Play the demo during Steam Next Fest Feb 23rd through March 2nd!

Los Angeles, CA – February 18, 2026 – ThornSpire Games, in partnership with Wandering Wizard, will be launching their fantasy medieval strategy game Stoneguard on Steam Early Access March 19th but you won’t have to wait that long to play it, however, as a demo will be available during Steam Next Fest running February 23rd-March 2nd.

Stoneguard combines the open-ended sandbox gameplay of a survival sim with the tactics of a strategy game where players must defend their precious Lifestone either solo or in teams with up to four player co-op from an onslaught of invaders. Build and manage a fortified settlement by day, then defend it by night against relentless waves of monstrous enemies. Craft walls, towers, and defenses, recruit survivors, and manage resources to keep your community alive in a world on the brink of collapse. Players can experience Stoneguard solo or team up in co-op with up to four players, coordinating strategies and sharing resources to protect the Lifestone together.

Rather than offering a god’s eye view of the landscape, players take on the role of the current Ruler of Earth, who has escaped the capital with the Lifestone to protect it from alien invaders. Combat is brutal and tactical where precise weapon strikes can sever limbs, permanently affecting enemies and comrades alike. Forge powerful weapons from the amputated limbs of your fallen foes. Every lost limb carries severe consequences, hindering your performance in both battle and daily survival. But as long as the Lifestone is protected, there are ways to heal your battle wounds.

Command your forces through escalating nighttime assaults, face powerful bosses, and craft weapons forged from fallen monsters. Experience a unique blend of base-building, resource management, and real-time combat from a third-person perspective, shaped by a dynamic day–night cycle.

“We love strategy defense games and immersive sandbox survival games,” said husband and wife duo William and Honor Hasketton from ThornSpire Games. “Stoneguard combines both into something fresh and tactical. As the Ruler of Earth, you’ll manage your settlement and your recruited survivors to keep the precious Lifestone from being stolen each night. It’s still Early Access, so the game isn’t fully polished yet, and your feedback will help us improve it. Try it out during Steam Next Fest ahead of the March 19th launch.”

About ThornSpireGames    
ThornSpire Games is a husband and wife duo studio based in England. With the very important cuddle support from their four cats (Ponyo, Popeye, Pickle and Petal), they are making their first game, Stoneguard, inspired by their love for games such as Mount and Blade and Age of Empires. With hundreds of more game ideas running through their brains, they hope to make more games after Stoneguard and to expand their studio!

About Wandering Wizard    
Wandering Wizard is passionately committed to championing indie game developers. We provide a platform for fresh voices, revolutionary ideas, and daring experiments within the indie gaming realm. Embracing the inherent risks of indie game development, we partner with creators worldwide to enrich the global gaming community with inclusive, inspiring, and innovative gaming experiences. wanderingwizard.com

The studio behind The Blackout Club and The Magic Circle launch their story-driven card battler in Early Access for PC players

Tiburon, CA – February 18, 2026 – The Killing Stone, the occult horror deckbuilder from independent developer Question(The Blackout Club, The Magic Circle), with voice talent from Baldur’s Gate 3 and Critical Role, is available today in Early Access on Steam for PC. A full 1.0 release is slated for later this year.

Priced at $9.74 during a launch discount, The Killing Stone is a game of wit and strategy, with a devilish twist. Beat the devil at his own game, as you attempt to save a cursed family from the clutches of demons. The game features a first-person perspective, 3D art, and game board figurines with dazzling effects, haunting audio, and an original narrative set in the 17th century in a remote region of the Arctic Circle.

“In our world, demonic forces wager souls over skill contests, like poker or chess, and we’ve twisted the traditional deckbuilder to invoke a hint of both,” said Question co-owner and narrative director Jordan Thomas. “Wrapped around all that is a mystery, with branching conversations beautifully voiced by Baldur’s Gate 3’s Emma Gregory and Critical Role’s Liam O’Brien. In fact, you can play in either modern English, or 17th Century English for extra authenticity. Early access players will get the chance to help us shape the story and refine the gameplay into something truly diabolical.”

