5 Games I Played at Steam Next Fest — October 2026

Steam Next Fest is always a good excuse to fill up my library with demos I'll either love, hate, or completely forget about. This October, I decided to spend some time checking out a handful of games that caught my attention, both solo and with friends.

I ended up playing five very different games: Wyldheart, DREADMOOR, Surfpunk, Deadzone Rogue 2 and Warhammer Survivors.

Some genuinely impressed me, one left me pretty frustrated, and another reminded me why sometimes a sequel doesn't need to reinvent the wheel.

Here's how they went.

Wyldheart — A beautiful world held back by frustrating gameplay

Wyldheart has an interesting premise. It's a fantasy action RPG built around the idea of playing through D&D-style adventures with friends, without everyone needing to be online at the same time. You can head out solo, make progress, and have your friends drop in whenever they're available.

As someone who knows how difficult it can be to organise a gaming session around everyone's schedules, I really like that idea.

Unfortunately, my time with the demo was pretty rough.

I decided to play a sword-and-shield character, figuring the additional defence would be useful while adventuring alone. The combat does have some interesting ideas, including a counterattack that follows a successful block, but actually fighting enemies felt incredibly rigid.

Between enemies knocking me down, stunning me and ranged attacks chewing through my stamina, there were plenty of moments where I felt like I had very little control over what was happening. Some attacks felt practically unavoidable, and the constant interruptions made combat more frustrating than enjoyable.

Equipment management wasn't much better.

After purchasing a new weapon, I couldn't figure out how to replace the one I already had equipped. I could unequip my shield without a problem, but couldn't highlight my weapon to remove it. Equipping the new weapon instead placed it into a second weapon slot, and trying to pair that with my shield resulted in the shield automatically returning to the first slot.

Maybe I missed something, but swapping weapons shouldn't be that difficult to figure out.

It's a shame because visually, Wyldheart can be genuinely beautiful.

One moment that stood out was walking out of a building and seeing fog hanging in the air, with sunlight streaming through it. The lighting and atmosphere looked fantastic.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much to discover once I started exploring. Across roughly five or six map tiles, only three had anything I could interact with. The world looked lovely, but felt rather empty.

Traversal also needs some work. Even tiny changes in terrain elevation could trigger a full climbing animation rather than having my character simply step up. Better foot placement and more sensible climbing thresholds could go a long way towards making movement feel natural.

Then there was the cemetery.

I tried bashing down a gate to get inside, without success. Apparently the solution was to just climb over the adjacent fence, which was very clearly covered in spikes.

Sure, why not?

My takeaway: Wyldheart has a promising concept and some lovely environmental art, but I didn't enjoy the moment-to-moment gameplay. I'd still like to experience it with friends, particularly given the emphasis on drop-in, drop-out co-op, but I'll probably revisit it closer to Early Access or full release.

Wyldheart on Steam

DREADMOOR — Exactly the kind of atmosphere I was hoping for

DREADMOOR was one of the demos I was particularly interested in trying, and thankfully, it didn't disappoint.

Set in a bleak, flooded world, DREADMOOR combines fishing, exploration and survival elements with a heavily stylised gothic atmosphere.

And that atmosphere is easily its greatest strength.

The environments are gorgeous. There's something about the combination of decaying structures, gloomy surroundings and carefully placed lighting that makes the world incredibly appealing to explore.

There were genuinely moments where I'd walk past something, catch a glimpse of the lighting hitting an environment in just the right way, and then deliberately step backwards to look at it again.

I love when games manage to do that.

The fishing itself is perfectly fine. It's not doing anything particularly revolutionary, and if you've played other fishing games, you'll recognise the general mechanics. But I don't necessarily need fishing to reinvent itself every time. Sometimes I just want a satisfying fishing experience wrapped in a world I enjoy spending time in.

Where DREADMOOR stumbled for me was its controller implementation.

One particular interaction involved placing fish into a grinder. Up until that point, I'd been playing with conventional controller inputs, but suddenly I was controlling a mouse cursor using the left thumbstick, dragging fish from my inventory and dropping them above the grinder.

