11 Steam Next Fest demos you should download and play this week

Steam Next Fest is here! This event lets you try out demos for a huge number of upcoming games, and it happens three times a year in February, June, and October. This week’s festival started today and will last until October 20th at 10 AM Pacific Time. With so many demos available, it’s hard to know where to start, so we’ve put together a list of eleven particularly exciting games you should check out.

Eleven demos worth trying during the October Steam Next Fest

Each game can only be featured in Steam Next Fest once, so you won’t see repeat demos from earlier this year. While some demos might remain on Steam after the event next week, that’s not a certainty. Many demos are only available during this week, so be sure to try them out while you have the chance. And don’t forget to add games you like to your wishlist – it really helps small developers!

Cairn

I’ve been following Cairn for a while now, and the developers, The Game Bakers, are getting ready to launch the full game early next year. This latest demo feels like one final push to get everyone excited, but honestly, I don’t even think they *need* the extra hype! It’s doing amazing – the reviews are “Overwhelmingly Positive,” with a crazy 98% of over 6,600 reviews being positive. That’s almost unheard of, even for a finished game, let alone just a demo!

Cairn is a game where you simulate mountain climbing. You play as Aava, training to climb the challenging Mount Kami. You’ll need to carefully plan your path and manage your equipment, like pitons, to reach the summit. The demo, available on Steam, lets you play the beginning of the game and takes about 45 minutes to finish. I definitely recommend trying the Cairn demo if you have some free time this week.

Tears of Metal

Okay, so picture this: what if *Braveheart* was a super intense, violent, and replayable action game like *Dynasty Warriors*? That’s basically what Tears of Metal feels like! I got to play a demo at PAX West this year, and honestly, it was a standout for me. It nails that awesome feeling of being in these huge battles where you’re sending enemies flying everywhere, but it’s not a walk in the park. The enemies actually put up a fight, and there are some really tough ones to deal with, so you’ve gotta use your skills – dodging, special abilities, everything – to win.

I once asked the team about the story behind the name *Tears of Metal*, but they never really explained it. I always imagined it referred to the meteors in the game, which are central to its biggest mystery. A massive Dragon Meteor has crashed in Scotland and been taken over by hostile invaders. Now, it’s your job to lead your armies further into enemy lands and discover the secrets of this incredible material.

Love Eternal

I usually wouldn’t expect horror and challenging platforming to work together, but the Love Eternal demo completely changed my mind. This dark and story-driven game from brlka features some of the most enjoyable and difficult platforming sections I’ve experienced in a long time. I’m eager to play the full game and understand the story better, though some parts are so strange and disturbing that I’m not sure I’ll ever fully grasp what’s going on.

The demo for *Love Eternal* offers a satisfying challenge, similar to the game *Celeste*. When you make a mistake, you only restart the current section, not the entire level. This means you can focus on learning and improving without getting stuck repeating the same difficult parts. It’s rewarding to pinpoint what went wrong and then immediately try again. You might fail multiple times, but mastering a challenge feels incredibly satisfying.

Motorslice

Imagine Shadow of the Colossus, but set in a giant construction site. That’s the feel of Motorslice, a new action-adventure game with a demo now available. You’ll navigate the remains of a huge structure using parkour, and battle enormous construction machines by climbing on top of them. Luckily, you’ll have a chainsaw-sword to help you along the way.

Motorslice, created by Regular Studio, is still without a firm release date, but a recent demo at Next Fest suggests it’s coming soon. The trailer hints at a threat bigger than just runaway machinery – specifically, a helicopter shown crashing into buildings with a disturbing mass of tentacles growing from it. I’m eager to try the demo and find out more.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion

Even with the popular Marvel name attached, this demo is genuinely impressive and worth checking out. It comes from Dotemu, the publisher of the acclaimed indie game Absolum, and is developed by Tribute Games, the creators of 2022’s TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge. Both teams are known for making fantastic, old-school arcade-style beat ‘em up games, and after trying the Marvel Cosmic Invasion demo at Summer Game Fest, it’s clear they’ve done it again.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is unique because of its team-based fighting. Players each control two Marvel heroes and can switch between them instantly. You can also have one hero assist another with special attacks and support moves. It’s a fantastic game for playing with friends on the couch, letting players easily join or leave without interrupting the game for everyone else. These character pairings are well-designed and effective.