Key Features:

• A Living, Tactile Card Battler. A ceremonial game board centered around the Fanghella, the Killing Stone, featuring a collection of magical creature figurines, spells, and incantations that allow for a variety of clever tactics.
• Strategic Reserve System with Meaningful Choices. A novel Reserve mechanic lets players stack units and buff incantations above the battle line for later deployment. Creature placement, spellcasting, and bargaining add powerful banes and boons to your deck affecting your chances of success.
• Occult Horror Narrative. Play as the Maven and uncover the haunting truth behind Mariken Svangård’s death (and life) as you engage family members and animal familiars in search of clues.
• Navigate Ritual Contracts. To save the family, you must win their souls through ritual combat with various demons. Every contract is signed in blood, then the bargaining begins. Forge, swap, negotiate, and battle through a series of rituals, the outcome of which are permanent banes (or boons) carried to your final reckoning.
• Dual-Language Storytelling with Acclaimed Voice Talent. The full narrative can be experienced in either authentic 17th Century English or modern prose, with customizable text and voiceover options. Featuring voice performances by Emma Gregory (Baldur’s Gate 3) and Liam O’Brien of Critical Role.

The Killing Stone is available now through Steam Early Access. For more information, visit The Killing Stone Steam page.

About Question

Question is a small independent studio team known for their original titles The Magic Circle and The Blackout Club. Their design philosophy is to give players agency to tell their own stories through the interactive medium. The team is led by Jordan Thomas and Stephen Alexander, best known for their lead roles on the BioShock series at Irrational and 2K Marin.

Experiment with everything in the kitchen and unlock hundreds of recipes on your way to becoming a master chef!

Dortmund, Germany – February 18th, 2026 | Solo developers Julien and Erika are excited to announce that the release of Little Chef: Cozy Cooking is just around the kitchen corner. Early Access to the game is set to arrive on Steam on March 16th. Before its release, cooking connoisseurs can give the physics-based fun a try during the upcoming Steam Next Fest. 

Drag, Drop, and Toss

Little Chef: Cozy Cooking is all about exploration and discovery. Each level is its own cozy puzzle with a unique kitchen and setting. Unlock recipes by experimenting with ingredients, and explore your environment to find what items and ingredients might be hiding. Drag and drop food into the cooking pot, toss a cassette into the music player, or perhaps just do the dishes. The kitchen is your oyster.

Unlock Hundreds of Recipes

With over 150 recipes to discover, Little Chef: Cozy Cooking will put your abilities as a chef to the test. Utilize your ingredients to create dozens of delicious combinations. Not all ingredients will be easy to find, though, so make sure you look behind every nook and kitchen cranny to uncover what you need to unlock them all. Don’t worry, even the worst combinations might lead to something good in the end!

Achievements That Reward Curiosity

Whoever said your cooking had to be by the recipe book? Little Chef: Cozy Cooking rewards your natural curiosity with achievements that will get you thinking outside the egg carton. You’ll need a bit of chaos and rule-breaking if you’re going to solve the more difficult puzzles. 

Game Features:

• Cook everything from comfort foods and gourmet dishes to strange, surprising experiments.
• Play with satisfying physics as every ingredient and object reacts in fun, surprising ways.
• Solve playful kitchen puzzles to uncover hidden ingredients, secrets, and new ways to cook.
• Collect fun achievements that reward curiosity, chaos, and breaking the rules.
• Follow a heartfelt story by unlocking each recipe, from childhood favourites to brand-new creations.
• Play the demo during Steam Next Fest!

Head over to Steam and wishlist Little Chef: Cozy Cooking to be alerted once it’s launched.

