13 fantastic indie demos you can still play after Steam Next Fest

One week is simply not enough time to get to ALL the demos!

It feels like every time you turn around there’s another Steam Next Fest coming down the line! Even so, one week is just not enough time to play all the incredible demos featured in the event (especially when you have to spend so much time filtering out the AI slop these days). We gathered together 13 of our favorite demos that are still available to download and play on Steam, even though Next Fest has come and gone!

1. Virtue and a Sledgehammer

Developed by: Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour
Published by: Devolver Digital
Steam Store Page

It’s clear that Deconstructeam and Selkie Harbor have leveled up as a dev team. The Virtue and a Sledgehammer demo is all the evidence we need. They have such clear and unique concepts for their games, and going back to your hometown to destroy it with a sledgehammer is another compelling approach for a game. The storytelling is rich within the cut scenes but also within the gameplay of destroying your environment. If I’m being honest, it just feels really great to smash stuff. This experience was quite a bit darker and heavier for me than Many Nights a Whisper, so just make sure you’re prepared for the ride!

– Kate

2. Shroom and Gloom

Developed by: Team Lazerbeam
Published by: Devolver Digital
Steam Store Page

Shroom and Gloom wins the award for my personal favorite demo of this Steam Next Fest. This is an aesthetically rich roguelike deckbuilder that takes a traditional turn-based combat and extends it out to all of the player’s interactions with the world. In each encounter, you’re trying to maximize your turns to fight back the hordes of cute and icky fungal foes. Outside of combat, you get to explore a series of mysterious tunnels, filled with loot and secrets that you can unearth if you draw the right cards and spend your action points wisely. This is a much more immersive and dynamic iteration on the roguelike deckbuilder than I’ve seen in a long while.

– Emily

3. over the hill

Developed by: Funselektor Labs Inc., Strelka Games
Published by: Funselektor Labs Inc.
Steam Store Page

If you know me, you know I love getting to play as a car, boat or any vehicle. Over the hill is a game that many of us have been waiting for years to get our hands on. With its first public demo hitting this steam next fest, my expectations were high, but I was overall very pleased! The vehicles in this game move at a medium to slow pace over a variety of terrains in a stunning and realistic outdoor environment.

The best part is that you can drive next to your buds and winch each other out of some difficult situations, providing moments for laughter, teamwork, and connection. You also have the ability to accessorize and upgrade your car over time, as well as choose your own music to listen to! At this time, there is no proximity chat, so I recommend hopping on a discord call and playing with others. Sometimes it’s just nice to be a car with your lover who is also a car and go slow and take in the vibes for a while.

– Kate

4. Object Impermanence

Developed by: Slugware
Published by: Slugware
Steam Store Page

Object Impermanence is a new perspective-focused 3D puzzle game, following in the footsteps of titles like Superliminal and Viewfinder, but with a fresh concept. In Object Impermanence, what you can’t see, in one way or another, doesn’t exist. Movement will come to a halt, electricity will cease to flow, and in some cases items will disappear or reset if you turn your back. This creates opportunities for clever and deviously simple puzzles and solutions. This was a fun demo with a perfect playtime, at about 30 minutes. I loved this taste of Object Permanence and look forward to its release.

– Emily

5. Colorbound

Developed by: Panpipe Studio
Published by: Whitethorn Games
Steam Store Page

One of my favorite qualities in a puzzle game is a simple concept that can be built upon, resulting in deceptively straightforward and deviously challenging levels. Colorbound does just this with one simple rule: objects of the same color merge together (or disappear, if they match the background). Add to this an adorable visual style and you’ve got a cute and engaging recipe for a great mind-tickling time. I had a great time with this demo but did not expect it to punch me in the feels immediately. This is going to be a great game to play on handheld on a rainy day.

– Emily

6. Truck-kun is Supporting Me from Another World?!

Developed by: Strange Scaffold
Published by: Frosty Pop
Steam Store Page

I haven’t yet found the perfect Strange Scaffold game for me (although I have played Clickolding several times) but this might finally be the one! As someone who yearns for the pedals, I was thrilled to discover that the driving mechanic feels incredible, and can only be described as a totally wild ride! This is exactly the amount of controlled chaos and stimulation I require from my video games.

– Kate

7. Kernel Hearts

Developed by: Ephemera Games
Published by: Whitethorn Games
Steam Store Page

I’m not going to tell you that Kernel Hearts is girlypop Saros, but it also might not not be girlypop Saros. In this action roguelite, you play as Fernet and her squad of magical girl androids as they embark on a mission to fight and defeat as many angels as possible and take down god to save the world. The demo drops you into this world with a quick tutorial and very little setup for the apocalypse that has befallen or the details of the challenges ahead.

