photo Mode. So for anyone who is old enough to remember Pokemon Snap is going to understand this game immediately. You are a bunch of cats taking pictures in minecarts of a dungeon you get to visit. And… that’s it! Lots of hand drawn style art, low res, and good fun. It very much seems to be a ‘friendslop’ game, as much as I hate that term. No conflict might make it not quite my thing, but if it’s a low enough price point, I can see myself enjoying a few trips with friends.
• Lou’s Lagoon - Seaplanes, Crafting, and Adventure. I know I said I don’t like many games without conflict, but I realize conflict can have multiple meanings. While this game doesn’t have fighting, it makes up for that through having a real story. Looking for your lost uncle, you craft and build to help rebuild a community, and have access to cool gadgets in a way that reminds me of Mario Sunshine or Slime Rancher. Best yet, Lou’s Lagoon comes out in just over a month (August 2026) and has a demo so you can see for yourself right now if it’s a good fit!
• Croakwood - It Takes A Village (Of Frogs). I love a good city builder that has its own aesthetic and mood, and Croakwood certainly seems to fit the bill. You build a small community of frogs in a swamp, explore the map, discover secrets, and get to watch a whole town slowly grow. It looks like a great game for those who appreciate games like Against The Storm and Frostpunk, but want (a lot) less stress in the process. Coming out to Early access in the winter of 2026.

• Tales of Seikyu - Art That Elevates A Farming Sim. Before this stream, I don’t remember hearing about Tales of Seikyu before, and that honestly surprises me. Reading about it on paper, it sounds like a clone: a distant land where you farm, lots of romanceable options, some ruins to explore… that sounds like many games that you can write off as quick clones. However, Tales struck me because of its gorgeous art and theming. The island is filled with Yokai, you can transform into various creatures… and well, just look at the 1.0 trailer for yourself! Out since June 11th, it has great reviews, and the world genuinely feels lived in rather than just an empty sandbox.

Southeast Asian Games Online - Regional Spooky Horror

Here we have one of the first ‘regional’ showcases I really tried to review, and I feel two ways about it. On one hand, part of me feels a little strange breaking down games by location in the world. On the other, it’s just really great to see so many different game devs having a chance to find a wider audience and show off some hometown flair. It’s also fun to see how certain regions seem to move towards a particular genre or theme each year. For this showcase? Horror. Lots of horror, or at least spookiness.

Also, it was really great to see Victoria Tran show up a few minutes into the showcase, showing off how the Outersloth initiative is paying forward the success of Among Us to let other small dev teams get published. There was a lot of games from a lot of genres here, and I definitely didn’t get all of the ones I liked written down; looking at my list before publishing, I was apparently in a card game mood.

• Nightmare Circus - The String Is The Thing. At first look, I just thought “oh cool, a nifty circus themed Bastion. Then, I looked a little deeper and saw they went all in on the concept, letting you use the strings on your marionette protagonist to cause chaos in your environment and deal with bosses. It’s got a demo for you to try, and should be out for spooky season.
• Meaningless Random Numbers - I Have No Way To Summarize This Game. Sometimes, words don’t work. So uh, here’s a game that’s incremental (Cookie Clicker?) and random/gambling (Balatro?), but somehow you have a gun as you punch in random numbers, and God can punish you?! I literally have no idea, but I have my eye on it. There’s a demo, but even if this doesn’t interest you, you owe yourself a favor to watch the trailer.
• Montabi - Monster Collecting And Card Collecting, Can’t Say No To That! As someone who grew up alongside Pokemon, any game that tackles monster collecting in a new and fun way has my attention. This being a game that mixes deck-building ala Slay The Spire combat with a tactical grid into that theme, I’m immediately interested. The fact that it’s got a unique aesthetic and a plot about saving your hometown puts it over the top. It comes out in August 2026, and could scratch the itch for multiple genres at once.