About julien & erika

julien & erika is about as indie as it gets. True to the name, the studio was founded by two friends, Julien and Erika, who share a passion for creating fun, cute, and delightfully quirky games. There is no large studio structure behind the scenes, just a small and passionate group of friends experimenting, learning, and pushing their ideas as far as their own skills, time, and personal investment allow.

[FEBRUARY 17, 2026] What if cozy farming didn’t stop at planting crops but evolved into building a fully customizable workforce? Outcity, the upcoming farming and crafting sandbox from a three-person Brazilian development team, is redefining the cozy genre with an automation-driven twist. Now featured in Steam’s Made in Brazil Sale, the game’s newly updated demo gives players their first hands-on look at its standout system: NPC automation.

While farming games traditionally focus on manual progression, Outcity invites players to work with villagers to take on jobs, level up, and even defend the land,  all based on the tools they’re given.

A Living Community That Works With You

Outcity delivers the comforting foundations players expect from a farming sim. Planting and harvesting crops, fishing quiet waters, mining resources, gathering materials, exploring new territories, and customizing a growing homestead at a relaxed pace.

As your farm expands, the valley fills with life. The townsfolk who settle nearby aren’t just decoration; they’re part of your world. Build relationships, enjoy light moments of flirtation, and assign villagers to help with farming, harvesting, gathering, and even protecting your land.

Their support adds a gentle layer of strategy while making your settlement feel like a true community growing alongside you, not behind you.

Cozy Farming, Thoughtful Automation

What sets Outcity apart is how that community evolves.

Villagers can be assigned tasks based on the tools they’re equipped with, allowing players to shape how their settlement functions. As NPCs gain experience, players unlock progression options that strengthen their contributions. Their effectiveness is influenced by proximity to their homes, encouraging thoughtful design without overwhelming complexity.

During raids, equipped villagers can also help defend the land, adding light stakes to an otherwise peaceful rhythm.

Updated Demo Features

The refreshed Steam demo offers approximately 30–60 minutes of gameplay and represents the opening chapter of the full experience. Players can:

• Farm crops through full growth cycles
• Mine, fish, and gather materials
• Construct and customize farm layouts
• Assign NPCs to jobs using tools
• Defend against raids using equipped villagers
• Expanded localization with support for 8 languages, including Japanese and Chinese

Players can download the updated Outcity demo and wishlist the game now on Steam to follow development and stay updated on future announcements. Experience cozy farming reimagined through customizable community automation and start building a homestead that grows with you.

Uncover the mystery of Narin’s missing sister and survive the deadly Twilight Dimension in this atmospheric indie adventure

Bangkok, Thailand (February 18, 2026) | Today, Rising Tide Publishing and developer RedSensationGames announced that Narin: The Orange Room, a narrative-driven supernatural horror adventure inspired by Southeast Asian storytelling, is coming to Steam on April 7, 2026 for $14.99. Set within an atmospheric school environment haunted by memory and loss, players take on the role of Narin, a quiet first-year student searching for her missing younger sister while navigating the deadly Twilight Dimension — a distorted realm where light, shadow, and lingering regrets shape the horrors that await.

Narin: The Orange Room is a third-person adventure that challenges players to explore an eerie school transformed by supernatural forces. As Narin journeys deeper into the unknown, she must fight, survive, and solve puzzles while confronting creatures that lurk between reality and nightmare, including a mysterious talking black cat whose true nature remains unclear. 

Narin: The Orange Room Key Features

• A haunting mystery shaped by memory: Play as Narin and uncover the truth behind her sister’s disappearance while exploring a school transformed by unresolved emotions, hidden stories, and supernatural forces. 
• Stealth-focused survival horror: Avoid terrifying entities using observation, sound, and careful movement. Fear builds through silence, lighting, and atmosphere rather than direct confrontation. 
• Light the darkness with the lantern: A mysterious lantern becomes both a guide and lifeline, helping Narin navigate shadow-filled corridors, solve environmental puzzles, and survive encounters in the Twilight Dimension.

