Five playable indie tests worth checking before they move on
Playtests are one of the best ways to catch indie games before the wider crowd notices them. Some are rough, some are limited, and some change quickly, but that is also the point. You are not just playing a finished demo. You are seeing a game while it is still being shaped.
If you are new to this, our earlier guide, The Right Way to Playtest: Safe Access, Useful Feedback, is worth reading first. We have also covered plenty of Steam demo discoveries before, including 5 Steam Next Fest Demos That Left a Real Mark on Me.
Important note: Steam Playtest access can change without much warning. Some games below can be downloaded as demos, while others may require you to hit Request Access on Steam and wait for approval.
1. Husk Protocol
Husk Protocol is a deck-driven mecha roguelike from OddSub and Fireshine Games, and its current playtest is one of the more interesting ones to watch. The core idea is simple but nasty: damage is permanent, healing is not your safety net, and survival depends on knowing when to abandon one machine and switch into another.
That makes it more than another card battler with metal slapped on top. If the playtest sells the tension properly, this could have a strong identity: deckbuilding, mech combat, and pressure from a hostile city system all working against you.
Why it stands out: Mecha roguelike deckbuilding with permanent damage, tactical switching, and active Steam Playtest request access.
2. Australia Did It
Australia Did It already wins points for the name, but the concept is even stranger in a good way. It blends turn-based tower defense with reverse bullet hell energy, unit merging, cargo train defense, and a world that sounds like it was built from one very bad global mistake.
A demo is available, and the Steam page also includes playtest request access. This is exactly the kind of game that benefits from early player feedback, because the whole hook depends on whether the tactical planning and chaos stay readable once the action gets heavy.
Why it stands out: Tower defense, reverse bullet hell, train survival, and a merging system that could create some wild builds.
View Australia Did It on Steam
Australia Did It – Official Reveal Trailer
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3. Decadent Heir
Decadent Heir is a narrative RPG with a playable demo and Steam playtest request access. The setup puts players in the last days of Imperial Russia, where nobility, politics, personal choices, and shifting power all feed into the direction of the story.
This is not the loudest game on the list, and that may be exactly why it belongs here. It looks like one for players who care about mood, writing, choice structure, and slower narrative build-up rather than instant action.
Why it stands out: A narrative-heavy RPG playtest with a strong historical atmosphere and an available demo.
Decadent Heir – Official Playtest Trailer
4. Little Devil
Little Devil is a top-down roguelike horror-comedy with 90s retro energy, grotesque demons, permadeath, procedurally generated dungeons, and bizarre hand-based powers. The Steam page currently includes a Join the Little Devil Playtest request option, making it a stronger fit for this list than a normal wishlist-only game.
It also already has a connection to Fix Gaming Channel, after landing as our Game of the Week #48. That makes it a natural addition here, especially for players looking for something strange, messy, and properly indie.
Why it stands out: Horror-comedy roguelike action, weird powers, retro energy, and active Steam Playtest request access.
Little Devil lands as Fix Gaming Channel’s GOTW #48.
5. KINT
KINT is one of the stranger picks here, and that is a compliment. It is described as a text-based online RPG where players discover lore and vote together on what becomes accepted truth in the world.
That sounds like a nightmare to balance, but also like the kind of experimental idea indie games are supposed to try. The current playtest and demo listings make it one of the more unusual playable projects to watch if you like lore, community-driven discovery, and systems that ask players to shape more than just a character build.
Why it stands out: A text-based online RPG where community discovery and shared lore decisions are part of the game itself.
Also worth watching
Golden Self is also worth wishlisting if you like fast, punishing action roguelikes. It comes from solo developer Lightning Oath and is described as a surreal action roguelike about confronting fragments of yourself through precision combat, boss fights, shifting dreamscapes, and a journey toward your Golden Self.
It does not appear to have a public playtest or demo on Steam right now, so this one belongs more in the watchlist section than the playable-now list. Still, it is worth keeping an eye on, especially if you like personal, surreal action games with a sharper edge.
Final thought
The best part about playtests is not just getting in early. It is seeing what a game is trying to become before the store page, reviews, and launch-day noise take over. Some of these may change fast. Some may disappear from testing soon. That is why they are worth catching now.
For players, it is a chance to discover something before everyone else starts talking about it. For developers, it is a chance to see what players notice, where they struggle, and what makes them want to continue. That exchange is still one of the healthiest parts of indie development when it is handled properly.
Related Reading
The Right Way to Playtest: Safe Access, Useful Feedback
5 Steam Next Fest Demos That Left a Real Mark on Me
Kindling Playtest: A Promising Witchy Roguelite
Fix Access Explained: Playtesting and Deeper Analysis
Written by Ronny Fiksdahl, Founder & Editor of Fix Gaming Channel.
Got a demo, playtest, or indie game worth checking? Send it to contact@fixgamingchannel.com.
