Hello Dear Reader, and welcome to our round-up of the roguelike and roguelite demos you absolutely shouldn’t sleep on during this upcoming Steam Next Fest (February 23rd – March 2nd).
Taking place three times a year, Steam Next Fest has become one of the most exciting fixtures in the gaming calendar, giving players a limited-time chance to sample some of the most anticipated upcoming releases.
This February’s edition is stacked. From roguelike deckbuilders to chaotic bullet heavens and everything inbetween, there’s a little something here for everyone to add to their download queue.
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors | poncle| TBD | PC (Win),Xbox
We’re kicking things off with one of our most anticipated releases of 2026. If you’re unfamiliar, Vampire Crawlers is a deckbuilding spin-off of the genre-defining Vampire Survivors.
It takes many of the elements that made the breakout hit so compelling such as replayability, accessibility, and instant pick-up-and-play appeal and reimagines them within a card-driven framework.
poncle has confirmed that progress made in the demo will carry to full game, so it’s well worth checking out.
Everything is Crab: The Animal Evolution Roguelite | Odd Dreams Digital| May 8 | PC (Win)
One that I’ll be personally scuttling to add to my download queue is the absolute mouthful that is Everything is Crab: The Animal Evolution Roguelite. As its title suggests, this charming roguelite see you evolve your own unique creature from a pool of 100+ evolutions and specialisms.
There have been a couple of playtests for this one already (Mike previously checked the first out), but the new demo is said to contain a Codex, detailing everything you’ve unlocked for the first time.
Hordes of Fate: A Hand of Fate Adventure | Spitfire Interactive| Q2 2026 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win), PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
Doing a complete 180 from Vampire Crawlers, Hordes of Fate reimagines the deckbuilding gameplay of Hand of Fate as a frantic, screen-filling bullet heaven. The game sees players fight off hordes of monsters using familiar heroes seen previously within the Hand of Fate universe.
The newly-updated Next Fest demo is said to contain a new hero (The Warrior), three environments to explore (the Wilds, Catacombs, and Caverns), and several new enemy types to do battle with.
Australia Did It | Rami Ismail, Aesthetician Labs| TBD | PC (Mac, Win)
Next up is Australia Did It, the newest outing from Rami Ismail, co-founder of Vlambeer, and one of the masterminds behind Nuclear Throne.
This tower defense bullet hell sees you strategically deploy and position your troops to defend precious cargo deliveries by train. One unique aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked is that it enables you to merge your units to create powerful and unique variations.
Mike got the chance to sample this one a few weeks back, and he was particularly impressed by its many tactical possibilities.
Froggy Hates Snow | Crying Brick | TBD | PC (Win)
I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard of Froggy Hates Snow prior to Next Fest, but it managed to put a big smile on my face when it dropped in my inbox.
This adorable action roguelike has a survival twist, as you need to protect yourself from the harsh elements as well as enemies you’ll encounter. Starting from the warm safety of your home, you’ll tunnel your way through the snowy environment, uncover treasures, and take on bosses.
This new public demo is said to feature expanded and more visually detailed environments, re-worked meta progression, and a new tutorial system to help ease players into its mechanics.
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes | Alt Shift | Q2 2026 | PC (Win)
Hot on the heels of Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown, another iconic space-faring franchise that is boldly venturing into roguelike territory is Battlestar Galactica.
Scattered Hopes is said to be a story-rich roguelike that sees players take command of a fleet escaping the annihilation of the Twelve Colonies. Tough choices are a certainty on your journey, as you’ll be faced with allocating dwindling resources, identifying imposters, and managing divergent factions.
The new Next Fest demo includes an in-depth tutorial and lets players take command of the Gunstar Callisto, leading one of four playable fleets. Progress in the demo carries over to the main game, if your fleet survives, that is.
Cursed Words | Buried Things | 2026 | PC (Win)
Mike’s currently knee-deep in this word-game roguelike, and he’s adamant it deserves a spot on our round-up.
Starting deceptively simple before spiraling into chaos, the game has players crafting powerful synergies with stamps, stickers, and clever word combinations. It features eight unique characters, each with their own playstyle, and 16 bosses determined to sabotage your streak.
