Hi @ shenanigator, I'm native spanish speaker and I hope I can help you with this doubt.
"este", "esta" and "esto" are demonstrative pronouns, and they all translate as "this".
Este is used to refer to masculine nouns.
e.g. Ayer fue un mal día, pero este será mejor. (Yesterday was a bad day, but this one will be better)
día = masculine noun.
Esta for femenine nouns.
e.g. La semana pasada fue mala, pero esta será mejor. (The last week was bad, but this one will be better)
semana = femenine noun.
Esto is only used to refer to neuter, unknown or abstract concepts. When there is no specific noun as its antecedent so that you would know its gender.
e.g. Esto es una maravilla (this is wonderful)
e.g Esto está bien (this is ok)
Thank you :) If you get a chance, you should head over to musing (link above) and leave your answer there because there's a better chance that you'll get rewarded for your answer.