{"id":1508393,"date":"2026-02-24T08:52:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T08:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/QWrhKkyAVy8kho9VstWrfP"},"modified":"2026-02-24T08:52:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T08:52:59","slug":"the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre\/","title":{"rendered":"The latest Steam Next Fest features a pile of Palworld-likes as witches and airships battle over the creature-collecting survival subgenre"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p>When Palworld sold <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/palworld-has-now-sold-a-staggering-19-million-copies-an-unstoppable-rise-that-means-its-got-a-bigger-population-than-the-netherlands\/\" target=\"_blank\">12 million Steam copies in under two weeks<\/a>, two things felt like they&#8217;d become inevitable: First, that Nintendo&#8217;s lawyers would take any opening they could find to punish Pocketpair for daring to release what many had been calling Pokemon: Gun Version well before its launch, and second, that we&#8217;d eventually see Palworld prompt its own imitators with hopes of pulling off a similar smash hit.<\/p>\n<p>While Nintendo <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/games\/survival-crafting\/palworld-developer-reports-nintendos-suing-over-3-pokemon-patents-for-only-usd66-000-in-damages-but-a-videogame-ip-lawyer-says-fighting-the-lawsuit-could-mean-burning-millions-of-dollars\/\" target=\"_blank\">threw down the lawsuit gauntlet<\/a> within a year of Palworld&#8217;s launch, the nature of videogame development timelines meant that if a new subgenre was spinning up, it&#8217;d be a bit longer before we saw the evidence. With the kickoff of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/games\/steam-next-fest-is-back-and-youve-once-again-got-just-7-days-to-find-your-favorite-demos-among-hundreds-of-choices\/\" target=\"_blank\">latest Steam Next Fest<\/a>, however, it seems the time has finally come. The age of the Palworld-like is upon us.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:1920px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"AGsen75s8zm7yEfekfUwWN\" name=\"ss_8168b733125fa0d6baa623e47061dcf4f548f75d.1920x1080\" alt=\"A collection of familiars helping to tend a farm in Witchspire.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre.jpg\" mos=\"\" align=\"middle\" fullscreen=\"1\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"inline expandable\"><a href='https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre.jpg' target='_blank' class='expand-button icon-expand-image icon' ><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Envar Games)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Next Fest has brought a bumper crop of creature-collecting, base-building, open-world-survival-crafting demos. Here are the heaviest hitters among Palworld&#8217;s latest competitors.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"palworld-but-witches\">Palworld, but witches<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:1920px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"zoRF5KfYi2BNuU85Atzs46\" name=\"ss_a1022f6434e324d329b3d41143ba484173f9a0cb.1920x1080\" alt=\"A witch astral projecting to build a house in Witchspire.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre-1.jpg\" mos=\"\" align=\"middle\" fullscreen=\"1\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"inline expandable\"><a href='https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre-1.jpg' target='_blank' class='expand-button icon-expand-image icon' ><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Envar Games)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Of the selection of emerging Palworld-inspired survival games, <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/4328010\/Witchspire_Demo\/\" target=\"_blank\">Witchspire<\/a> is the one that feels like it has the most cohesive vision. Rather than generic base-building survivalists, you play as a coven of novice witches who can conjure structures, harvest resources with magic, and\u2014for the Little Guy Labor Force factor\u2014defeat magical creatures in battle &#8220;and collect their spirits to tame familiars.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Between conjuring forests when you need more wood to build with, floating in midair to get a better angle to build from, and binding magic sprites as farming familiars, witchcraft feels like it&#8217;s gluing together Witchspire&#8217;s creature collecting and survival elementspretty seamlessly, and it&#8217;s all packaged in a pleasant art aesthetic. Some of the demo&#8217;s reviews say it&#8217;ll need a healthy amount of polish before launch, though.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"palworld-but-with-airships\">Palworld, but with airships<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:1920px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"FCr3HZyCbPHpG3jNjKJdcK\" name=\"ss_582105db7a80c65fa9d29da1f04e25c00e2d5cba.1920x1080\" alt=\"A player pilots rides an airship with one of their guardians in Guardians of the Wild Sky.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre-2.jpg\" mos=\"\" align=\"middle\" fullscreen=\"1\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"inline expandable\"><a href='https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre-2.jpg' target='_blank' class='expand-button icon-expand-image icon' ><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Blue Isle Studios)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Compared to Witchspire, <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/4359380\/Guardians_of_the_Wild_Sky_Demo\/\" target=\"_blank\">Guardians of the Wild Sky<\/a> has a bit more of a generic Unreal Engine look to it. But while it feels a bit like a game you might see running in the background of a police procedural, it <em>does <\/em>have airships. Everyone loves airships.<\/p>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, Guardians of the Wild Sky is emphasizing verticality with airborne exploration and construction, meaning you can seemingly have creatures helping you grow crops <em>on <\/em>an airship <em>in<\/em> the sky. It&#8217;s power fantasies on power fantasies\u2014and so far, the demo&#8217;s received a pretty warm reception, sitting at a Very Positive rating with 350 reviews at time of writing.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"palworld-but-it-s-like-a-charming-picturebook\">Palworld, but it&#8217;s like a charming picturebook<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:1920px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"2C4n4DM52fafsd2NQdZepT\" name=\"ss_ca1f37d012aa0630bd07731f88c1381518672147.1920x1080\" alt=\"A player is followed by a trio of oddfauna in Oddfauna: Secret of the Terrabeast.