A demo for this one has been available before, but it has now been enhanced with improvements to make for a better overall experience.
Gambonanza | Blukulélé | 2026 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win)
Continuing the theme of clever twists on familiar games, Gambonanza is a strategy-packed, chess-inspired roguelike.
Unlike traditional chess, your goal is to capture every piece on the board, and this can be accomplished by using powerful gambits to bend the rules and properties of each run. With its pixelated visuals and optional CRT filter, it also looks to capture the spirit of early PC puzzle games.
The Next Fest demo looks to have plenty for players to sink their teeth into with there being five bosses, one difficulty mode, and 120 gambits.
Feywood Wanderers | Vicente Miranda |Q2 2026 | PC (Win)
After sinking countless hours into Mewgenics, I’m eager to dive into more tactical rogues, and Feywood Wanderers looks like it could scratch that itch.
Inspired by classic roguelikes, it boasts a striking hand-drawn art style and a flexible class system, letting you mix and match abilities in all sorts of creative ways. It also has a crafting system, where you can craft runes for your equipment and randomise their modifiers with special items.
MÖRK BORG Heresy Supreme | Morbidware |TBD | PC (Win)
If a murky, inky little grimdark RPG with some side-scrolling semi-procedural action thrown in sounds like your thing, may we present MÖRK BORG Heresy Supreme.
Developers Morbidware (previously of The Textorcist) present us here with the brutal, rotting city of Galgenbeck. This absolute hellhole is terrorised by big nasties, and it is up to you, the Cursed Walkers, to survive this mess, complete a series of bleak quests and quell their demands.
Have we given you a sense that this is brutal yet? There are no heroes here, only antiheroics, decay, and a world so hostile you are left with the sense the game itself wants you dead. Sound fun? Download now!
Lootbane | Milo Panta | 2026 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win)
The list of inspirations for this game is long, and impressive; take a sprinkle of Diablo’s loot chases, throw in a party straight out of Darkest Dungeon, give it Might and Magic’s fantasy flavour and wrap it all in an addictive little loop somewhere between Guitar Hero and Vampire Survivors, and voila! A tidy little roguelike RPG. <chef’s kiss>
Loot Bane is an auto-battler with minimalist graphics, loads of loot, and seemingly endless enemies to battle for it. If you’re after an unfussy experience of pretty pure gaming, this might well be it.
Enter the Chronosphere | Effort Star | TBD | PC (Mac, Win)
Effort Star’s psychedelic turn-based roguelike bullet hell (crikey, try saying that five times fast) looks, well, VERY COOL. You and your crewmates venture into space, in an attempt to, well, save the universe. But out here in space things get pretty funky as you discover time – and therefore, everything and everyone – only moves when you do. Heroes don’t need to think fast – just two steps ahead.
Next Fest saw the drop of the newly-added Bellusect, a new biome buzzing with insects – and we’re buzzing too. The graphics look great, the possibilities look endless, and the whole thing looks super groovy. We’re in!
Abduct ‘Em | SIFOR | TBD | PC (Win)
We find ourselves in a post-WW3 sandbox. Humans have been deemed dangerous for the planet (who knew, I guess) and you have been tasked with getting rid of the pesky little buggers. You must head to Earth (we know, ew) and, erm… farm humans for their plasma, in order to save the world.
Humans being humans, you will meet some resistance, and this is where the fun begins. Humans are surprisingly attached to life on a planet they are trying to destroy, making your job of abducting them for their own good much, much more interesting.
It looks funny, irreverent, and a real love-letter to the alien genre. One for X-Files nostalgics everywhere.
How Many Dudes? | Butterscotch Shenanigans |TBD | PC (Win)
We’re capping things off with another banger. Ever wondered how many dudes it takes to beat an army of toddlers… or a horse-sized duck? How Many Dudes? claims to have all the answers.
Hilariously dubbed a “dude-builder roguelike,” the game lets players recruit an army of dudes to tackle absurdly impossible foes in chaotic, over-the-top battles. The action looks genuinely ridiculous, and we can’t wait to see just how wild these clashes get.
