Steam Next Fest October 2026: the free demos worth your time, from Brazil’s Talaka to the grunge of ROCKBEASTS

Valve kicks off another Steam Next Fest on Monday, October 19: the free-demo festival for games that haven’t launched yet. It starts at 10 AM PDT (1 PM EDT) and runs until October 26 at the same time. It’s the third and final edition of 2026, and the next one is already set for February 22 to March 1, 2027.

As usual, there are hundreds of demos, developer livestreams and plenty of gems buried in the pile. So I went through what landed in the SavePoint inbox over the past few weeks, cross-checked it with international coverage and put together this guide, from Brazilian indies to projects with big names behind them.

How to make the most of Next Fest

• Many demos are temporary. Several studios pull their demo when the festival ends, so don’t leave it to the last day.
• Wishlist what you like. For small studios, wishlists during the event make a real difference at launch.
• Keep an eye on Steam Scream V Fest. Right after, from October 26 to November 2, Steam runs its horror festival, and some horror demos stay live.
• Prices: since Next Fest games are unreleased, most of the highlights below don’t have a price yet.

Brazilian pride: the Brazilian games at Next Fest

Talaka

From Brazilian studio Potato Kid and publisher Acclaim, Talaka is a fast, hand-painted action roguelite with Dead Cells-style combat and biomes such as the Sertão, the Pantanal and even São Paulo. You fight corrupted folklore creatures and team up with the Orishas to save a mythology at risk of being forgotten. The demo is live now, and the full game is planned for early 2027. Steam page. Read our full story.

Emptiness Sire

Made by Oaks Games Studio, a Brazilian team of about ten people, together with Sweden’s Bright Gambit, Emptiness Sire is a turn-based puzzle adventure with more than 160 handcrafted puzzles. You control three characters with different powers in a cosmic-horror world, with a forgiving undo system. Steam page.

Big names: projects from well-known studios and publishers

Next Fest rarely gets true AAA demos, but this edition has projects led by veterans of big productions and established publishers.

ROCKBEASTS

A management RPG from Polish studio Lichthund, made with Critical Role, in which you take a 90s grunge band from the garage to stadiums. The voice cast includes Matthew Mercer, Sam Riegel and Liam O’Brien plus Iggy Pop, and it’s written by Jakub Szamałek, who worked on The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. The demo adds a third episode for Next Fest, and the game launches in January 2027 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series and Switch. Steam page. Read our full story.

Frostrail

Published by Shiro Unlimited, the label tied to Shiro Games (Northgard, Wartales), FakeFish’s Frostrail is a solo or co-op survival FPS where you drive and upgrade a steam train across a frozen wasteland. Its demo runs during the festival, and Early Access is planned for late 2026. Steam page.

Guns of Eschaton

A soulslike FPS set in an apocalyptic Wild West, with art direction by Viktor Antonov, the artist behind the look of Half-Life 2 and Dishonored. Scarce ammo, well-timed parries and occult powers set the tone, and you can play solo, in co-op or PvP. It’s dated for December 8, 2026. Steam page.

Hela: of Mice & Magic

A 3D co-op adventure from Windup, published by Knights Peak, where you see the world through the eyes of a brave little mouse in landscapes inspired by northern Sweden. The demo is available, and the game launches December 1, 2026. Steam page.

GrimKeep

From Resolution Games, the studio behind Demeo, GrimKeep is a roguelite dice-builder in a nightmare fairy tale: grab items, roll dice and stack combos for big damage. The demo stays up for the whole festival, and the game is out November 30. Steam page.

Dog Man: Bark in Action

Dav Pilkey’s hero gets a comic-book action platformer with ten playable characters, 60 levels and couch co-op. Mindscape releases it on October 27, the day after Next Fest, on PC, Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. Steam page.

MR. RECORDS

Published by Wired Productions, this rhythm game follows old George, who opens a record shop where every LP becomes a level. The Next Fest demo adds a music level editor and, on PC, lets you use your own songs. It’s planned for PC, PS5, Xbox Series and Switch 2. Steam page.

Dead Party

The sequel to Dead Block, from Germany’s Radiation Blue and Snail Games, is a four-player zombie defense game with barricades, traps and rock-powered abilities. The expanded demo adds the museum stage, and the game hits Steam and Epic on October 29. Steam page.

Mr. Magpie’s Harmless Card Game

Published by Behaviour Interactive (Dead by Daylight), it’s a corporate-horror roguelike deckbuilder that blends Minesweeper-style deduction with push-your-luck play. The expanded demo adds a company-shares system and office exploration. Steam page.

Inkblood

Published by CRITICAL REFLEX, the label behind Mouthwashing and Buckshot Roulette, Inkblood is an occult detective game with escape-room puzzles, investigated from a travelling carriage. The demo has three cases, the full game will have ten, and it’s due later in 2026.

Horror to get you in the Halloween mood

DERELIKT

Published by Hyperstrange, this PS1-style survival-horror FPS takes place on an asteroid station orbiting Saturn, openly inspired by System Shock 2 and Doom 3. The demo is live, and launch is planned for 2026. Steam page.

Bleach & Blood

PS1-style narrative horror about a night shift at a small-town laundromat, from solo developer The Windy Project. The first chapter is free during Next Fest and Scream Fest, and the full game is due in 2027. Steam page.

Evil Moon: Unspoken

Sweden’s Niklas Hallin, of the Alruna series, mixes retro 3D shooting with Metroid Prime-style exploration, starring a silent nun armed with a pistol and a rosary that doubles as a grappling hook. The demo, with the first area and its boss, arrives October 19. Steam page. Read our full story.