I found the brief conversations with Fernet’s allies pretty charming, but the thing that really hooked me was the combat, which is fast and snappy. Allies get stronger with each passing second during each run, but with the right upgrades, you cut through them like butter in a very satisfying rush of attacks and counters. I can’t wait to see how the combat extends and the story deepens when Kernel Hearts releases in September 2026.

– Emily

8. Desktop Explorer

Developed by: Recurring Dream
Published by: Recurring Dream, Outersloth, indienova
Steam Store Page

I love when video games let me do something that I would never do in real life, like getting hands-on and diving deep through the many different files of someone else’s abandoned computer. Desktop Explorer gave me just enough information to solve its intriguing puzzles and keep me immersed with an ever present foreboding feeling as I tried to uncover what the hell is going on here.

– Kate

9. Blood Dungeon

Developed by: Messhof
Published by: Messhof
Steam Store Page

Messhof, the developer behind the 2D fencing PvP game Nidhogg and the 3D narrative bicycle racing game Wheel World, has returned with their latest title which is, of course, a crunchy-looking dungeon-diving survivors-like. Blood Dungeon’s runs are fast and chaotic, and although your little dude’s movement feels a little floppy and frenetic, they’re actually pretty deft at climbing walls and hopping around the tangled web of corridors and ladders. With many more characters and upgrades to await in the full game, I think Blood Dungeon has the potential to be my new favorite turn-my-brain-off game.

– Emily

10. About Fishing

Developed by: The Water Museum
Published by: Playstack
Steam Store Page

Let me just say, I will play anything that the creators of Arctic Eggs decide to make. So I was very excited when I first saw that The Water Museum was working on a psychological fishing thriller. This demo brought a lot of the elements I loved about Arctic Eggs: interesting physics-based gameplay with satisfying mouse controls, slightly warped 3D models of humans and fish, and utterly bizarre dialogue. They also got me on board with a Twin Peaks-esque narrative. I’m not sure whether the story will deliver on the intrigue that the demo sets up for us, or if it will devolve into surreal absurdism like Arctic Eggs did, but either way I’m all in for this one.

– Emily

11. lily’s world XD

Developed by: SonderingEmily
Published by: Kwalee
Steam Store Page

I’ve been following the development of lily’s world XD for quite some time now. I love the horror genre, but I think we need way more games delivering horror “for the girls,” as it were. Solo developer SonderingEmily is doing just that. At the start of the game you begin poking around on a laptop that you had discovered tossed into a dumpster. Soon you discover it belonged to a teenage girl over 20 years ago, who vanished under mysterious circumstances. The investigation gameplay hit perfectly for me. The clues I needed to unlock the next piece of information were always just a couple of lightbulb moments away. The build of tension was perfect and by the end of the demo I was on the edge of my seat (very literally).

– Emily

12. Trees Hate You

Developed by: Tykenn
Published by: Tykenn
Steam Store Page

The name says it all. Honestly, by the end of my time with the demo, the feeling was mutual. In Trees Hate You, you play as a hapless picnicker trying to survive the forces of nature as you navigate through a woodland full of homicidal trees. With every step you take, every corner you turn, it’s not about whether you’ll face arboreal assault, but how? I was raging by the end of my time playing, but I also had a hard time putting it down.

– Emily

13. Milki Delivery

Developed by: Blibloop, Doot
Published by: Doot Tiny Games, Wholesome Games Presents
Steam Store Page

I may be lactose intolerant, but Milki Delivery is one of my favorite demos I’ve ever experienced from any steam next fest. Gameplay feels clear and linear while managing to keep the thrill of exploration alive by taking different routes on your little bike. There are plenty of interesting folks to meet and new resources to explore! I accidentally played this demo for three hours, so hopefully that says it all! The visuals are absolutely gorgeous, and I found myself so relaxed and content while playing this one. It’s so cute in every possible way, which is very important to me!

– Kate

About No Small Games

No Small Games is an indie game recap and review podcast brought to you by hosts Kate and Emily! They became friends while streaming on Twitch and bonded over their love of indie video games. In each episode of No Small Games, the two will discuss an indie game they both played independently. They’ll compare their experiences: the good, the bad, their most memorable moments of their playthroughs.

Learn more about the podcast and its hosts on the About page. You can find all our episodes here on the Episodes page, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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