Bonfire PR on Steam
Eight demos to gather around, and a lot less scrolling.
Steam Next Fest is live and we’ve never seen one quite like it, with 8,000 demos and counting. That is a lot to dig through, so we wanted to make life a little easier with a round-up of indie demos to gather around.
Full disclosure: we work on every game here but we hope you’ll agree they’re worth a look anyway.
Want a review key or a chat with a developer for any of these? Email [email protected].
MEDIUM RARE
Release date: January 2027 (PC)
Genre: Survival Horror, Dungeon Crawler, Adventure
Play the Demo on Steam
Eat people and conserve ammo as you hike to the top of a mountain where a human meat factory is about to process your kidnapped wife in this turn-based survival dungeon crawler. Eat Meat. Save Wife.
The demo trailer is closing in on 500,000 views, and Rock Paper Shotgun says this Resident Evil-inspired dungeon crawler has a “deliciously nasty vibe.”
ASHFIELD HOLLOW
Release date: Q1 2027 (PC)
Genre: Survival, Open World, Crafting, Farming
Play the Demo on Steam
Build a life in the ruins. Ashfield Hollow combines deep survival, real-time combat, farming, crafting, and fishing in a post-apocalyptic world that nearly didn’t make it. Ten years after the outbreak, Camp Ashfield is one of the last places left. Whether it stays that way is up to you.
ScreenRant called it “Stardew Valley meets The Last of Us,” and a new survival challenge asks players to navigate 50 days on a single life. It’s harder than it sounds, but modifiers mean you can come here just to farm if that’s more your vibe.
SLUMBER REALM
Release date: November 4, 2026 (PC)
Genre: Roguelike Deckbuilder, Dice, Card Battler
Play the Demo on Steam
Battle your childhood fears in a 90s-soaked dice roguelike. One die roll triggers your entire build. Chain wild combos, fight broccoli, and decorate your bedroom with nostalgic relics.
Lead developer Brian Cronin previously worked on Monster Train, Inkbound, and Natural Selection 2. The trailer is a great nod to the infomercials of yesteryear, and The Escapist called it “one of the best roguelite demos currently available on Steam.” It also featured at GDC 2026 and Tiny Teams 2025.
I WANT TO PLAY THE VILLAIN!
Release date: Q1 2027 (PC, NS, NS2, PS4, PS5, XO, XSX, An, iOS)
Genre: Puzzle, Logic, Casual
Play the Demo on Steam
I Want to Play the Villain! is a theatre-themed logic puzzle game. To create the perfect show, you must match actors to their roles. But every actor has their own ambitions, fears, and wishes. Rearrange the cast, change the story, and use your logic to make everyone happy!
Triomatica Games, the award-winning studio behind the Boxville series, has just released a Next Fest exclusive demo with double the content, so it suits new and returning players. A standalone version of the original demo is also on iOS and Android if that’s more your speed. Pocket Gamer called it “a refreshing twist on the format.”
GENDO THE GATHERER
Release date: November 12, 2026 (PC)
Genre: Casual, Adventure, Management
Play the Demo on Steam
A cozy life sim where you forage, cook and serve your way through Gendo’s journey navigating an abundant, ever changing landscape. After long days of gathering goodies, return to your cozy home to prepare, cook and serve your dishes to the local townsfolk. Join Gendo in his life in the countryside.
Think a cozy Edo period-inspired spin on the Dave the Diver formula and you’re somewhere close. The updated Next Fest exclusive demo adds new locations, upgrades, minigames, and characters. It’s all the work of UnintentionalLogic, a dynamic duo made up of an electrical engineering student and an architecture student.
GEAR UP EINSTEIN!
Release date: November 6, 2026 (PC)
Genre: Auto Battler, Roguelite, Turn-Based Tactics
Play the Demo on Steam
A strategic roguelite auto-battler for 1-3 players. Travel through time, recruit historical figures, and gear them up with badass equipment for ridiculous combos. Master tactical missions solo or with friends. Ready to save the world?
Vlad the Impaler, Einstein, Tesla, Cleopatra, Charles Darwin, and that’s just the beginning. They are walking onto a battlefield in what might be one of the stranger spins on the auto-battler formula. It also supports multiplayer.
GHOST JUSTICE
Release date: Q1 2027 (PC)
Genre: Strategy, Turn-Based Combat, Tactical
Play the Demo on Steam
Lead elite operatives against ruthless cartels in a brutal narco conflict. Coordinate multiple tactical teams, plan ambushes, gather intelligence, and eliminate high-value targets through stealth-driven turn-based combat.
Centurion Developments, the team behind Forgotten but Unbroken, are back with Ghost Justice, a game fans are calling “Jagged XCOM,” which we think is one of the biggest compliments it could get. They’ve also partnered with Alienware Arena to celebrate the Next Fest launch, where players can win a copy of the game, a name in the credits, and Alpha access. Learn more here.
VOID EATERS
Release date: February 2027 (PC)
Genre: Idle, Incremental, Auto Battler
Play the Demo on Steam
Play as a powerful mage shaping an army of mythical creatures in this semi-idle incremental game. Destroy enemies and gather resources by casting spells or simply watch your army at work. Explore, upgrade, craft, and customize your forces to fit your strategy.
Last but not least, in this one you build a creature organ by organ. The Next Fest demo includes 20+ locations and 20+ organs, along with crafting, buildings and dark research. Most importantly, early players are hooked, with a median demo playtime of three hours and 41% clocking five hours or more.
That’s the lot for us from this Steam Next Fest. The event ends on October 26, so there’s plenty of time to try them all. If you want a review code or need anything else, reach out at [email protected]. We have more coming before the end of the year that we can’t wait to share. Now, though, it’s my turn to go and try some Next Fest demos. Wish me luck with the doomscrolling.
Alex Moore, Bonfire PR