Expendabots and Coal Duty

Two co-op extraction horror games with proximity voice chat, where the monsters can hear you talk. In Expendabots, from Collision Games and Blue Brain Games, up to four players 3D-print gear mid-mission. Coal Duty, from Corecrew Games and indie.io, sends up to five friends into frozen coal mines and enters Early Access on October 27.

GRINDWORM and Death Dealer

In GRINDWORM, you pilot a crumbling mining machine and juggle oxygen and engine heat while digging procedurally generated tunnels. Death Dealer is a horror party game for up to six players: lose at cards and you become the hunted. It launches November 4.

SKINFACE and The Hollowing

From Future Friends Games’ lineup, SKINFACE is a horror thriller about a hitman who steals faces, with a new demo on October 19. The Hollowing, by Rubeki (Lorn’s Lure), is a horror flight sim the publisher pitches as Iron Lung meets Flight Simulator.

Roguelikes, cards and dice

R.O.G.U.E. Waves

From Uruguayan studio Pomelo Games, it’s a surfing roguelike deckbuilder where you bid against rivals for the best waves and chain impossible tricks, with no card costs. Steam page.

Hellmate: Chess Deck Builder

A roguelike deckbuilder built on chess from Turkey’s Overbaked Studio: seven floors of Hell, each ruled by a deadly sin. It’s set for January 19, 2027.

Portentum

A deck-building auto battler where every card is a cryptid, from Bigfoot and Mothman to the Chupacabra. It’s free-to-play and enters Early Access on October 28. Steam page.

Spin to Breathe, Amazing Slot Survivor and 500 Finger Fillet

Three roguelites built on wild ideas: in Spin to Breathe, oxygen is the currency during a space-pirate casino raid; in Amazing Slot Survivor, a legendary slot machine can make you up to 18 times stronger; and in Future Friends’ 500 Finger Fillet, you have to stab between your fingers 500 times to escape, launching November 12.

Action, RPG and strategy

Queen’s Domain

One of the event’s most anticipated games, with over 200,000 wishlists according to Future Friends Games. It’s a retro fantasy action RPG in the vein of King’s Field, where you search for your missing father with a holy sword that lets you fly between platforms. It launches October 30. Steam page.

Voivod: The Nuclear Warrior

An officially licensed run-and-gun Metroidvania based on Canadian metal band Voivod, from Estonian studio Chaosmonger. The demo has a story mode and a combat mode, and the game arrives in early 2027 on PC, Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. Steam page.

Firva: Strings of Fate (Part 1)

A cinematic dark-fantasy action-adventure from small studio Gord Games, about revenge and a thread that can bring back the dead. The team says it built the game for under US$200,000 while aiming for an AA look, and the demo runs over 30 minutes. Steam page.

Ghost Justice

Turn-based tactics against drug cartels, with several squads under your command at once, including stealth and sniper teams. The demo has two missions set in 1992 Miami, and release is planned for Q1 2027. Steam page.

Neuron Activation

Pitched as WarioWare meets Severance, it’s a digital fidget box run by a corporate Handler you shouldn’t trust. Made by a solo developer, it launches October 28. Steam page.

Swordeye and Amiko Legends

Swordeye is a PvPvE tower extraction game with six-direction sword combat. Amiko Legends mixes creature collecting with extraction, which its developer sums up as Pokémon meets ARC Raiders.

Cozy, management and sim

Gendo the Gatherer

A cozy pixel-art foraging and cooking sim set in Edo-period Japan, where you run a teahouse. The updated demo adds a new map and a mining minigame, and the game launches November 12. Steam page.

Warehouse: Catastrophe

After a catnip incident, you have to repack thousands of items into boxes, with cats lending a paw. It launches on PC on October 27 for US$5.99 / €6.15, with 20% off for the first two weeks. Steam page.

Ashfield Hollow

A 2D post-apocalyptic life sim pitched as The Last of Us meets Stardew Valley. The demo is about ten hours long, runs well on Steam Deck, carries saves over to the full game and now has a permadeath hardcore challenge with Steam gift cards for the top zombie killers. Steam page.

The Regreening and Winter Whiskers

In The Regreening, you restore a dead world with help from spirits of Baltic folklore. In Winter Whiskers, a stoat vacuums up snow to power a harbour town’s steam system.

Tattie Bogle, Ski-E-O! and Monster Park Tycoon

In Tattie Bogle, up to four friends become living scarecrows defending a farm from Scandinavian folklore creatures, launching November 11. Ski-E-O! Resort Tycoon builds ski resorts on real terrain, including the Andes. And Monster Park Tycoon is a monster park that secretly fronts a doomsday cult.

Hope Timbre and MAFATE

Hope Timbre, from Slovakia’s Linnet Solutions, is a 3D perspective puzzler with Slavic folk art and music and no fail states (Steam). MAFATE is a combat-free exploration game on Réunion Island where you deliver mail and can possess animals.

Launches right after Next Fest

• Oct 27: Dog Man: Bark in Action, Warehouse: Catastrophe and Coal Duty (Early Access)
• Oct 28: Neuron Activation and Portentum (Early Access, free-to-play)
• Oct 29: Dead Party
• Oct 30: Queen’s Domain
• Nov 4: Death Dealer
• Nov 11: Tattie Bogle
• Nov 12: Gendo the Gatherer and 500 Finger Fillet
• Nov 30: GrimKeep
• Dec 1: Hela: of Mice & Magic
• Dec 8: Guns of Eschaton

Read also: One More Plate!, the chaotic co-op feed-em-up, launches on PC on November 10.

See also this month’s game release calendar.

Source: Valve / Steam.