Steam Next Fest for June 2026 is live, and it is enormous. More than 4,300 free demos are competing for your attention this week, which is roughly double the size of last June’s lineup. Trying to play all of them is a fast track to a full SSD and zero sleep, so here are ten demos that stand out across very different genres, from a Titanfall-style shooter to a fishing game that turns into a horror story.
Quick answer: All of these demos are free and playable until 17:00 UTC on Monday, June 22, 2026. Download anything that interests you before that cutoff, because most demos are pulled when the event closes.
Empulse
Empulse is a 6v6 first-person shooter from 1047 Games, the studio behind Splitgate, and its movement is the headline. Wall-running, grapple hooks, and jetpacks give you the kind of freedom that immediately recalls Titanfall 2. The standout twist is the P.A.I.N.T. bomb system, which you can use to leap, gain speed, deal damage, or heal depending on the situation.
Mechs are tied to a match objective. Capture one and you can swing a fight in seconds. If you want to warm up before its early access launch, the Empulse demo is the place to start.
Valor Mortis
Valor Mortis comes from One More Level, the team behind the Ghostrunner games, and it casts you as a fallen soldier raised to fight for Napoleon once more. It is a first-person soulslike with parry and dodge swordplay, and the addition of a pistol gives it a distinctly Bloodborne flavor. The latest build adds a new area and a fresh major boss.
Performance is the catch. Frame rate drops and stuttering during boss fights have been a common complaint, even on high-end hardware, so treat the demo as an early look rather than a polished slice. The full game arrives later, but you can sample the Valor Mortis demo now.
Mistfall Hunter
Mistfall Hunter is a dark fantasy extraction ARPG built around co-op play, with a heavy Norse aesthetic. The simplest pitch is Dark Souls combat meets the loot-and-extract loop of Escape From Tarkov, with tough bosses replacing constant PvP pressure in the PvE runs. Anything you pull out of a run carries over for future expeditions, which is the core hook.
The demo already includes multiple classes, several maps and bosses, an auction house, and party-based scavenging, so there is a lot to dig into. It launches on July 29, 2026, making this a good time to test the combat and team synergy skills. Grab the Mistfall Hunter demo if extraction games are your thing.
Echoes of Aincrad
Set in the Sword Art Online universe on the floating castle of Aincrad, Echoes of Aincrad lets you build your own character rather than play as Kirito. The combat is the draw, with weighty swings, solid animations, and a parry system that feels good to land. It is a single-player game, but a companion system keeps you from feeling alone in the world.
The world looks gorgeous and the main story is fully voiced. Difficulty still needs tuning ahead of its July 2026 release, but even players who are lukewarm on SAO will find the demo a pleasant surprise. The Echoes of Aincrad demo is sizable, so set aside some time.
The Mound Omen of Cthulhu
The Mound Omen of Cthulhu is a psychological horror game supporting up to four-player co-op. You explore a cursed jungle packed with horrors while hunting for treasure, armed with a varied toolkit that includes a literal cross to ward off spirits. Think Phasmophobia with a much deeper combat system.
Guns, swords, and explosives are all here, but the real depth comes from utility items you have to manage, like maps and a compass. If the demo is anything to go by, the full release is worth keeping an eye on. Try the Mound Omen of Cthulhu demo with friends.
Over the Hill
Over the Hill, from the creator of Art of Rally, is part off-road driver and part cozy explorer. You take a 4×4 across tough terrain to soothing music, with up to three companions along for the ride. It captures that long-lost feeling of a 4×4 expedition through diverse outdoor biomes.
Unlike survival-first trips like PEAK or RV There Yet?, the mood here is relaxed. The scenery is the point, and you can stop to photograph distant animals between obstacles. It is due out in 2026, and the Over the Hill demo is an easy weekend pick.
Dungeon Settlers
Dungeon Settlers is a simulation strategy game about carving out a settlement on barren, monster-filled land. You build up your base, unlock powerful characters, and send them into dungeons to gather food and supplies you need to survive. The loop of expanding while fending off threats has more depth than it first appears.
If you like management and colony sims, this one rewards careful planning, and building your own corner of the world is satisfying. Check out the Dungeon Settlers demo during the festival.
Grain Rot
Grain Rot is a horror co-op extraction game where you play as robots descending into ruins to recover items. Those items feed into base building, which forms the main loop. The mechanics are the surprise, with gadgets like launching your hands out to grab objects alongside heavier weapons like guns and swords.
It gives off strong Lethal Company energy, so fans of that style should feel at home. The game is targeting the third quarter of 2026, and the Grain Rot demo is a quick way to see if it clicks for your group.
About Fishing
About Fishing takes the usual calm of fishing and bends it into psychological horror. The atmosphere is deeply unsettling, turning a simple loop of catching fish into something far stranger. It is one of the most distinctive demos in this round of Next Fest.
If you enjoy creepy games that still have solid mechanics underneath the dread, this is an easy hour or two to lose. Launch the About Fishing demo while it is available.
lily’s world XD
lily’s world XD is an investigative psychological horror game where you have access to the laptop of Lily, an ordinary teenager in 2004. You piece together what happened to her by reading her diary and messaging her friend. The game does not hold back as it ramps up the unease, and it occasionally breaks the fourth wall.
Players who like investigation paired with genuine scares should add this to their list. You can open the lily’s world XD demo during the event.
Release windows at a quick reference
| Demo | Genre | Release window |
|---|---|---|
| Empulse | 6v6 FPS | Early access (upcoming) |
| Valor Mortis | First-person soulslike | Upcoming |
| Mistfall Hunter | Extraction ARPG | July 29, 2026 |
| Echoes of Aincrad | Action RPG | July 2026 |
| The Mound Omen of Cthulhu | Co-op horror | Upcoming |
| Over the Hill | Off-road / cozy | 2026 |
| Dungeon Settlers | Simulation strategy | Upcoming |
| Grain Rot | Co-op horror extraction | Q3 2026 |
| About Fishing | Psychological horror | Upcoming |
| lily’s world XD | Investigative horror | Upcoming |
Be ruthless with your time during a festival this size. Give a demo about twenty minutes, and if it does not grab you, move on to the next one. Anything that does click is worth wishlisting now so you can pick it up cheaply during the Steam Summer Sale, which runs from June 25 through July 9.