Five Steam Demos Worth Checking Before the Demo Flood Moves On

Five Steam Demos Worth Checking Before the Demo Flood Moves On

The Steam demo pile is huge right now, and these five games each bring something different: strange Metroidvania worlds, post-apocalyptic action, emotional hand-drawn platforming, cosmic arcade tactics, and large-scale tactical combat.

Finding good demos on Steam can be messy. Some games are already released but still offer demos, while others are still building toward launch. That mix is exactly why smaller projects are easy to miss when big names dominate the front page.

Here are five Steam demos and indie picks worth a closer look: Alruna: End of History, SLOWBURN, The InBetween Demo, ALYUP, and DIRECT CONTACT Demo.

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Alruna: End of History

Alruna: End of History is already released on Steam, but its demo still makes it easy to test the game before buying. Developed by Neckbolt and published by Burning Planet Digital, it is a compact Metroidvania with strange religious imagery, post-industrial decay, secrets, movement tricks, and a world that keeps opening up.

The Steam page describes Alruna as a different kind of Metroidvania, with temples, dungeons, expressive movement, hidden areas, upgrades, bosses, and a world hollowed out by the Necro-Industrialists. Our review called it a Metroidvania that keeps unfolding, and this is the one game in the list where you can already read our full verdict.

Why it stands out: It looks small at first, but the design keeps pushing the player to rethink movement, space, and hidden paths.

View Alruna: End of History on Steam

SLOWBURN

SLOWBURN is an isometric action game from studio nocto, set in a post-apocalyptic city where the player hunts the mysterious Gemstones while learning more about themselves.

The hook is built around absorbing attacks, releasing them back at enemies, and making choices around violence. Steam describes it as a difficult isometric action game where your kill count matters, even if your life does not. That gives the demo a sharper identity than a standard top-down action pitch.

Why it stands out: The idea of a killing game where avoiding killing is also part of the design gives SLOWBURN a stronger hook than another simple combat demo.

View SLOWBURN on Steam

The InBetween Demo

The InBetween Demo is a free demo from VCD, built around a hand-drawn, story-driven Metroidvania where the fate of an infected underground world depends on the player’s skills and choices.

Players take the role of Pipit, a young boy caught in a world filled with infection, monsters, fast-paced combat, turn-based pressure, platforming, and decisions about whether to heal or eliminate those affected. It is not a new 2026 demo page, but it still belongs here as a free Steam demo worth testing while players are already hunting for something different.

Why it stands out: The combination of hand-drawn presentation, emotional framing, bullet-hell pressure, and choice-driven Metroidvania design gives this demo a clear personality.

View The InBetween Demo on Steam

ALYUP

ALYUP is a cosmic arcade-action and tactics game from HashMO Interactive, planned for release on June 30, 2026. A demo is available now on Steam.

The pitch is unusual: hyperspheres, vertical platforming, tactical arena battles, captured allies, stat grinding, team-building, local multiplayer features, and huge cosmic attacks. It sounds chaotic, but that may be the point. Some games need a demo because the idea is hard to explain with screenshots alone, and ALYUP feels like one of them.

Why it stands out: It mixes arcade movement with tactical arena battles and a strange cosmic power-fantasy tone, which makes the demo useful for understanding how all those pieces fit together.

View ALYUP on Steam

DIRECT CONTACT Demo

DIRECT CONTACT Demo is a tactical action, simulation, and strategy demo from Mountain 81. The Steam page describes it as a cut-down version of the full game, designed to give players a feel for the mechanics used in the live version.

The demo sends players from HQ into combat missions with a full arsenal, airstrikes, artillery, role selection, difficulty options, time-of-day settings, weather choices, loadouts, weapon customization, checkpoints, and more tactical control than the average shooter demo.

DIRECT CONTACT Trailer

Why it stands out: This one is built around tactical freedom. The amount of mission control in the demo makes it a good pick for players who want a military sandbox instead of a scripted shooter.

View DIRECT CONTACT Demo on Steam

Five Very Different Reasons to Click Install

What makes this small batch interesting is how different the demos are. Alruna: End of History brings strange Metroidvania design and hidden-world discovery. SLOWBURN focuses on violent action with pressure around choice. The InBetween leans into emotional hand-drawn adventure. ALYUP goes for cosmic chaos and tactical arena battles. DIRECT CONTACT offers a large tactical combat sandbox.

That is the best part of browsing Steam demos. You are not only looking for polished store pages. You are looking for ideas that show themselves quickly, even when the game is strange, early, rough, niche, or difficult to explain.

Steam Demo Roundup

Featured Games: Alruna: End of History, SLOWBURN, The InBetween Demo, ALYUP, DIRECT CONTACT Demo

Genres: Metroidvania, Action, Platformer, Tactics, Shooter, Simulation, Strategy

Platform: PC — Steam

Related Reading

Alruna: End of History Review: A Metroidvania That Keeps Unfolding

Steam Next Fest June 2026: New Demos, Big Opportunities, and Indie Games to Watch

PRISON OF HUSKS Demo Brings Painted Souls-Like Horror

Pattern Survivors Demo Lets You Build Your Own Bullet Hell During Steam Next Fest

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