• Just a Shadow Game - See Montabi, But Make It Spooky. The trailer had some Inception vibes, which is why it caught my attention. At the end of the day, it looks to be a tactical deckbuilding strategy game, but its drenched in blacks and reds, where the powers are based around sacrificing your own cards and creatures to attain power. It’s got a free demo, and is a great example of how some people might love this but not like Montabi, or Vice-Versa.
• Duo Quest - Friendship As A Powerup. For the third time this showcase, I saw another new take on Slay The Spire. It’s very obviously indie, with a more classic fantasy pixel aesthetic. The twist? You play with two players… and you can fuse cards by answering trivia about the other player. It’s very niche, but I appreciate it exists. Also, a free demo, with it coming out in September!
• 13z: The Zodiac Trials - Pretty Action Game Go Whrrrr. Not to over-simplify, but this one grabbed just because it seemed fun. It’s an action-adventure game where you play as anthropomorphic beings competing to become the 13th zodiac symbol. Lots of Roguelite trademarks are here, such as randomized buffs. What put it over the top besides a very distinct art style? It’s multiplayer, and there’s also a demo. No idea on cost, but if it retails in the $30-$40 range, I’m definitely in to play with friends!

Black Voices in Gaming - Pirates And Pacing Issues

Next up we have a showcase that unfortunately, had some pacing issues. It took a very different tactic than many E3-style showcases by trying to give a lot of long form interviews to developers rather than just flash up a bunch of different games really quickly, but things lingered enough where you could lose the plot. A great example would be the interview with Stephen Oyarijivbie; it was a great bit of content about the use of combat and conflict in video games, but it felt more like a podcast conversation. It also just felt out of place because after listening twice, I don’t think they mentioned what games Stephen worked on, such as the heavily influential modern God of War series, and it wasn’t tied to any new game or reveal. There were some game trailers less than a minute long with then 15+ minutes of talking directly after.

I appreciate the different methodology, but I’m hoping they refine this approach next year to have a better balance. Despite my criticisms, I still found some great games in this showcase that might be relevant to many:

• Black Sailors - A Historical Retelling of the Age of Pirates. Of all the games shown, this is maybe one of my favorites. I love a good history deep dive, and I enjoy that during the trailer, it was made clear how they were approaching the game. Made from the Afro-Brazilian perspective, it’s going to focus on piracy and liberation, with a crew filled with different historical backgrounds looking for different goals, rather than just ‘yar-har, I want my treasure’. As a turn-based strategy game, this is up my alley since I’m a huge X-Com fan. Also, its trailer is probably the best from this showcase, blending developer thoughts and gameplay footage well. Out in 2027.
• Rogue Eclipse - Music, Lights, Space Adventure. In contrast, this game reveal was a classic trailer. There isn’t much to say besides that it looked fun and intense. A spaceship game in the Starfox tradition, set to thumping music and it’s own specific aesthetic, it looks like a fun ride.

• Truck-kun is Supporting Me from Another World?! - An Isekai Gone Horribly Wrong/Right. I was not expecting this one, but I couldn’t stop laughing. From Strange Scaffold, the same people behind El Paso, Elsewhere, this is a game where… well, you accidentally turned someone into an anime elf stuck in another world, and you need to get her back. And apparently the way you do this is… go on a GTA style car rampage? From the steam page itself: “Run over pedestrians to turn them into monsters Carissa can slay for stars and XP. It's fine! Don't worry! Stop thinking about it!!” It comes out July 29th, and it seems so ridiculous that it’s delightful.
• Carrier Cuties: Pets in Mechs - Powerstone inspired silliness. One more, a game that I feel needs a bit more time, but has a lot of promise. The main pull is that the developers Cornerstone are trying to bring back cult classic Power Stone, which always is admirable. The theme of being pets in a post apocalypse piloting human mechs feels a little too silly for me, but I do appreciate the commitment, with hte robots being sculpted in real life out of clay, then scanned in an attempt to get a unique style. I hope they succeed!

Deutsch Indie Games - Tightly Packed Indie Games And Thumping Electronica

With some of the more well known showcases out of the way, onto some more niche ones. This showcase was dedicated for games created in a specific world region; namely, from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. I didn’t even know this existed until digging for it, so I’m hoping there’s a few gems for gamers I can help uncover. Just one last joke I have to make: with this being one of the shortest showcases and stuffed with trailers set to fast EDM music with barely any pauses… not beating any allegations about efficiency here.

