Once every season, Steam likes to hold the Steam Game Festival to showcase various demos that you can play. These help showcase what developers are working on, and maybe garner a few fans along the way. Autumn is no different, with plenty of developers coming out to showcase new demos for the next week. With how many demos there are, it may be difficult to figure out which ones to play. For those who can’t make up their mind, here are the best demos you can try from the Steam Autumn Game Festival.
Ghostrunner
While this demo has been out for a week now, it’s one you have to try if you like fast-paced titles. Ghostrunner follows the story of Jack, a ghostrunner who’s been cast down from the top of Dharma Tower. This tower is the last remnant of civilization, being ruled by a tyrant following a coup. As the Ghostrunner, it’s up to you to help the Architect retake his place as the leader and maybe slice a few guards along the way. This demo fits rather well into the Steam Autumn Game Festival, being both short and incredibly enjoyable. You can also pre-order the game at 20% off if you enjoy the demo that much.
The Survivalists
Fans of The Escapists series would be doing themselves a disservice not checking this one out. The Survivalists follows the story of your player character, after washing up on a deserted island. With nothing but your skills in hand, you must craft, build, and fight to survive and thrive on the island. The demo showcases much of what the game has to offer, with some solid survival mechanics and charm to enjoy. It’s a great addition to the Steam Autumn Game Festival.
Party Animals
Grab a few friends and go on some purrfect adventures in this demo from the Steam Autumn Game Festival. Party Animals has you battling as different furry creatures in head to head combat. Think Gang Beasts if it involved various animals battling it out. For those with some friends who are equally as bored as you, this is a great way to spend a night and share many laughs.
Stronghold: Warlords
For those like me who enjoy a good real-time strategy game from time to time, Stronghold: Warlords is a great addition to the Steam Autumn Game Festival. This castle sim has you building up a grand empire, steamrolling all enemies who dare stand in your way. Build an army of soldiers and siege engines as you seak to be the greatest ruler this world can offer. With the game’s release in just three months, Stronghold: Warlords gives a good taste of what to expect for its full release.
DwarfHeim
This dwarf-based RTS is another great addition to the Steam Game Festival and is one I’ll personally be trying. DwarfHeim has you controlling the growth of a dwarven city, gathering resources, and building your armies to take on various opponents. After choosing one of many classes, you’ll construct your empire however you see fit. Only the strongest will survive though, making this a great game for more competitive RTS gamers. The demo features the PvP based Conquest mode, but the full release will feature everything you could ask for.
EVERSPACE 2
If ship flying is more your forte, then EVERSPACE 2 offers a Steam Game Festival demo you won’t regret jumping into. This single-player space shooter continues the story of the original title while offering some great spaceship combat and deep exploration. While space games haven’t been my thing in the past, you’ll no doubt find it wonderfully hectic and beautiful if the trailers are anything to go by. You can expect to see if fully releases in December of this year.
Gloomwood
I know there are a few boomer shooter fans out there, which means Gloomwood may just be the Steam Game Festival demo you’ve been waiting for. This game combines some great stealth mechanics with a hand-crafted city that feels straight out of the 90s. Equipped with an arsenal of powerful weapons, there’s much to love for first-person stealth game fans, coming from the wonderful developers at New Blood Interactive.
RAWMEN
And to round off this list of Steam Game Festival demos, we have a game that easily takes its place as the wackiest of the bunch. RAWMEN brings you and up to seven other friends into culinary battles to die for. Armed with a pot full of delicious soup, fly across the sky and sling soup at your friends as you fight to be the best cook on the block. Watching this game for 10 seconds should immediately make you want to play this. If it doesn’t, then I feel bad for your tastebuds (…I’m sorry).
While these are all amazing, don’t let these be the only games you look at in the Steam Game Festival. There’s plenty more out there, all easily worth your time and maybe even money. This is simply just a guideline to help you sort through what you might like the most. If you find any other hidden gems out there, be sure to let me know in the comments below. Good luck finding something you enjoy!