Rogue Recommends: Steam Next Fest October 2026
Rogue goes through 14 demos from today's Steam Next Fest, which runs through Oct. 26
Steam Next Fest is always a busy time of year; the storefront hosts a huge smorgasbord of demos from every genre. The October Next Fest tends to trend a little bit towards horror, considering the spooky season, but there’s something for everyone if you take a look: a horse girl game, a colorful racer roguelike that lets you drop orbital whales, or a caving simulator where you might have to carve your own leg off. This year, though, there’s a marked rise in AI slop, copycats, and brainrot in the Fest. The Steam Next Fest runs through Oct. 26, so we’ll be spending the week at Rogue finding you the most interesting gems we can dig up.
Guns of Eschaton
Genre: FPS
Guns of Eschaton claims to be the world’s first soulslike FPS, and while I’m pretty sure that isn’t true, this game has undeniable style and atmosphere. This is a post-apocalyptic Western World full of terrifying monsters, ranging from abstract, parasite-like monsters to an evil, infernal train. Art director Viktor Antanov (Prey, Half-Life 2, Dishonored), who sadly passed in February 2025, designed the dark wasteland in this game. The Western setting means players are equipped with old-school weaponry like revolvers, shotguns, and rifles, which makes every shot precious and reloading is a serious window of vulnerability. Guns of Eschaton can be played solo or co-op, and is set for a full release on Dec. 8, 2026.
Reality Drift
Genre: Racing, Roguelike
Everyone’s newly enamored with racing games right now because of Biddy Bias, the weird crocodile man from Star Wars: Galactic Racer. If you’re itching to hit the track, the Reality Drift demo might be for you. This is a classic racing game combined with wonderfully surreal environments that are a joy to witness, like a world of endlessly stacking cats, a fungus kingdom, or what I can only describe as some real Dante’s Inferno shit. As you race, you upgrade your car, adding stats like more grip, a faster boost, or the ability to launch an ORBITAL WHALE. This is some good old fashioned arcade fun, and the full game releases on Nov. 11, 2026.
Casualties: Unknown
Genre: Management, Horror
In Casualties: Unknown, you are a prisoner on an alien planet, and your captors have found a use for you: plunging into unforgiving caves, full of local hostile creatures and deadly drops, to find lost cargo. You need to carefully manage your inventory as you descend into these caves, making sure that you have enough food and water to sustain yourself. You’ll also need to tend to your inevitable injuries, and that takes significantly more than tapping a bandage icon. There are a host of little surgery minigames, which allows you to splint a limb, stitch a tear, or amputate something. You are disposable, so don’t expect any help from up above. Casualties: Unknown is due out on Nov. 9, 2026.
Blood and Chaos
Genre: RPG, Roguelike
Blood and Chaos is a grimdark RPG inspired by the classic RPGs of the 1980’s, and puts you in command of a party of adventurers exploring a dangerous world with cursed dungeons, vast cities, and tons of secrets. This is a game that doesn’t pull its punches; it feels very influenced by both the enormously innovative Caves of Qud and a taste of the oppressive, punishing atmosphere of Fear & Hunger. The full game is out in 2027, but you can get a taste of the tragedies and triumphs in store by checking out the demo now.
Shadow Bridge
Genre: Strategy, Shop Simulator
In a world where five kingdoms have been embroiled in war for thirty years, one small village lies in no man’s land. In Shadow Bridge, you are Hermos, a trader who has lost his family to war and retired from the front lines. However, your new position puts you in a much more advantageous position to influence the fate of the five kingdoms. You’ll have to trade with all five factions, maintaining your reputation and keeping enough profit to keep your shop running.
There are six paths Hermos can pursue, choosing to side with the humans, the elves, the dwarves, the orcs, a sinister cult, or prioritizing the town of Shadow Bridge. Providing a faction with well-made arms gives them an edge in the war; selling them cursed weapons or low-grade goods puts them on the back foot. Shadow Bridge has no release date as of yet, but the demo can give you a taste of the trader’s life.
Iron Bramble
Genre: Platformer, Action
Metroidvanias are a tough genre to cover, because in a problem that I admit is akin to my steak being too juicy and my lobster too buttery, there are bangers coming out every year. Just in the past few years, we’ve had Animal Well, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Nine Sols, MIO: Memories in Orbit... Banger after banger. Iron Bramble looks to be another contender. Explore a massive cyber-gothic megastructure, haunted by ghosts piloting automatons as penance for their sins. The movement is the star of the show here, with an elastic grappling hook allowing for tons of momentum and fluid navigation. Iron Bramble is expected to release in 2027.