SWAPMEAT

One More Game’s SWAPMEAT is easily one of the most unique games you’ll find. This action-packed roguelike lives up to its name – after defeating enemies, you can replace your own body parts with theirs! You can swap out legs, arms, a torso, or a head, each granting you new abilities. For example, spider legs give you a double jump, and an insect head lets you spit acid. With tons of bizarre combinations and a wide range of weapons, this third-person shooter is completely over-the-top.

SWAPMEAT will be available to play in Early Access on Steam starting October 21st, right after Next Fest. I got a chance to try out a demo at PAX West and chat with the developers, and I’m really looking forward to playing more. It’s a crazy roguelike where your character will look completely different by the time you finish a playthrough.

Relooted

The game *Relooted* by Nyamakop explores a powerful question: if something was stolen, is reclaiming it also a crime? The game puts you in the role of someone breaking into Western museums to return valuable artifacts to their African countries of origin. In the *Relooted* demo – which has been available for almost a month and is currently part of Steam Next Fest – you’ll need to assemble a team, plan your escape, and recover the stolen treasures.

Relooted is a futuristic heist game where you plan and execute daring robberies. While the museums and locations are made up, all 70 items you steal in the game are real-world artifacts. The game is played from a 2D perspective and involves multiple stages, from planning the heist and escape to avoiding guards and security systems while making off with the loot.

Skate Story

In Skate Story, you play as a skateboarding demon made of glass, tasked with traveling through the underworld and eating moons. Developed by Sam Eng and published by Devolver Digital, the game is scheduled to release on December 8th, but a demo is available now on Steam. You’ll encounter quirky characters in this bizarre underworld, but remember that your fragile glass body breaks easily, so careful skating is key!

The Steam page promises you can trade your soul for new skateboarding parts to keep your tricks looking fresh. The trailer shows you’ll be able to personalize your board with images and stickers. With recent realistic skateboarding games like the Tony Hawk remakes and EA’s Skate, it’s exciting to see another game that focuses on a more creative and less realistic style.

Constance

Still craving a challenging action-adventure game like Silksong? The new game *Constance*, from developer bft, might be just what you need. You play as Constance, an artist who uses a magical paintbrush. She can transform into paint to quickly move around—dash through the air, dive underground, and maintain a fluid, dynamic playstyle. *Constance* is set to launch on November 24th and marks bft’s first game release.

Beyond its exciting gameplay and platforming, *Constance* explores the main character’s battle with mental health. Though the demo only offers a glimpse, the game’s world is designed to mirror her inner life—each vibrant area, enemy, and character represents a piece of her mind and past. This is a promising idea, and I’m eager to see how the story unfolds.

Forestrike

Ever wish you knew what your opponent would do next? Forestrike, a 2D martial arts roguelike from Skeleton Crew Studio, lets you do just that – essentially plan ahead and visualize every possible outcome. You can experiment with different strategies to find what works best. But be warned: if you fail, you’ll have to start your adventure all over again.

The developers of *Forestrike* focused on making the game predictable, so enemies always respond consistently to what you do. This means you can carefully plan your moves without worrying about random chance. *Forestrike* is scheduled to launch on November 17th, as revealed today at the beginning of Steam Next Fest.

Ultimate Sheep Raccoon

If you’ve played Ultimate Chicken Horse, you’ll quickly understand Ultimate Sheep Raccoon. It uses the same basic idea: players take turns adding obstacles to a level, trying to help themselves while hindering others. However, instead of running and jumping to the finish line, everyone rides bikes on a racetrack!

The demo for *Ultimate Sheep Raccoon* at Next Fest lets up to eight players play together, either on the same computer or online. It keeps the fun, cartoonish look of the original 2016 game, but with improved graphics. I’m already picturing the hilarious mayhem when my friends and I try to race each other!

This is just a taste of the many Steam demos you can try out during Next Fest this week. I’ll share a more complete list later on. And don’t forget, all these demos are free to play, and you can add games to your wishlist to support the developers!

2025-10-14 04:34