Why?

Just let me select the fish with A and have it appear where it needs to go. There's no reason for something so straightforward to feel that awkward on a controller.

The button layout also took some getting used to. Interact is mapped to A, while jump is mapped to X. I kept instinctively pressing X to interact with things, only to jump away from whatever I was trying to use.

Neither problem ruined the experience, but they're exactly the sort of quality-of-life issues I'd like to see addressed.

After finishing the demo, I also came across Steam Community discussions questioning whether the protagonist's voice acting was AI-generated.

The developer has responded to those accusations, stating that the dialogue was performed by a real person and acknowledging some post-processing issues with the timing and transitions between recordings. They've also stated that the game doesn't use AI-generated voices, text or artwork.

Personally, the voice acting never really bothered me. The protagonist sounds like your stereotypical gruff fisherman, which seems pretty appropriate for someone spending his days aboard a fishing boat in a miserable, flooded world.

Credit to the developers for addressing the concerns directly.

I completed the entire demo, and by the end I was left wanting more.

My takeaway: DREADMOOR delivers excellent atmosphere, striking visuals and an enjoyable fishing experience. The controller interactions could use some refinement, but I'd absolutely consider picking this up at the right price.

DREADMOOR on Steam

Surfpunk — A good time with the right group of friends

Surfpunk takes the action RPG formula and throws in surfing, punk aesthetics, loot and a healthy dose of chaos.

I played this one cooperatively with a friend, which feels like the right way to experience it.

The overall concept is interesting. You're heading out to explore islands, fight enemies, collect loot and make your escape before an enormous tsunami comes crashing through.

And it's that last part that produced one of my favourite moments from this entire Next Fest.

We were making our escape, with the tsunami rapidly closing in behind us. I was surfing towards the edge of the map, desperately trying to stay ahead of the wave, while my friend was clinging onto our loot raft for dear life.

We were just ahead of it.

The combination of anxiety, dread and sheer desperation as we narrowly escaped was priceless.

It's one of those moments that probably doesn't sound quite as entertaining when you explain it afterwards, but when you're there with a friend, both trying to get out alive, it's fantastic.

Those are the kinds of experiences that make co-op games worth playing.

Outside of that moment, though, Surfpunk didn't quite convince me that it's something I'd rush out and purchase on release.

That's not to say I disliked it. I enjoyed what I played, and the surf-and-punk aesthetic gives it an identity of its own. I just don't feel an overwhelming need to play more of it immediately.

If it appeared in a Humble Bundle, or went on sale while four of us were looking for something to play together, I'd be more than happy to jump back in.

My takeaway: Surfpunk feels like a great candidate for a spontaneous gaming night with friends. I'm not convinced it's a day-one purchase for me, but that frantic escape from the tsunami is a moment I'll remember.

Surfpunk on Steam

Deadzone Rogue 2 — More of the same, and I'm perfectly happy with that

Deadzone Rogue 2 was probably the easiest game of the five for me to form an opinion on.

I'd already spent around 20 hours playing the original Deadzone Rogue, completing it with friends, and I thoroughly enjoyed that experience.

So jumping into the sequel's demo with the same group felt like a natural choice.

And honestly? It plays pretty much exactly like the first one.

The combat feels the same, the familiar shooting experience is there, and I had absolutely no problem with any of that.

I loved the combat in the original. Why would I be upset that the sequel keeps something I already enjoyed?

We worked our way through the primary mission available in the demo and completed it, unlocking four additional sub-missions in the process.

At that point, we decided to stop.

Not because we were bored or frustrated, but because we'd already seen enough. We didn't feel the need to work through every available mission when we knew we'd be purchasing the full game anyway.

Of course, we haven't experienced everything the sequel has to offer. There may be bigger differences in its progression and later content that simply weren't apparent during our session.

But based on what we played, I genuinely can't fault it.