Incoherence: Dark Rooms
Genre: Puzzle-Adventure
Everyone was charmed by 2025’s puzzle hit Blue Prince, and the reception to the game was warm enough to inspire a whole genre of titles. Incoherence: Dark Rooms is built off that foundation. You play as Astrid Kepler, a young woman who awakens in a strange place built of interconnected rooms manifested from your memories. The deeper you delve into this metaphysical realm, the more dangerous things become. If you found yourself wishing the plucky young protagonist of Blue Prince had a gun, this is for you. Dark Rooms: Incoherence’s release date has yet to be announced.
The Marsh Manor Mystery
Genre: Puzzle, Detective
You know what I’m always saying about puzzle games? They need more amphibians. Finally, a developer has provided the proof. The Marsh Manor Mystery is “a ribbeting mystery” about a vast, abandoned manor. Mr. Thornmeadow, ordered an evacuation of the property one night, confessing shame at some unknown events from his past. What is he too ashamed to face, and what secrets lay within the manor? You head in as an investigator (who is also a frog), exploring the abandoned rooms and recalling moments from the past. You’ll meet a cast of eleven amphibians, including frogs and axolotls, and piece the past together using your handy dandy notebook.
Minerooms
Genre: Brickbreaker, Horror
Breakout is so satisfying that developers are still finding fun ways to iterate on the formula, like the roguelike ridiculousness of Ball x Pit. Minerooms is a 3D take on the classic formula. You throw a ball to bounce on bricks, making them disappear in the process and give a lovely bouncing ball of energy. Spend that energy at the ominous ancient monolith, and earn more balls, or bouncier balls, or other ways to get stronger. Explode entire rooms in one motion, and eventually reach the depths, where things get... unsettling. With those yellow tile walls, this is an unexpected mix between Breakout and the Backrooms.
Derelikt
Genre: FPS, Horror
A narrative retro FPS that’s a clear love letter to the PlayStation era of survival horror, Derelikt wears its origins on its sleeve. This is a game made in the mold of System Shock 2, with additional inspiration from Silent Hill and Alien Resurrection. You must explore the Von Neumann Outpost, a remote station in Saturn’s orbit that is strangely abandoned. Upon arrival, you find the remains of some terrifying experiments that have broken loose, and they’re coming for you. The station has only a few survivors left, and you can’t trust any of them. This demo has a lot of potential, and the full game will launch some time in 2026.
A Normal Quiz Game
Genre: Comedy
Oh, pardon me. The name of this game is actually A Normal Quiz Game Where You Try to Solve Questions but the Questions Have Tricks and Gimmicks And If You Get Them Wrong You Have to Beat a Wacky Punishment But They Are Kinda Fun so You Lowkey Wanna Do Them Even If It Means Getting the Question Wrong
If that novel of a name doesn’t answer your questions, this is a WarioWare style minigame blitz where the game throws tricky puzzles at you. Failure to solve them means you’re submitted to a punishment, like having to escape a dungeon with a scary monster, or doing your taxes. A goofy little game best enjoyed in short sessions. The full game will release in 2027.
Horses of Hoofprint Bay
Genre: HORSE
This game is for the horse girls amongst us, and I’m in love. Horses of Hoofprint Bay is a “barn buildup” game where you raise a stable of horses, brushing their coats and earning their trust. As you build their confidence and your friendship, you can take them to challenges and compete for prize money. You can even breed foals in the pursuit of creating the best possible horse, and then dress him up with a stylish saddle. The art is absolutely adorable, with hand-drawn horses with heavy ink outlines and gorgeous watercolor coats. There also looks to be a lot of knowledge about raising horses that applies to the real world as well, which is nice. The game will release on Nov. 4, 2026.
Probably Stolen
Genre: Cyberpunk, Shop Simulator
You’re in a position of privilege aboard this dystopian spaceship in a cyberpunk future — while others are forced to find work, you are a shopkeeper offering critical services. There’s just one problem: your rent keeps rising, and the only solution is to scrounge up enough to buy the shop for yourself. So, you craft goods, trade with colonists, and try not to attract too much attention from criminals or authorities. This is Probably Stolen, a shop simulator sim where you deal with scavengers, rogue AI, and bounty targets in the pursuit of making a buck. The demo allows you to try out three starting professions before the full game releases on Oct. 28.
Dungeon Automata
Genre: RPG, Autobattler
Dungeon Automata is a fascinating game that combines classic RPG dungeon crawling with automation programming. You’re in charge of a fantasy party, with classic classes like Knight, Thief, Priest, and Mage. The world of Syntaxia is in danger, and your heroes can only delve so far without recruiting golems to help them in battle. Here, the game shifts from an old-school RPG into an autobattler, as you set up programming nodes that put your golems to work. Each floor of the dungeon introduces new sets of challenges, forcing you to find new solutions. The contrast between classic ‘80 and ‘90s aesthetics and the very modern-feeling solution of writing code to automate the crawl. Dungeon Automata will release some time in 2026.