Steam's Punk Games Showcase: 100+ Games, Zero AI Slop

Ever wished Steam had a section that felt less like a storefront and more like a basement show? Starting October 9, the Punk Games Showcase is taking over for a full week, and it's bringing over 100 curated games with it.

Organizer Brad Smith of Miracle Tea says 443 games were submitted, and whittling that down was brutal. His filters? Does it have punk music or culture? Does it match the vibe? Does it feel genuine? Released self-published games got extra love, since Smith compares that DIY hustle to punk bands folding their own record sleeves or starting a label like Dischord Records.

And yes, generative AI was a hard no. Smith brought in Belgian illustrator Camille Carpentier to help spot AI-generated art, and they filtered out a lot of it. Studios with known shady labor or business practices got binned too. So if you saw "punk" and submitted your cyberpunk RPG, sorry, that's not what this is.

So what should you actually play? Too Many Fucking Nazis is exactly what it sounds like: a fast FPS about creatively destroying Nazis, and you can flip them off before you blow them up. Punk Juice has you joining a band, thrifting, and raging at code-locked bathrooms. Wax Heads puts you in a struggling record store, slacking off with buddies. Club Soko turns the mosh pit into a puzzle. Enter the Moshpit is a cynical 2D adventure through Italy's underground scene. Tonight We Riot is a crowd-based brawler from a worker-owned team. 10 Second Mixtape lets you make songs and remix others'. Tetherpunk has you kitbashing a spaceship from corporate scrap.

Smith's bigger goal? Get Valve to add a "punk" label on Steam so devs can tag their games and players can actually find them. He admits the whole "what counts as punk" thing is subjective and could feel gatekeepy, but his intent is celebrating the underground, not policing it.

He also shouted out favorites like CRUST SHMUP, Beat, Heart, Beat, 4MECHEROS, Urine Nation, CHILDREN OF SATURN, Creatures Like Us, and Teenage Blob. One game he wishes made the cut: VILE: Exhumed from Cara Cadaver.

With games already out, others dropping during the event, and some still on the horizon, there's plenty to dig into. Will you be diving into the showcase? What's the most punk game you've ever played?