The Steam Next Fest event for October 2022 has officially kicked off, bringing with it hundreds of playable demos of current and upcoming PC games as well as special developer broadcasts and bargains across the store.
You can check out all the action here, or jump straight to the schedule for developer streams and VODs here. You’ve got between now and October 11th at 4AM (AEDT) to play as much as you can before the vast majority of the demos disappear again.
Keen to get stuck into some playable demos but not sure where to begin with the sheer volume on offer? Here are a few of our picks:
Scars Above
I played this at Gamescom and loved it. It’s like Returnal meets Dead Space meets Metroid Prime, I think. Decide for yourself with the playable demo and thank me later.
Floodland
A gorgeous, post-climate disaster city builder in which you unite clans by making tough choices and surviving even tougher conditions. We played this at Gamescom and loved it, so check it out for yourself by downloading the demo here.
SEASON: A Letter to the Future
An atmospheric third-person cycling adventure through a mysterious world with plenty of intrigue to chew over and a beautiful, moody aesthetic. Download the demo here to get a taste of SEASON.
The Entropy Centre
Love Portal? This mind-melting, time-bending first person puzzle game will scratch those same noodles in your brain. Check out the demo here.
Potionomics
Take on the role of potion store proprietor in this charming-as-hell shop sim. The demo can be found riiiiiiight here.
Forever Skies
Survive above the surface of a ruined earth in an airship that’s uniquely yours, or venture below if you dare. We loved our time with this game in a recent preview, so grab the demo while you can and give it a go.
LEGO Bricktales
Go on adventures across spectactular LEGO diorama worlds, solving puzzles by building brick-by-brick. Play the demo here.
Gunbrella
A noir-punk pixel art side-scroller with a gun that’s also an umbrella. I’m not sure what else you could ask for? Other than a demo, which is here.
Wavetale
Once exclusive to the now-doomed Stadia, Wavetale is coming to other platforms and should be on your radar if you love story-driven action adventure games with gorgeous aesthetics. Pick up the demo and check it out!
Dredge
A mysterious fishing adventure where you captain a trawler and pull up sea creatures (and sea secrets) from the depths of a remote archipelago. Catch the demo here.
Aquatico
A survival city builder set in the deep sea depths, with all the complications that come with trying to run a civilisation under the ocean. Like constantly having to put your phone in rice, I guess? Get wet in the playable demo here.
UNDECEMBER
Different to “undie-cember” which is the one month a year that I splash out on new Bonds. This is a Diablo-esque hack and slash RPG with a very unique skills system. Give it a razz with the demo.
The Garden Path
I adore this bloody game! It’s a slice-of-life sim with a truly beautiful, painterly art style and immaculate vibes. Come for the fishing and farming, stay for the incredible characters. The demo is available here.
Stuntfest – World Tour
It’s a game where you send cars flying into obstacles at ridiculous speeds while you unceremoniously eject the poor driver and bounce them around the environment until you can re-materialise your wrecked ride. If that doesn’t make enough sense, play the demo and see what I’m talking about.
Clash: Artifacts of Chaos
I’ll forgive you for not remembering Zeno Clash, the weird and wonderful brawler from ACE Team. But I won’t forgive you for not having a go at Clash, which manages to somehow be even more weird and more wonderful. The demo is here.
Bonus 16th Suggestion: Thirsty Suitors
How did we miss this? The demo for the excellent genre mash-up that is Thirsty Suitors is back! This is easily one of the most exciting indie joints coming out in future so you’d do extremely well to check out this demo if you haven’t already.
Honestly, there is so much more you can get your hands around during the Steam Next Fest so make sure you head over to the landing page and jump on as much as you can before it’s all over!
