Steam Next Fest June 2026 closes out on Monday, and the clock is running. With hundreds of free demos live on Steam right now, the event has once again delivered an absurd amount of content to sort through. The good news: there are some genuinely excellent picks buried in there, spanning everything from a granite-cuboid shotgun in a Soulslike sequel to a Lovecraftian horror game where you play as a penguin.
Here's the lowdown on the 12 demos that are worth your remaining time this weekend.
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The heavy hitters worth downloading immediately
Mortal Shell 2 sits at the top of the pile, and it earns that spot. Cold Symmetry's follow-up to the 2020 original takes the Soulslike formula and adds enough of its own ideas to feel genuinely fresh. The most talked-about addition is a granite-like cuboid shotgun, one of several new weapons that can be equipped across different Shells, the class-like bodies of named undead characters your player inhabits. Seals add another layer, letting you remap the parry button into a petrification block or configure your gun to break enemy stun meters. The enemy variety in the demo alone is worth the download: caged brutes, witchy accordion players that actually generate music mid-fight. This is the most promising Soulslike demo since Elden Ring's network test.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is the blockbuster demo of the event. Capcom's revival of the beloved historic fantasy series puts you in control of Miyamoto Musashi in a fictional Edo-era Kyoto, cutting through Genma monsters with a fluidity that draws clear comparisons to God of War's combat feel. The demo includes a full boss fight and does a strong job of communicating the game's atmosphere. It launches September 25, 2026, so this is your best chance to get hands-on before release.
The Soulslike adjacent picks
Valor Mortis, from the team behind Ghostrunner, takes a first-person perspective into Soulslike territory. Set in an alternate 19th century France with a zombie virus tearing through Napoleon's army, the demo delivers slick combat with enough gore and atmosphere to back it up. The supernatural hook, playing as an undead soldier in Napoleon's new army, is exactly as strange as it sounds, and it works. Comparisons to Dark Souls 3 and Shadow of Mordor have come up repeatedly, and they feel earned. It launches October 13, 2026.
Mistfall Hunter takes a different angle entirely. If Elden Ring Nightreign pointed you toward co-op Soulslike extraction loops, this is the game that fully commits to that concept. Enter Gyldenmist-corrupted lands, fight monsters and rival players, and extract before corruption takes hold. The bell creature kill required to escape adds a satisfying high-stakes finish to every run. It launches July 29, 2026, same day as Truck-kun is Supporting Me from Another World?!, which is something else entirely: a Crazy Taxi meets GTA mashup built around isekai anime logic. You play the delivery driver who accidentally transported a woman to a fantasy world, and she guilts you into causing more havoc to help her get back. Timed arcade runs, police chases, monster combat. It is as chaotic as it sounds.
The ones flying under the radar
Fractured Blooms, published by the Doki Doki Literature Club team at Serenity Forge, is the demo that has generated the most passionate word of mouth this event. A psychological horror farming sim set in a timeloop, you manage teenage protagonist Angie's daily chores, farming, cooking, and cleaning, while the world slowly reveals something deeply wrong. Appalachian mysticism, resource management, and genuine dread. No release date yet, but the demo alone will stick with you.
Penguin Colony is exactly what it sounds like: a Lovecraftian horror adaptation of HP Lovecraft's At The Mountains of Madness and The Shadow Out of Time, played from the perspective of a low-poly penguin waddling through Antarctica. Nazis are trying to uncover something in the ice. Heads explode next to your cute penguin protagonist. The tonal contrast is the entire point, and it lands.
About Fishing follows the post-Dredge tradition of fishing games with a dark undercurrent. A woman in a yellow raincoat uncovers a dead body and a mermaid through the meditative act of fishing. The demo only covers the opening chapter, but the David Lynch atmosphere is strong enough to make it worth the download, especially for Twin Peaks fans.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Oaths and Ashes from Revive the Spark is a visual novel RPG prologue. Playing as Ventrue vampire Alice navigating Parisian Justicar politics and a mission to sow discord in Berlin, the demo is light on mechanics but heavy on intrigue. Blood management and the masquerade system are teased without being fully shown. Promising.
The wildcard picks
Virtue and a Sledgehammer, published by Devolver Digital, is built entirely around one mechanic: swinging a massive sledgehammer using the controller trigger to smash robots, objects, and houses. The story, told through fragmented flashbacks, involves taking revenge for the deaths of your woodland hometown's residents. The demolition feel is crunchy and satisfying, and the demo is generous with how much of the starting area you can destroy.
Screenbound is a puzzle platformer that layers a 2D Game Boy Advance-style handheld screen over a 3D world. You navigate levels by alternating between the two perspectives, using a device called the Qboy. The perspective juggling takes a few minutes to click, but once it does the timing and logic puzzles feel genuinely clever. It launches September 10, 2026, and runs well on Steam Deck.
Tanuki: Pon's Summer rounds out the list as the cozy game pick. A lazy tanuki named Pon has one month to fix up a shrine before the Tanuki Festival, funding it through a part-time post-office delivery job. BMX cycling, friendship building, shrine decorating, and mini-games. No release date yet, but the demo plays well on Steam Deck and the gameplay loop is already compelling.
What this means for gamers is a genuinely strong lineup across genres, and most of these demos are available free right now with no strings attached. Check our gaming guides for more on the games you're already playing, and if you want to stay sharp on active in-game events while you decide what to wishlist, the Warframe 13 Year Anniversary event guide and Forza Horizon 6 Stunt Party location guide are worth bookmarking. Steam Next Fest ends Monday, June 23, 2026. The demos disappear with it.
