Skip to main content

You need to try these 6 free demos before Steam Next Fest ends

Steam Next Fest is basically E3 for indie PC gaming. But unlike other events, it’s online and everyone is invited.

It’s one of the biggest digital gaming conventions of the year, with a constant schedule of streams and demos available between October 3 and 10. Thousands of indie and AA games are on display, from turn-based RPGs to platformers. With so many games to choose from, it can be difficult to figure out what to check out. To help you get started, here’s a quick list of excellent demos we’ve played that we know are worth your time. Make sure to catch them before the event ends on October 10.

Recommended Videos

Gunbrella

Gunbrella | Reveal Trailer | Coming 2023
  • Developer: Doinksoft
  • Publisher: Devolver Digital
Please enable Javascript to view this content

Gunbrella is about exactly what you’d expect: a weapon that’s both a gun and an umbrella. The titular item sets the movement in this game apart from other side-scrolling platformers, using the umbrella for platforming and shielding and the gun part for … well, killing things. That’s not to mention that the world itself has a mysterious story involving local cults, corporations, and a man’s quest for revenge. Developer Doinksoft calls it a “noir-punk” adventure about a rogue lumberjack and his encounters with strangers, from corporate grunts to cultists. If you want a more in-depth preview, Digital Trends wrote about what makes Gunbrella special ahead of Steam Next Fest.

Gunbrella is currently in development for PC and Nintendo Switch. You can play the demo now on Steam.

Thirsty Suitors

THIRSTY SUITORS | Reveal Trailer
  • Developer: Outerloop Games
  • Publisher: Annapurna Interactive

Thirsty Suitors is publisher Annapurna Interactive’s latest character-driven indie game. Jala returns home to attend her sister’s wedding, unaware that it would somehow involve battling her evil exes (much like Scott Pilgrim) and teaming up with strange suitors in a magical adventure. On a more thematic level, it’s about a young woman navigating her love life in nontraditional ways. Expect turn-based RPG madness and plenty of “awkward flirting.” Digital Trends previewed Thirsty Suitors earlier this summer at Tribeca Fest. At the time, we compared it to Psychonauts 2 and praised how the awkward, yet relatable encounters separated it from your typical turn-based stereotype.

Thirsty Suitors is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. You can play the demo now on Steam.

Mato Anomalies

Mato Anomalies Announcement Trailer
  • Developer: Arrow Wiz
  • Publisher: Prime Matter

Mato Anomalies takes place in a setting that resembles a gritty, futuristic Chinatown. Detective Doe is sent by his employer, Madame Nightshade, to investigate shady business at the docks of Mato when he accidentally ventures into another dimension. Gram, who frequents these dimensions called “Anomalies,” forms a partnership to help with Doe’s investigation and the rest is history.

There are a few moving parts to the gameplay, including the turn-based combat that involves managing a stamina bar and waiting a set number of turns to charge up your strongest moves. You reportedly fight in a team, but the demo only has Bane on display so far. There’s also a strategy card game that “mindhacks” participants into revealing their secrets.

Mato Anomalies is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. You can play the demo now on Steam.

Potionomics

Potionomics - PAX East 2022 Trailer
  • Developer: Voracious Games
  • Publisher: XSEED Games

Potionomics mixes deck building and resource management into a cute alchemy simulator. In the game, Sylvia comes to Rafta to take over her grandfather’s potion shop. Unfortunately, it is in worse shape than she realized. It’s the equivalent of inheriting your grandfather’s run-down farm in Harvest Moon. She has to rebuild the shop, from tidying the counters to buying new equipment, as she gets to know the locals. She can’t do it without help, of course. It’s going to take some hard bargaining and friend-making to source ingredients and sell potions to customers. If you do it right, you might even get a decent relationship and friendly discounts out of the deal.

Potionomics launches for PC on October 17, 2022. You can play the demo now on Steam.

Sprout Valley

Sprout Valley Kickstarter Trailer
  • Developer: Vadzim Liakhovich
  • Publisher: RedDeer Games

Sprout Valley is a solo project by Polish indie developer Vazddim Liakhovich that started on Kickstarter. Think Animal Crossing meets Stardew Valley. Our feline protagonist, Nico, grew up in the big city of Lemontop, but always dreamed of owning a farm. Thanks to Ozlo, a penguin trying to sell his family farm, that’s now possible. Sprout Valley involves a mix of farming sim and Animal Crossing-like activities, from fishing to mining and selling products. It has just about any activity you’d expect from a farming sim, but at an accelerated pace, so you can get the same satisfaction with quicker progress. Just don’t expect it to be any less of a grind!