Narin: The Orange Room is developed by the Bangkok-based indie studio RedSensationGames and published by Rising Tide Publishing, a newly established Thai indie label dedicated to supporting emerging Asian developers and bringing their stories to a global audience, including the recently released rhythm title, Ella Stars.

Narin: The Orange Room is now available to wishlist on Steam, ahead of its April 7 launch. Review codes are available upon request.

About Narin: The Orange Room

Narin: The Orange Room is a haunting new third-person narrative-driven horror adventure that follows a first-year student as she ventures into the mysterious Twilight Dimension in search of her missing sister.

As Narin explores a school transformed by memory and shadow, players must avoid supernatural threats, solve environmental puzzles, and uncover hidden clues that reveal the truth behind her sister’s disappearance. Blending atmospheric exploration with stealth-focused survival and emotional storytelling, the journey challenges players to confront the lingering secrets that haunt the halls long after sunset.

About Rising Tide Publishing

Rising Tide Publishing is a Thailand-based indie game publisher founded to support niche studios across Southeast Asia. Guided by the belief that “a rising tide lifts all ships,” Rising Tide operates with a dev-first philosophy, fostering collaborative partnerships that enable studios to share momentum, visibility, and resources rather than compete in isolation.

Start settling in the American frontier of the 1800s and bring prosperity to the wasteland

Oberhaching, Germany, February 18, 2026 – The atmosphere of departure is palpable. The excitement grows. It is time to load the wagons and move into the unknown of the American frontier. Polish development team EmpireCraft Studios and German Publisher Toplitz Productions are delighted to announce that the demo for their city-builder Wild West Pioneers is now available. Originally slated to start with the beginning of Steam Next Fest on February 23, 2026, the trek left early, so settlers can start exploring the American West ahead of time. 

Become one of the driving forces of the American Dream in the 1800s, when you load your wagons and brave the challenges of an unexplored land. Plan settlements, manage resources and allocate workers, then watch your communities prosper and grow. But with growth come new demands that need to be fulfilled if you don’t want the population numbers to dwindle.

Send scouts to survey new areas, find rare resources or new locations to settle. Manage multiple settlements, appoint officials like the mayor or sheriff to help you on your way and prove that you are the driving force behind America’s Western expansion.

The demo for Wild West Pioneers is available now on Steam. 

Wild West Pioneers will be released later this year on PC in Early Access. More information on the game can be found on the Steam product page, where it can be wishlisted already.

Join our Discord to get the latest news and infos not only about Wild West Pioneers, but all the exciting titles from Toplitz Productions.

About EmpireCraft Studios
EmpireCraft Studios is a game development company established in 2024. The studio brings together a team of seasoned developers who have previously worked on titles like Aztecs – The Last Sun. EmpireCraft Studios specializes in creating city-building games with survival elements. With a strong foundation in the genre, the studio aims to deliver immersive and challenging experiences that blend strategic city management with survival mechanics, appealing to both hardcore and casual players.

About Toplitz Productions
The German-Austrian publisher, whose name originates from the mysterious Toplitz Lake in the heart of Austria, develops and publishes games with “heart & soul” for all platforms. The company consists of a healthy mix of experienced industry veterans and young talents, all of whom are passionate gamers. They enjoy working with creative developers on many exciting titles, such as those from the “Dynasty” and “Giant” series.

Sad Cat Studios putting a few more weeks of polish into their highly anticipated retro-futuristic action platformer

Gothenburg, Sweden – February 18th, 2026 – Sad Cat Studios and Thunderful are announcing a short delay to their highly-anticipated cyberpunk action platformer, REPLACED. The game will now be releasing on PC and Xbox Series X|S on April 14th 2026. The delay will give Sad Cat Studios a few more weeks to add a final layer of polish and deliver a game true to the studio’s vision.

Statement from Sad Cat Studios

We have an important update to share regarding the launch of REPLACED. After a lot of back and forth, we have decided to shift our release date to 14 April 2026.