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre-3.jpg\" mos=\"\" align=\"middle\" fullscreen=\"1\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"inline expandable\"><a href='https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre-3.jpg' target='_blank' class='expand-button icon-expand-image icon' ><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: North Channel)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/1525290\/OddFauna__Secret_of_the_Terrabeast\/\" target=\"_blank\">Oddfauna: Secret of the Terrabeast<\/a> seems like Palworld by way of Where the Wild Things Are. You play as a sort of picturebook gremlin helping to cultivate &#8220;a living world called a Terrabeast,&#8221; a walking, pleasantly dopey-looking biome that you can build upon as it roams the landscape. And to do so, you&#8217;ll need to attract the &#8220;oddfauna&#8221;\u2014goobery little gremlins that you can befriend, ride, and fight alongside while exploring, farming, and building.<\/p>\n<p>Oddfauna has a lovely textured art style reminiscent of a children&#8217;s picturebook illustration. I don&#8217;t know how much I&#8217;d actually want to <em>inhabit <\/em>its world alongside a terrabeast, but there&#8217;s definitely something I admire about the emptyheaded gaze of its wildlife.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"palworld-but-it-s-an-ai-fueled-disaster-that-s-crying-out-for-a-merciful-death\">Palworld, but it&#8217;s an AI-fueled disaster that&#8217;s crying out for a merciful death<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:1920px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"Sf9sepw8opuFBGrSFKzrBe\" name=\"ss_828cc05717cde9cde77e73c72d8efba975e4c982.1920x1080\" alt=\"A player's collection of creatures are subsumed in a blinding wash of bloom light in Layer Land.\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre-4.jpg\" mos=\"\" align=\"middle\" fullscreen=\"1\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" class=\"inline expandable\"><a href='https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre-4.jpg' target='_blank' class='expand-button icon-expand-image icon' ><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Pudding Co. Ltd.)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Guardians of the Wild Sky might look a little generic, but compared to <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/3884970\/Layer_Land\/\" target=\"_blank\">Layer Land<\/a>&#8216;s visual palette of asset pasghetti, it looks like a masterwork. Layer Land looks like it doesn&#8217;t want to exist, but is forced to maintain the barest suspension of disbelief about its promises of AI-powered creature generation and interaction just long enough for its first players to regret spending their time and money.<\/p>\n<p>But the first trailer in its Steam listing shows players fighting a nine foot tall curvy dragon lady, so maybe I&#8217;m on the wrong side of history. Hard to say.<\/p>\n<div class=\"product\"><a data-dimension112=\"24505ba4-f103-4b9f-9ad6-8bfc5053d04a\" data-action=\"Deal Block\" data-label=\"2026 games\" data-dimension48=\"2026 games\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure \" >\n<div class='image-full-width-wrapper'>\n<div class='image-widthsetter' style=\"max-width:661px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:98.94%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"6offQUY4CXebir2TC27dMd\" name=\"kingdom come 2 square\" caption=\"\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre-5.jpg\" mos=\"\" align=\"middle\" fullscreen=\"\" width=\"661\" height=\"654\" attribution=\"\" endorsement=\"\" credit=\"\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/games\/new-pc-games-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-dimension112=\"24505ba4-f103-4b9f-9ad6-8bfc5053d04a\" data-action=\"Deal Block\" data-label=\"2026 games\" data-dimension48=\"2026 games\" data-dimension25=\"\"><strong>2026 games<\/strong><\/a>: All the upcoming games<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/the-best-pc-games\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Best PC games<\/strong><\/a>: Our all-time favorites<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/the-50-best-free-pc-games\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Free PC games<\/strong><\/a>: Freebie fest<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/best-fps-games\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Best FPS games<\/strong><\/a>: Finest gunplay<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/best-rpgs-of-all-time\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Best RPGs<\/strong><\/a>: Grand adventures<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/the-best-co-op-games\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Best co-op games<\/strong><\/a>: Better together<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/games\/survival-crafting\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Palworld sold 12 million Steam copies in under two weeks, two things felt like they&#8217;d become inevitable: First, that Nintendo&#8217;s lawyers would take any opening they could find to punish Pocketpair for daring to release what many had been calling Pokemon: Gun Version well before its launch, and second, that we&#8217;d eventually see Palworld prompt its own imitators with hopes of pulling off a similar smash hit. While Nintendo threw down the lawsuit gauntlet within a year of Palworld&#8217;s launch, the nature of videogame development timelines meant that if a new subgenre was spinning up, it&#8217;d be a bit longer before we saw the evidence. With the kickoff of the latest Steam Next Fest, however, it seems the time has finally come. The age&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"excerpt-more\"><a class=\"blog-excerpt button\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-latest-steam-next-fest-features-a-pile-of-palworld-likes-as-witches-and-airships-battle-over-the-creature-collecting-survival-subgenre\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1508394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[336],"tags":[748,9395],"class_list":["post-1508393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pc-gamer","tag-games","tag-survival-crafting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The latest Steam Next Fest features a pile of Palworld-likes as witches and airships battle over the creature-collecting survival subgenre | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta 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