Sprout Valley is currently in development for PC, Linux, and macOS. You can play the demo now on Steam.

Cassette Beasts

Cassette Beasts | Reveal Trailer
  • Developer: Bytten Studio
  • Publisher: Raw Fury

Cassette Beasts is the latest monster-taming indie sensation to hit Steam. Welcome to New Wirral, a mysterious island where people from different worlds have been trapped. Just as you’re about to be attacked by a strange monster, a ranger named Kaleigh steps in and throws you a cassette player. It isn’t for sick tunes, though. It transforms you into one of the titular Cassette Beasts.

Cassette Beasts quickly pulls you into an eerie tale about why you and the other visitors are stranded in Harborville and what these unique monsters called “Archangels” have to do with it. As a plus, it differs from the standard monster-taming formula in the sense that your cassette player transforms you into a beast. It also allows you to fuse monsters like in Shin Megami Tensei, rather than evolve them.

Cassette Beasts is currently in development for PC, Linux, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. You can play the demo now on Steam.

Jess Reyes
Jessica Reyes is a freelance writer who specializes in anime-centric and trending topics. Her work can be found in Looper…
How Influence works in Civilization 7
Civilization 7

One of the foundations of the Civilization franchise has always been learning the tips and tricks for how to engage with the other Leaders. Whether they are players or NPCs, relations between the other major players are unavoidable. You still have the choice to be friendly or hostile, but Civilization 7 introduces a new system that adds even more strategies and options to how you interact called Influence. There are a lot of similarities to Influence as other resources you need to manage, such as Gold and Food, but what you need and use it for is vastly different. We'll help you be the best leader you can be by explaining everything you need to know about Influence in Civilization 7.
How Influence works
Influence is a new form of currency you can accumulate in Civilization 7 each turn based on what structures you build, social policies you research, Wonders you make, and more. Anything you see the Influence icon for, which looks like a circle with a grid, will impact your Influence. But, there are ways to lose Influence besides spending it as well. If you do things like surprise attack another civ or razing settlements will cost you Influence. You can see how much Influence you are earning per tern on the top of the screen next to your gold total and income.

As you build Influence, you will need to decide how you want to spend it. Your first opportunities will be when you first meet a new civ and are given the option to give them a friendly, neutral, or hostile greeting. Either of the extremes will cost 20 Influence and impact your relationship with them right off the bat.

Read more
The best Leaders and Civs to pick in Civilization 7
Two world leaders, Cleopatra and Caesar, going up against each other in front of their flags.

Among all the many changes to Civilization 7, such as Ages, Influence, Independant Powers, and more that require a complete rethinking of your ingrained tips and tricks, the one thing that remains mostly unchanged is how you achieve victory. Just like past games, you have the choice to go for one of four major victory conditions through cultural, military, economic, or scientific paths. These are represented by Legacy Paths now and require you to complete multiple milestones along the way before another civ beats you to the punch. This race begins before the first round when you are deciding which of the dozens of Leaders you want to play as and which civ you will use in the first Age. Depending on your choices, you can have much easier time working through these Legacy Paths. There are more possible combinations than ever, so we'll advise you on the best Leaders and civs to pick in Civilization 7.
Best Cultural Leaders and civs

Augustus - Cultural/Expansionist
Our first Leader pick is Augustus who comes with a great general perk of adding  +2 production in the capital for each town to help kickstart your growth. Once you expand and set up Towns they can purchase cultural buildings right away to help increase your culture income without having to wait to upgrade them into Cities. The +50% gold discount on purchasing buildings in Towns makes that process even easier.=
Jose - Cultural/Diplomatic
Jose is another solid pick, though feels a bit more random. His main buff is that narrative events give +20 culture and gold each Age and will get more narrative events than normal Leaders. His other major boon is that celebrations last 50% longer and add +50% happiness, which may or may not include a temporary culture buff. It's less reliable but has greater payouts when a narrative event or celebration do give you a culture bonus.
Egpyt

Read more
How to heal units in Civilization 7
An army faces the ocean in Civilization 7.

Whether or not you're going for a military victory in Civilization 7, you will eventually engage in some combat. Building an army is one of the most basic tips and tricks, but the game fails to tell you one of the most important mechanics: healing. After coming out on top of a skirmish against another Leader -- or managing to retreat with your lives -- your units will be damaged. At first, there doesn't look like there's any way to heal them back up and you are stuck with a unit that will die the next time they are hit. We'll fill you in on the simple way to get your units back into fighting shape in Civilization 7.

Read more