Staff Article Lists

It’s Pokémon Day! It was on this day 30 years ago that Pokémon Red & Green released in Japan. While we celebrate Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, this is a good time to look forward as we appreciate the past! As always, the whole direct itself is on YouTube and I recommend watching it as there are things I won’t mention or spend much time on in this article. Besides, it'll be more fun to see what surprises are in store that way.

The 80’s was an era of some incredible memories. We had the birth of many amazing horror films, we saw the rise of heavy metal, and video games really started to take off. As a child of the 90’s, I missed out on many classics from that era, so I’m thankful many publishers and developers are bringing many of these titles to modern systems either with new collections or remakes. However, that doesn’t mean all the games from that time were pieces of art and, sadly, The Monty Mole Collection is one such case. Originally developed by Gremlin Graphics for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64, this collection includes the original trilogy of Wanted: Monty Mole, Monty On The Run, and Auf Wiedersehen Monty, along with three bonus games by the names of Monty Is Innocent, Sam Stoat: Safebreaker, and Moley Christmas (which was given away as a free games in copies of Your Sinclair magazines back in the day). Now, while it’s always awesome to see older games make a comeback and I’m all for game preservation, that doesn’t mean that every game aged well and this is one of those cases.

Everyone loves Steam Next Fest here at Gaming Furever! Our staff goes through the entire list of games published in the Fest to find and list each and every one that features anthropomorphic character(s), or features animals as a focus. This time, we went through all 3450+ games to get to this list of 370+ games. We could've missed a couple, but we hope this is an all-encompasing list for this season's available games! Almost every one has a demo, so go have fun and wishlist the ones that pique your interest!

We have also an actively updated Furry & Animal Games List over at @GamingFurever on Twitter and  another List on @GamingFurever on Bluesky that you can follow and get constant updates for lots of indie titles with TONS of lovely furry characters! If you're a developer of any of these games, feel free to hit us up on email over on our Contact Us page! We'd love to talk to you about your development!

Previous Steam Next Fest Articles: October 2025 | June 2025 | February 2025 | October 2024 | June 2024 

Here's your February 2026 Steam Next Fest list (in alphabetical order):

Before I came across Demon Tides, I was unfamiliar with developer Fabraz and their brand of slick, colorful action platforming and exploration that they established with the first two games in their “Demon Turf” series. But after spending some time in their newest game, I can confidently say I’m addicted to it wholeheartedly. This bodes well for the fate of Bubsy 4D, the next game on the horizon from this developer. First though, we get this gem of a title that is absolutely bursting with content, charisma, and charm. Demon Tides grabs you by the fashionable collar and pulls you furiously across vast water zones in search of more and more answers and collectibles, with a healthy dose of narrative along the way.

What happens when you combine archeology, puzzle-solving and hamsters? You get Hamstermind, the adorable puzzle game by indie dev Righteous Tree. Solve puzzles and dive deeper into a mysterious pyramid in search of treasure. The premise has just enough going for it to keep you intrigued and the puzzles themselves are actually pretty relaxing and cozy. I wasn’t ever bored in my time with Hamstermind. It’s not revolutionizing the puzzle solver genre but it also doesn’t need to.

Bubsy. If there is any name that brings dread and hatred to gamers, it’s Bubsy. In the entire history of gaming, I don’t think there’s any series that has as much undeserved hatred as the Bubsy series. Ever since I can remember, I’ve seen nothing but negativity and vitriol towards this series: From AVGN to JonTron to even Top Ten lists of the Worst anything, it seems Bubsy was destined to be the internet’s punching bag. And yet? Yet, there still seems to be a fan base, as evident by the upcoming release of Bubsy 4D and the release of the topic for this review: Bubsy In: The Purr-Fect Collection, the latest collection release from Limited Run Games and Atari. Now, I have never played any of these games before this collection came out. Heck, I never knew of their existence until the rise of sites like YouTube and the early days of game reviewers, as well as sites like GameTrailers, so back then? The most I knew about the series was that they were bad. Yet, in the back of my mind, I always wanted to try these games and actually see if they were terrible or not as bad as people made them out to be. Well, after finally trying the games for myself, I can safely and quite honestly say: These are not terrible and I don’t think they are deserving of their infamous reputation. In fact, I actually really liked the games and think they might be actual hidden gems.

Back in 2025, I did a review for a game called PAW Patrol World; a game I said I was pleasantly surprised by and actually really enjoyed playing, giving it a 4/5 score. Since then, I’ve been on the lookout for other games based on this show, hoping to have maybe another surprise and hopefully find a children’s game that anyone, regardless of age, could enjoy. Which is when I heard about Paw Patrol Rescue Wheels: Championship and I got, admittedly, a little excited. As a fan of racers since the N64 golden years of Mario Kart 64, Diddy Kong Racing (which I wish Nintendo would do a new entry for), and the Rush games (another series I wish would make a comeback), I was looking forward to checking this out and hoping this would be another great kids game. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case as this turned out to be just an average racing game that really doesn’t do anything new and, sadly, feels like a step down from Paw Patrol World.

Woods, snow, a warm fire, and soft critters are the definition of cozy. Developer Pine Creek Games and Publisher Noodlecake bring all of these quintessential qualities together in the woodland survival game, Winter Burrow, to make for a nicely paced, albeit short experience that is best experienced in a few comfy gaming sessions. 

Whenever I browse the Xbox storefront, I’m mostly looking for sales on games I’ve missed out on or possible hidden gems I can recommend to gamers. Rightfully, Beary Arms is one such title and it’s one that really took me by surprise. Not just because I kept calling it “Rightfully, Bear Arms” but because its simple premise hooked me right from the get go.

Every once in a while, an intriguing looking Kickstarter crosses my feed. Bel’s Fanfare just launched and it's already making waves. Straight from indie developer Chibig(Mika and the Witch’s Mountain, Deiland, and more) comes another Kickstarter for a beautiful looking game. And this one is worth the excitement.

Bel’s Fanfare follows Bel, a demon whose family has spent many years trapped in the depths of The Witch of the Sea, as she becomes the new Aura Cleaner of the ship at the behest of Captain Popplar. Bel also receives a family heirloom from her dad Belceboo before reporting in: the ukobach shield. Armed with her family shield, Bel must venture into the many mysterious areas of the once prestigious The Witch of the Sea and cleanse them of Aura(which is created from impurities of the soul). While doing so, Bel is also working to finally free her family from the ship. Along the way, she meets a number of interesting patrons, including the reptile controlled chef Eden, the lion like theater director Sr. Fos and the Queen of the Sea, Rovella. And that’s just the start.

The Kickstarter launched only a few days ago and it’s already made over $250k and still climbing. I can see why too. Inspired by Zelda and Spirited Away, this game looks stunning from the visuals on offer and seems to include some pretty neat puzzles and boss battles. Just from the Kickstarter alone, I’m very intrigued by the premise and the mysteries lurking within The Witch of the Sea. The Kickstarter ends on March 7 so there’s plenty of time left to back it and get exclusive rewards like a special shield skin, physical copies and even a statue of Bel! Bel's Fanfare is well on track to release on all major platforms, with an early release possible in 2027.

Be sure to follow Chibig on Twitter and Instagram and other socials for updates!