As a small team working on our very first title, we’ve poured everything we have into this project. While the game is technically finished, reaching this final stretch has shown us that we need just a few more weeks to ensure the experience is exactly what you deserve. We want the version of REPLACED you play on day one to be polished, stable, and true to the vision we’ve shared with you.

The response to our Steam demo has been the ultimate fuel for us. To be honest, putting it out there was nerve-wracking, but seeing your gameplay, reading your reviews, and hearing your excitement has been overwhelming in the best way possible. We are constantly reading your comments, and that feedback is helping us make the final tweaks that will make the full game shine.

Your patience and support over the years have meant the world to us. Many of you have followed us on this journey every step of the way, and seeing your passion is what makes these final days and nights of development worth it. We are super close to the finish line and we can’t wait for you to experience the final results of years of hard work. And if you’d like a first glimpse of REPLACED before the big day, the demo is still live on Steam. 

Thank you for your understanding, your kindness, and for being such a vital part of this journey. We’ll see you on 14 April 2026.

– The Sad Cat Studios Team

About Sad Cat Studios
Sad Cat Studios was founded in 2018 in Minsk, Belarus, by game developers and entrepreneurs Yura Zhdanovich and Igor Gritsay. Yura, with over 8 years of experience as an artist and visual designer in game development companies and startups like MSQRD, joined forces with Igor, who has a strong background in IT and e-commerce, to establish the foundation for the studio’s remarkable journey. Since then, Sad Cat Studios has relocated its headquarters to Limassol, Cyprus and now operates remotely across Europe. 

About Thunderful
Founded in 2017, Thunderful is a video game publisher headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Thunderful offers third-party publishing, co-development services and publishing support services. The company has published and/or developed award-winning and critically acclaimed titles such as the SteamWorld IP, Planet of Lana, Viewfinder, LEGO® Bricktales, Lost In Random and more.

From bustling intersections to quiet neighborhoods, navigate an up-and-coming city together with up to four players!

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Feb. 18, 2026 – Grab your friends and settle into the driver’s seat! Today, just in time for Steam Next Fest, Saber Interactive and developer stillalive studios have launched a new update for Bus Bound’s free PC demo, offering players a chance to try the game’s online co-op multiplayer for the very first time. Check out the latest trailer for Bus Bound and see how you and your friends can keep the city moving together.

In the newly updated demo, up to four players can cooperatively* hit the streets of Ashtree, the first district you’ll service in the game, now upgraded with some new locations like the University and Hall of Fame. Players will also be able to unlock and explore a portion of a new neighborhood called The Strings.

Get behind the wheel of the Bluebird Sigma, New Flyer Industries’ Xcelsior Clean Diesel, and the all-new Horizon 40ft Diesel alongside your fellow drivers, working together collaboratively to run routes from morning to nighttime shifts – rain or shine – upgrade the city, and unlock new bonuses like the Letenda Electrip, the bus from the ending of the original demo.

Bus Bound’s multiplayer demo updateis now playable on Steam with up to four players. Wishlist the game ahead of its release later this year on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. For more information, visit saber.games/BusBound.

*Multiplayer demo progress contributes only to the host’s progress.

About Saber Interactive

Saber Interactive is a worldwide publisher and developer consisting of 15 studios in the Americas and Europe. Creating games for all major platforms based on original and licensed IPs, Saber’s titles include Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, Jurassic Park: Survival, Turok: Origins, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, Road Kings, World War Z, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, Bus Bound, Docked, SnowRunner, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game and RoadCraft. Founded in 2001, Saber is known for two decades of development partnerships with leading developers and publishers, including producing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Nintendo Switch, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Crysis Remastered, and many others. Learn more at https://saber.games.

