Steam Subsequent Fest June 2026 closes out on Monday, and the clock is working. With lots of of free demos reside on Steam proper now, the occasion has as soon as once more delivered an absurd quantity of content material to type by. The excellent news: there are some genuinely wonderful picks buried in there, spanning every part from a granite-cuboid shotgun in a Soulslike sequel to a Lovecraftian horror recreation the place you play as a penguin.
Here is the lowdown on the 12 demos which can be price your remaining time this weekend.
NEW GAMING DEALS
Pay much less to your video games.
Get reductions as much as 80% off
Mortal Shell 2 sits on the prime of the pile, and it earns that spot. Chilly Symmetry’s follow-up to the 2020 unique takes the Soulslike formulation and provides sufficient of its personal concepts to really feel genuinely recent. Probably the most talked-about addition is a granite-like cuboid shotgun, one in every of a number of new weapons that may be outfitted throughout completely different Shells, the class-like our bodies of named undead characters your participant inhabits. Seals add one other layer, letting you remap the parry button right into a petrification block or configure your gun to interrupt enemy stun meters. The enemy selection within the demo alone is well worth the obtain: caged brutes, witchy accordion gamers that really generate music mid-fight. That is essentially the most promising Soulslike demo since Elden Ring’s community take a look at.
Onimusha: Approach of the Sword is the blockbuster demo of the occasion. Capcom’s revival of the beloved historic fantasy collection places you in command of Miyamoto Musashi in a fictional Edo-era Kyoto, slicing by Genma monsters with a fluidity that attracts clear comparisons to God of Battle’s fight really feel. The demo features a full boss struggle and does a powerful job of speaking the sport’s environment. It launches September 25, 2026, so that is your greatest likelihood to get hands-on earlier than launch.
essential
Each the Mortal Shell 2 and Onimusha: Approach of the Sword demos are time-limited to Steam Subsequent Fest. They shut when the occasion ends Monday, so obtain them earlier than then.
The Soulslike adjoining picks
Valor Mortis, from the group behind Ghostrunner, takes a first-person perspective into Soulslike territory. Set in an alternate nineteenth century France with a zombie virus tearing by Napoleon’s military, the demo delivers slick fight with sufficient gore and environment to again it up. The supernatural hook, enjoying as an undead soldier in Napoleon’s new military, is precisely as unusual because it sounds, and it really works. Comparisons to Darkish Souls 3 and Shadow of Mordor have come up repeatedly, they usually really feel earned. It launches October 13, 2026.
Mistfall Hunter takes a distinct angle totally. If Elden Ring Nightreign pointed you towards co-op Soulslike extraction loops, that is the sport that totally commits to that idea. Enter Gyldenmist-corrupted lands, struggle monsters and rival gamers, and extract earlier than corruption takes maintain. The bell creature kill required to flee provides a satisfying high-stakes end to each run. It launches July 29, 2026, identical day as Truck-kun is Supporting Me from One other World?!, which is one thing else totally: a Loopy Taxi meets GTA mashup constructed round isekai anime logic. You play the supply driver who by chance transported a girl to a fantasy world, and he or she guilts you into inflicting extra havoc to assist her get again. Timed arcade runs, police chases, monster fight. It’s as chaotic because it sounds.
Those flying below the radar
Fractured Blooms, printed by the Doki Doki Literature Membership group at Serenity Forge, is the demo that has generated essentially the most passionate phrase of mouth this occasion. A psychological horror farming sim set in a timeloop, you handle teenage protagonist Angie’s day by day chores, farming, cooking, and cleansing, whereas the world slowly reveals one thing deeply flawed. Appalachian mysticism, useful resource administration, and real dread. No launch date but, however the demo alone will follow you.
Penguin Colony is precisely what it appears like: a Lovecraftian horror adaptation of HP Lovecraft’s At The Mountains of Insanity and The Shadow Out of Time, performed from the attitude of a low-poly penguin waddling by Antarctica. Nazis try to uncover one thing within the ice. Heads explode subsequent to your cute penguin protagonist. The tonal distinction is the complete level, and it lands.
About Fishing follows the post-Dredge custom of fishing video games with a darkish undercurrent. A girl in a yellow raincoat uncovers a useless physique and a mermaid by the meditative act of fishing. The demo solely covers the opening chapter, however the David Lynch environment is robust sufficient to make it well worth the obtain, particularly for Twin Peaks followers.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Oaths and Ashes from Revive the Spark is a visible novel RPG prologue. Enjoying as Ventrue vampire Alice navigating Parisian Justicar politics and a mission to sow discord in Berlin, the demo is mild on mechanics however heavy on intrigue. Blood administration and the masquerade system are teased with out being totally proven. Promising.
The wildcard picks
Advantage and a Sledgehammer, printed by Devolver Digital, is constructed totally round one mechanic: swinging a large sledgehammer utilizing the controller set off to smash robots, objects, and homes. The story, informed by fragmented flashbacks, includes taking revenge for the deaths of your woodland hometown’s residents. The demolition really feel is crunchy and satisfying, and the demo is beneficiant with how a lot of the beginning space you may destroy.
Screenbound is a puzzle platformer that layers a 2D Recreation Boy Advance-style handheld display screen over a 3D world. You navigate ranges by alternating between the 2 views, utilizing a tool known as the Qboy. The angle juggling takes a couple of minutes to click on, however as soon as it does the timing and logic puzzles really feel genuinely intelligent. It launches September 10, 2026, and runs nicely on Steam Deck.
Tanuki: Pon’s Summer season rounds out the listing as the comfortable recreation decide. A lazy tanuki named Pon has one month to repair up a shrine earlier than the Tanuki Competition, funding it by a part-time post-office supply job. BMX biking, friendship constructing, shrine adorning, and mini-games. No launch date but, however the demo performs nicely on Steam Deck and the gameplay loop is already compelling.
What this implies for avid gamers is a genuinely sturdy lineup throughout genres, and most of those demos can be found free proper now with no strings connected. Test our gaming guides for extra on the video games you are already enjoying, and if you wish to keep sharp on energetic in-game occasions when you resolve what to wishlist, the Warframe 13 Yr Anniversary occasion information and Forza Horizon 6 Stunt Social gathering location information are price bookmarking. Steam Subsequent Fest ends Monday, June 23, 2026. The demos disappear with it.