Covering the last two showcases back to back, I’m realizing there’s a sweet spot between them. There’s a part in this one about 3 minutes in where they showcase a whole bunch of games for only 10-15 seconds each, and I was super excited for about half of them, but had absolutely no details given. With there being so many games out every year now, you need to sell a game by explaining why it’s unique, which they could have done more here.

• EverRail - Cold PvP Snowpiercer. I’m a huge fan of co-op experiences, especially when they are all about putting pressure on the whole team. In this 1st/3rd person shooter, EverRail is a game about being survivors on massive trains that criss-cross an icy landscape. It is your home that you have to update and repair… or die. A mix of action and survival, there’s a lot of potential here. I enjoy how the amount of ‘passengers’ on the train are essentially your lives left before game over. It has a demo for you to try right now, and is hitting early access this summer.
• Chop Chop Inc - A… Furniture Revenge Simulator? This one is up my alley. I’ve come to love smaller games that are just about taking a simple premise as far as you can, and this is no exception. Made from some of the same devs who made Endzone, they’ve shifted to comedy, where you are fired from a bad job and decide to open a wooden furniture store to prove you are better. Yes, you have the classic survival-crafting axe. And yes, you get to use it for everything. Like computers. Just check out the demo for yourself, you’ll be happy you did. Out August 2026.

• Cards and Cannons - Tower defense Dorfromantik. Sorry to do the “it’s like X game, but also like X”, but it’s just exactly what it says on the tin… and I love that. Dorfromantik is a very fun cozy puzzler, but sometimes you want just a little conflict to go with your puzzle. Enter Cards & Cannons, where you use your card deck to build your island, your defenses, and even sometimes what enemies you’ll be dealing with that day. It just looks like a great indie title that scratches a few genre itches at the same time.
• Moonlords: Tides of Battle - Retro RTS. It has a retro RTS feel for anyone who remembers Warcraft 2, with it’s major promise being that it will be all about large battles without focusing on micro movements. For someone who loves the genre but isn’t very good competitively, it just seems like a lot of fun without getting too serious. No release date yet.

Green Games Showcase - Good Games, Frustrating Podcast Style

I promise this article isn’t me trying to be overly critical, but through this article I’ve learned that I’m not a fan of the casual podcast style presentation when it comes to showcases. Each time a showcase had multiple presenters attempting to banter with each other instead of focusing on the game’s development or specifics, I found myself tuning out or feeling frustrated.

Green Games Showcase is a great example of the positives and negatives of this format. On one hand, I really appreciate the attempted theming of each section here, and I really did like them using their time to talk about the environmental initiatives and showcases they help promote on Steam. On the other hand, some of the breaks between game trailers or reveals were more than six minutes long, which felt gratuitous. One more side note: they showcased Furi, which was from 2016, and Haven, which was from 2020. I’m still trying to figure out why.

Regardless, this was one of the showcases that had some of the fastest ‘yes I need to play this game’ responses I had this whole summer showcase, I just hope they tighten up the show a little more for next year.

• Hawthorn - Building A Community, One Mouse At A Time. Play as mice and other woodland creatures as you craft a home in the middle of the woods for your creatures to thrive together. The concept is broad and intimidating: it looks to have a main story, but also wants to be a survival/simulation game where you are building and creating a whole village. However, former developers from giants such as BioWare and Naughty Dog have signed onto this one, so definitely keeping an eye out. Plus, you can ride owls! Check out the demo for yourself.
• Primordial Empire - Microscopic Battles: Combat Evolved. An RTS that is bright, colorful, and alien. It takes that original Spore stage of trying to evolve past a single cell organism and turns it into a strange world where you are creating species, turning them into colonies, and carving your way in a world dominated by an evolutionary arms race. Definitely a unique take, and the demo still has a 100% review rating.
• Penguin Colony - Cosmic Horror, Nazis, and Wildlife. This one is absolutely fascinating, and showed up in multiple shows for good reason! Here’s the basic premise: What if you were a penguin who just was in the wrong place at the wrong time? Heavily taking from Lovecraft’s Mountains of Madness, a bunch of nazis in 1939 head to the Antarctic looking for secrets and awaken something they shouldn’t. You, as a local, just happen to become a witness. Amazing idea, and the fact that it’s narrated by Lenval Brown, the amazing voice actor who narrated Disco Elysium, is icing on the cake. It’s out this October, and even has a demo so you can give it a shot yourself.