My takeaway: Deadzone Rogue 2 isn't dramatically changing the combat formula, at least from what we experienced, and that's completely fine with me. We loved the first game, enjoyed our time with the sequel's demo, and we'll definitely be buying it when it releases.

Deadzone Rogue 2 on Steam

Warhammer Survivors — More Vampire Survivors? Yes, please.

I absolutely love Vampire Survivors.

There's something ridiculously satisfying about starting a run with practically nothing, slowly building up an arsenal of increasingly ridiculous weapons, and eventually becoming an unstoppable force of destruction while hundreds of enemies disappear around you.

It's a formula I can happily lose hours to.

So naturally, when I saw Warhammer Survivors, I was interested.

After playing the demo, I can confidently say I loved every second of it.

Developed by Auroch Digital in partnership with poncle, the creators of Vampire Survivors, Warhammer Survivors takes that familiar bullet-heaven formula and drops it into the worlds of Warhammer.

And the best part? It doesn't limit itself to just one of them.

Both Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Age of Sigmar are represented, giving players access to the grim darkness of the far future alongside the fantasy setting of the Mortal Realms.

What particularly caught my attention was how the demo presented progression for both universes.

Each had its own unlock paths to explore, and that immediately got me thinking about just how much content might be waiting in the full game.

Rather than feeling like I'm simply going to play through one Vampire Survivors-style experience with a Warhammer skin, there's the potential for two substantial sets of challenges and unlocks within the same game.

Almost like getting multiple games in one.

Of course, how much depth each universe will ultimately have remains to be seen, but it's an exciting prospect.

As for the gameplay itself, it delivers exactly what I wanted.

It's that familiar Vampire Survivors experience, where every run becomes an exercise in getting progressively more powerful, unlocking new possibilities and watching increasingly absurd amounts of chaos unfold across the screen.

There's no need to reinvent the formula when the formula is already this good.

And having two very different Warhammer settings to explore only adds to the appeal.

I honestly don't have much to criticise from my time with the demo. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and all it really accomplished was making me impatient for the full release.

Warhammer Survivors launches on 10 November 2026, and I cannot wait to get stuck into it properly.

My takeaway: If you love Vampire Survivors, Warhammer Survivors should absolutely be on your radar. I loved every second of the demo, and the inclusion of both Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar makes the amount of potential content even more exciting. More Vampire Survivors perfection? You won't hear me complaining.

Warhammer Survivors on Steam

So, which games am I actually looking forward to?

Five demos, five fairly different outcomes.

Warhammer Survivors is probably the game I'm most excited to sink my teeth into. My love of Vampire Survivors transfers incredibly easily to this, and having both the 40,000 and Age of Sigmar settings to progress through makes it even more appealing.

Deadzone Rogue 2 is the other easy purchasing decision. I've already got a group of friends who enjoyed the original, and the demo gave us absolutely no reason to think we wouldn't enjoy the sequel.

DREADMOOR probably impressed me the most from an artistic perspective. Its world is exactly the kind of atmospheric setting I love, and I completed the demo wanting to explore more. Whether I buy it immediately will largely depend on the price.

Surfpunk sits somewhere in the middle. It's fun, particularly with friends, and that tsunami escape was fantastic. I just think it's the kind of game I'd rather pick up on sale when everyone is ready for a few evenings of co-op.

And then there's Wyldheart. It's the game I found most frustrating, but also one I haven't completely written off. I like what the developers are trying to accomplish, and I'd be interested to see whether future updates can bring the combat and general usability up to the standard of its visual presentation.

That's what I enjoy about Steam Next Fest.

Sometimes a demo confirms that a game belongs on your wishlist. Sometimes it saves you from a purchase you might have regretted. And occasionally, you find something that you wouldn't have considered buying, only for it to give you a brilliant gaming moment with a friend.

This time around, I've walked away with two games I'm definitely buying, one I'm seriously considering, another I'd happily revisit with friends, and one I'll be keeping an eye on as development progresses.

Not a bad result for an afternoon of demos.