Bus Bound © 2026, stillalive studios GmbH, published and distributed by Saber Interactive Inc. Developed by stillalive studios GmbH. Bus Bound™, the Bus Bound logo and all related marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of stillalive studios GmbH. Saber Interactive™ and the Saber Interactive logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Saber Interactive Inc. Unreal® is a trademark or registered trademark of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. Made with FMOD Studio by Firelight Technologies Pty Ltd. The buses in this game may be different from the actual products in shapes, colours and performance. All other names, trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Today, Obsidian Entertainment’s first-person fantasy RPG Avowed is now available on PlayStation 5, alongside a major Anniversary Update across all platforms.

Set in the mysterious Living Lands, Avowed invites players to shape their own path through a vibrant, dangerous world filled with ancient magic, political intrigue, and difficult choices. Whether you fight with steel, spells, or something in between, every decision carries weight and consequences.

One year after the initial launch of Avowed, Obsidian is marking the occasion with the biggest update for the game yet, including content and updates shaped by player feedback. The Anniversary Update introduces new ways to customize your character, experiment with builds, and revisit the Living Lands, including:

• New playable races, expanding character creation with three new races and ability to change your character’s appearance at Party Camp any time
• New Game+, allowing players to carry their character forward with new custom game modifier options
• Brand new quarterstaff weapon type, Photo Mode, quality-of-life improvements and more

New players and returning players alike will find plenty to explore in the Anniversary Update.

Avowed is available now on PlayStation 5 and is also available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Steam, and Battle.net at $49.99 for the standard edition and $59.99 for the premium edition. It is an Xbox Play Anywhere title and available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Starting February 17, the award-winning Vampire Therapist will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. This BAFTA-nominated title blends a narrative visual novel with a therapy simulation. Players encounter vampires from different historical eras and hear voice acting by actors from Hades, Hades II, and Baldur’s Gate 3. Vampire Therapist previously launched on PC and will arrive on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on March 5.

Vampire Therapist was created by the independent German studio Little Bat Games, founded by Cyrus Nemati, who is also a voice actor known from Pyre and Hades. The game debuted on PC in 2024 and is now expanding to consoles. The console versions were prepared and published by Ultimate Games S.A.

Award-Winning Vampire Therapist Arrives on Consoles

Vampire Therapist has received numerous awards, including the Games for Change Awards, German Computer Game Awards, and Indie X Awards, as well as nominations at the BAFTA Games Awards and the New York Game Awards.

On Steam, Vampire Therapist holds a 95% positive user rating based on about 800 reviews, and the game’s Metascore is 81/100.

The title also features a star-studded English voice cast. The characters are voiced by Matthew Mercer (Critical Role, Baldur’s Gate 3), Francesca Meaux (Hades), Sarah Grayson (Gone Home, Hades II), Kylie Clark, and Cyrus Nemati (Pyre, Hades).

Nintendo Shop – https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/vampire-therapist-switch/
PlayStation Store – https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10014497

The console versions include all free updates and the Couples Therapy DLC in the base edition. Controller support has been enhanced for consoles, and thanks to backward compatibility, the game also runs on Nintendo Switch 2. 

Vampires in Therapy

Vampire Therapist is a unique mix of visual novel adventure and therapy simulator. Players take on the role of a Wild West gunslinger turned vampire therapist, helping other vampires confront their traumas and navigate the complexities of immortal existence.

The game stands out with its gothic atmosphere, and its lively, memorable story blends dark comedy and introspection, reminiscent of What We Do in the Shadows and Young Frankenstein.

Players meet vampires from different historical eras, including ancient Greece, Renaissance Italy, and Tudor England. Each vampire patient has a unique backstory and personal traumas that require an individualized approach.

Gameplay includes accessible elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) presented in an engaging way. Mini-games, including mindfulness meditation, add variety to the experience.

Vampire Therapist – Key Features:

• Visual novel with therapy simulation elements
• A mix of dark comedy and serious themes
• Vampires from different historical eras
• Simple mechanics and engaging narrative
• Star-studded voice cast

The release date for Vampire Therapist on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch is set for February 17, 2026. The Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions are scheduled for March 5, 2026.