Valve has shared the 20 most-played demos of the October 2026 edition of Steam Next Fest so far. Multiplayer is the big winner: at least 14 of the 20 let you play with friends, from party games and co-op shooters to cozy life sims. Here’s Valve’s official trailer for this edition, followed by the full list.
The 20 Most-Played Demos So Far
Here’s every game on the list, in the order Steam listed them. Click a name to go to its Steam page, where you can download the demo.
| Game | What It Is |
|---|---|
| Worst Class Ever | A 1–6 player asymmetric party game in which one strict teacher hunts down five hidden troublemakers. Funcore Games · Q4 2026 |
| Probably Stolen – Cyberpunk Shopkeeper Sim | Trade and smuggle questionable goods on a dystopian space station, juggle faction politics, and try to pay off your shop before the rent catches up with you. Questing Goose Studio · October 28, 2026 |
| ArcheAge Chronicles | An action RPG set in Auroria, the vast world of ArcheAge, aimed at newcomers and veterans alike. XLGAMES · TBA |
| Find the Needle | An incremental game that starts with a shovel and a haystack. Dig by hand, sell the hay, and buy belts and machines until you don’t have to dig anymore. Needless Games · Q4 2026 |
| Fart Together | A physics-based co-op game in which 2–4 players steer a shared raft using, yes, fart power. GamesMrkt · October 29, 2026 |
| Character House – Desktop Companion | An idle collection game where you build a little companion that sits on your desktop and reacts to your typing. Yinengjie · 2026 |
| Frostrail | A survival FPS for solo or co-op, in which you scavenge, craft and upgrade a steam-powered train across a frozen, corrupted wasteland. FakeFish / Shiro Unlimited · Q4 2026 |
| Loftia | A cozy multiplayer life sim about farming, crafting and building toward a more sustainable future with friends. Qloud Games · November 3, 2026 |
| just volleyball | Online and offline volleyball with simple controls and deep player expression, from 1v1 up to 6v6. temkosoft · November 4, 2026 |
| Abyssal Lapidary | A gothic management sim set in a Victorian-inspired underground city. Appraise ores, cut gems and make jewelry for strange clients. Some stones stare back. Light Worm / XD · Coming soon |
| Mortuus | A round-based co-op zombies FPS for 1–4 players, with buyable doors, a mystery box and procedurally generated brutalist maps. Hamuno · Coming soon |
| Dumpster Gang | A chaotic co-op sandbox for 1–4 players, in which a gang of raccoons steals everything it can carry while dodging an Exterminator. Coyote House Games / Curve Games · December 3, 2026 |
| HANDS OVER | A 5-player co-op horror game where harmless challenges become cruel tests of luck and nerve. Bluff, sabotage and play dirty. ArtDock · October 30, 2026 |
| Haunted Paws | A cozy, spooky co-op adventure in which two puppies rescue their owner from a haunted mansion. A Friend’s Pass lets a friend join for free. LazyFlock · TBA |
| Emberville | Wake up with no memories in a vast underground world, and rebuild the ruined town of Emberville. Cygnus Cross · October 27, 2026 |
| No Body No Problem! | One player is the cop. Everyone else is a panicked suspect who has to hide the body and destroy the evidence before the cop arrives. Crime Cleanup Co. · Coming soon |
| Deadzone Rogue 2 | An FPS roguelite on a fallen Earth. Combine weapons, augments and elements into devastating builds, solo or with friends. Prophecy Games · Coming soon |
| Wyldheart | A co-op action RPG of bite-sized campaigns in a rustic fantasy world, where you start from nothing and build your character freely. Wayfinder Studios · Coming soon |
| Grr Grr Gnomes | A co-op adventure about tiny gnomes stranded on a vast ocean, sailing between islands to scavenge, fight and find a way home. emolingodev, FireAtacck · January 19, 2027 |
| Never Be Alone | An open-world zombie survival game for solo play or seamless co-op, set 10 years after the outbreak. Jonas Jensen / Beast Studios · December 8, 2026 |
What’s Trending at Next Fest
Worst Class Ever, Fart Together and No Body No Problem! are built for shouting at your friends.
Mortuus, Never Be Alone and Frostrail bring the zombies, the cold and the steam trains.
HANDS OVER turns challenges into cruel tests of nerve, while Haunted Paws keeps the spooks cozy.
Loftia, Emberville, Character House and the hay-digging Find the Needle, for a slower pace.
Launching Soon
If a demo grabs you, you might not have to wait long. Several games on the list already have release dates, and some are just days away:
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| October 27, 2026 | Emberville |
| October 28, 2026 | Probably Stolen – Cyberpunk Shopkeeper Sim |
| October 29, 2026 | Fart Together |
| October 30, 2026 | HANDS OVER |
| November 3, 2026 | Loftia |
| November 4, 2026 | just volleyball |
| December 3, 2026 | Dumpster Gang |
| December 8, 2026 | Never Be Alone |
| January 19, 2027 | Grr Grr Gnomes |
More From Our Next Fest Coverage
We’ve been playing and covering plenty of demos ourselves this Next Fest. Here’s where to catch up:
| Event Guide | Steam Next Fest October 2026: A Week of Free Demos |
| Demo Review | My Arms Are Longer Now |
| Demo Preview | Food Devils |
| Rhythm | Rhythm Hotel |
| Puzzle | Souls of Bombarika |
| RPG | Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor |
| Co-op | Rescue Ops: Wildfire · On the Rocks · Coal Duty |
| Last Time | Steam Next Fest June 2026: The 50 Most-Played Demos |
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