Over the last few years, Steam’s Next Fest has become a valuable showcase of upcoming games, particularly from indie developers. It includes free demos from participating games, livestreams, and interviews with developers that can help shed a light on games made by passionate people.
Next Fest has regularly featured games from indie.io, a publishing platform that works with developers of all shapes and sizes. The latest Next Fest just landed today, will last until June 16, and has 25 different titles from indie.io — the most games the platform has ever had in one Next Fest. You can see the full lineup on this page, and there’s a little something for every type of gamer, including old-school co-op RPGs, rhythm-driven brawlers, spellcrafting roguelites, cozy farming sims, and party games.
There’s a lot to choose from, but we picked what we think are the six standouts of the group that all have playable demos and also show the wide range of options on offer:
Shrine’s Legacy
A clear throwback to the SNES era of 16-bit games, Shrine’s Legacy is an action RPG that follows a pair of heroes on a quest to save the world of Ardemia. You’ll need to find eight elemental magic gems to restore the fabled Sword of the Shrine and use its power to vanquish the evil force that threatens the world. The demo allows you to play a pretty sizable chunk of the game, with two towns, two dungeons, and three boss battles. You’ll get a glimpse at the character-driven story and a sense of the game’s tone, with some goofy moments and dramatic twists mixed in. You can play it in couch co-op where you each control one of the characters, or play it solo and have the game control the second character.
Troublemaker 2: Beyond Dream
Troublemaker 2 is an open-world action-comedy beat-em-up game, which is not a combination of hyphenated words you see very often. It’s the sequel to 2023’s Troublemaker and follows the Parakacuk gang from the original and a band called Beyond Dream through the city of South Jayakarta. The demo drops you into the city in the middle of the game with free roam unlocked, so you’ll have access to the whole city. You can walk around town getting in street brawls, find some side jobs to complete for the local populace, or just chill at the music studio, where you can play rhythm-based minigames. The demo has a total of 12 side quests and minigames (one of which turns you into a cow, so that should give you an idea of the tone).
Don’t Die, Collect Loot
Gotta love a game whose title pretty much spells it out, right? Don’t Die, Collect Loot is an arcade roguelite RPG where you mow through enemies in chaotic bullet-hell combat and gather loot. If you’re the type of person who finds it oddly satisfying watching your EXP bar fill up, then this is the game for you. In fact, you have three bars to watch fill up: your EXP, skill points, and research points. The demo lets you play as one of three classes: the Adventurer, Arcanist, and Beastmaster, each with their own skill trees and gear, and all with overpowered abilities to take advantage of. Whichever class you choose, you’ll tackle the Endless Nightmare mode, a never-ending challenge where the only goal is to last as long as possible and gather as much loot as you can. Perfect your build and compete for a spot on the global leaderboard. If you play the demo during Next Fest, you can face off with the exclusive superboss Alethia and obtain unique items that won’t be available any other time, so don’t miss out.
Mythrealm
Mythrealm is a single-player third-person fantasy RPG where you play as the adventurer Alaris, who has been summoned to this world by a mysterious magic. Demons have caused the wizards of Zelanar to disappear, putting the world in peril. You’ll need to use your wit, skill, and weapons to defeat the demons, rescue the wizards, and save the world. Alaris will start as a novice adventurer, but as she grows, you can choose whether to guide her down the path of a melee warrior, archer, or mage. You’ll also need to utilize jumping and platforming to navigate treacherous environments and find hidden items. The demo lets you explore the first level of Mythrealm, where a legendary warhammer is hidden. Can you find it?
Aris Arcanum
In this Victorian-era, spellcraft-focused roguelite, you are Clyde, a scholar who was on a path to becoming leader of the grand library of Aris. But now, an alien entity that was sealed within the library has twisted the minds of the other scholars, and the library is facing ruin. You must dive into its now-corrupted halls, defeat those who were once your fellow scholars, and face cosmic horrors on the path to cleansing the library. On each run, you’ll craft new spells that can lead to a variety of different builds, encouraging you to test different possibilities to find your favorites. The demo offers a look at an early build of Aris Arcanum, giving you a taste of the gameplay and narrative structure. You’ll also be able to take on an early side quest and face off against a boss encounter, and there’s always more to experiment with on subsequent runs.
Heroes of Mount Dragon
Heroes of Mount Dragon is a side-scrolling brawler developed by RuniQ, a Canadian indie studio largely made up of former employees of Activision, Beenox, and Ubisoft. You’ll choose from one of eight heroes, each of whom can transform into powerful dragons and lay waste to the battlefield. You can play solo or team up with three friends in couch co-op or online, and you’ll need to manage your hero’s unique abilities, dragon transformations, and powerful upgrades to make it through. You can also compete against your friends for supremacy, and you can use devious curses to disrupt them — electrify them, shrink them, or flip their controls. In the demo, you’ll have access to four of the eight heroes and can explore half of the game’s first kingdom (there will be a total of four kingdoms in the final game).