• Fantastic Haven - A City Builder AND Cute Creatures?! This game is probably the best distillation of what the green games showcase is about, mixing gameplay, environmentalism, and a fun concept. Here, you are building a wildlife refuge for magical creatures who are going extinct. In doing so, you are helping stabilize magic and keeping balance in the world. Again, an environmental theme that still feels fun and unique. It’s coming out later this year and has a free demo; I’m excited to play a game that reminds me of Frostpunk but is a lot less depressing.
• Strange Seed - Spore, But For Chaos Gremlins. So I bought this game during the Steam Sale after wishlisting this, and while I haven’t finished yet, it is eating my life. It’s more of an adventure game than a sim game, but you play a little monster that eats other creatures and gains the ability to grow different arms, legs, tails, wings, and more. It’s janky but very fun if you want something off the wall. Very indie, very silly, and also worth the money.

Frosty Games Fest - Nature And Punk Down Under

Ending this massive synopsis with a good showcase. Like a lot of regional showcases I’ve covered so far, it’s a smorgasbord of very different indie games, from hand-drawn platformers to pixelated simulations. There was a definite lean towards a grunge/punk aesthetic in many games, and a whole lot of games that were focused on nature, or nature’s destruction. Penguin Colony was shown again as a great example, but already talked that one up in a previous show.

I say this was a great showcase because it hit that balance between explaining games and showing them off. Sometimes a game featured a developer talking excitedly for thirty seconds, other times it was just a forty-five second clip that didn’t need any explanation at all. Yet at the same time, you could see the pride that went into the game, with each game showed off where it was made in Australia or New Zealand, wearing their influence on their sleeve.

• Slayblade - Yes, It’s Beyblade. This is exactly what it says on the tin. Go around, compete, become a champion in spinning discs. It’s got a great Tony Hawk vibe to the art, and if you like Beyblade memes, when it releases for a steal, it’ll be worth it. Check out the demo for yourself!
• Continue Magazine - Not a Video Game! Just a quick highlight here, as I really enjoyed that Frosty Games Fest seemed very dedicated to no AI, supporting local artists, and also supporting the industry as a whole. I wasn’t expecting this little rage-room moment dedicated to supporting local games writers and journalists! Makes me happy.
• Echo Zero - Multiplayer Sci-Fi Tower Defense. I’m a sucker for tower defense, and the visual style screams good sci-fi, what with your character respawning as a clone over and over. The fact that it’s multiplayer is really exciting for me, with the demo only getting positive feedback. If you liked Kingdom: Two Crowns, you should definitely take a look.
• Lone Pine: Cryptid point and click mixed with Pokemon Snap? Again, while I’m not usually a point-and-click adventure person, some of the ones on display this year really had great hooks. This one is the blending of classic side-scrolling style and a photo mode where you are trying to get proof of cryptids on camera. Again, another free demo with great feedback.

• Sludgineers - Incremental Environmentalism. Ending on a light note, here’s a game that feels like a pixelated Powerwash Simulator. You are cleaning up purple goo off a level, get points for upgrades, rinse and repeat. It’s an incremental game, which I am just starting to check out as a genre, but the demo I played made it feel like a real cozy way to play a game and feel like you were making progress for only 10-15 minutes at a time. Coming out in August, try it out, might be a nice quick impulse buy.

You Can Find A Game For Everyone From Everywhere

As I wrap up, I just wanted to say how the gaming industry is in such a bizarre state. What we call ‘AAA games’ is collapsing, with so much greed combined with turmoil for its game devs that its sometimes hard to think about. Gen AI is threatening artists and programmers, making some predict a bleak future. At the very same time however, we also have this absolute overabundance of creativity and creation that is popping up all over the globe, and all of these smaller showcases prove that.

It’s a shame that many of these showcases don’t get the visibility they deserve. Remember, most of these showcases were showing off dozens of game titles; I just picked a bunch which sounded good or interesting to me, and if I had more time, would have listed out even more. Please, if you have a chance, go watch some of these in their entirety, and put some of your money and wishlists towards these passion projects we got to premiere this summer. If enough gamers did that, we’d probably see a much different and much healthier gaming industry.