Play These Standout Demos Before Everyone Else
- Christopher Fries
- Sep 23
- 3 min read
Steam Next Fest doesn’t officially begin until October 13, but you don’t have to wait to discover what’s next. We’re spotlighting 11 standout upcoming titles that will be featured during the festival, and their playable demos are live right now!
From cozy puzzlers and chaotic party brawlers to sci-fi precision runs, roguelike mayhem, and chilling psychological horror, this lineup covers every flavor of thrill. Jump in ahead of the crowd, get a feel for what’s coming, and share your favorites.
Monsters and Me [Action Roguelike, Bullet Hell, Zombies, Co-Op]
Get ready for blistering chaos with Monsters and Me, a 2D top-down roguelite shooter where mutant slime-monsters roam free and everything wants to eat you. Battle wave after wave of freaks, unlock ridiculous weapons and perks, and risk, die, and retry in gloriously over-the-top fashion. Co-op adds even more insanity, whether you’re flying solo or with a buddy.
Dwarf Delve [Dwarf, Action Roguelike, Singleplayer, Dungeon Crawler]
Fill the boots of a “Delveling” venturing into randomly generated mines packed with hazards, treasures, and risk. Use gear like lanterns, ladders, and mine-carts to survive and extract ores—then invest in skills, tools, and cozy quarters above ground. It’s extraction roguelite meets dwarven theatrics.
Heistfest [Racing, Heist, Combat Racing]
Hop in the driver’s seat in Heistfest, a top-down action-racer where you rob banks, evade the law, and tear through destructible cityscapes in stylish black-and-white flair. The more chaos you cause, the hotter the heat—from helicopters and missiles to tanks and airstrikes.
Kriophobia [Survival Horror, Psychological Horror, Exploration]
Stranded on Zhokhov Island, Anna—a geophysicist—must navigate a frozen Soviet bunker filled with unspeakable horrors and buried secrets. With hand-drawn static camera angles, scarce resources, and chilling atmospherics, Kriophobia channels classic survival horror while carving out its own voice.
Plagun [Post-apocalyptic, Roguelike, Bullet Hell]
A grotesque roguelike shooter, Plagun casts you as a former doctor turned plague-infused monster, wielding cursed masks and biomechanical weapons as you push through waves of regenerating horrors. Every corpse collected, every mask equipped, and every run adds new layers of mutation and mayhem.
Chowdown Kitty [Match-3, Wholesome, Puzzle]
Chowdown Kitty is a cozy match-3 puzzler where every tile swap fills bowls for hundreds of hungry feline friends. Race against the ticking clock, trigger playful power-ups, and unlock bonus stages that keep the challenge fresh. Collect hundreds of kitties and decorate your lounge with pure purr-fection.
Air Hares [Bullet Hell, Farming, Wholesome]
Take to the skies with Captain Rabbo Sunskipper and her ragtag squadron of fluffy flyers in Air Hares, a fresh twist on bullet hells. Instead of blasting enemies, you’ll sow seeds, water fields, and restore life to Winrose Warren—while fending off the nefarious Gale Gang. Farming has never been so high-stakes—or so hare-raising.
Binary Golf [Sports, Chaos, Party Game]
Binary Golf collides mini-golf with pure mayhem. Every target you hit grants wild new abilities—jump over hazards, teleport across the course, or even phase through walls. Compete in fast-paced Battle Mode, tackle Story Mode, or unleash your creativity with a full course editor. Precision meets chaos on the green.
Nullstar: Solus [Precision Platformer, Speedrunning, Sci-Fi]
Nullstar: Solus is a razor-sharp precision platformer where you pilot a corporate scavenger drone into the corpse of a dying world. Master thrusters, shave seconds with the Flight Path System, and race across 80 hand-crafted levels filled with ancient guardians. Decrypt the planet’s secrets, climb the leaderboards, and prove you’re the fastest drone to the finish.
Locked in My Darkness 2: The Room [Psychological Horror, Walking Sim, Narrative]
The haunting conclusion to the trilogy, Locked in My Darkness 2: The Room is a slow-burn psychological horror experience where Yuki Tachibana unravels her family’s buried past inside a modest New York apartment. Explore shifting realities, uncover secrets, and face the room that refuses to let you leave.
Elemental Brawl [Party, Multiplayer, Brawler]
Elemental Brawl is a chaotic multiplayer party brawler where every punch, kick, and orb pickup turns into elemental mayhem. Mix and match fire, water, earth, and more to unleash unpredictable combos and reshape interactive arenas. With team shuffles, rotating mini-games that give everyone a shot, and post-launch plans for new elements, maps, and skins, it’s the ultimate way to (lovingly) beat up your friends.
This completes our full October Next Fest lineup. You can find every demo featured here—and more details—on the indie.io Next Fest Party Preview Page.
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