Hey guys, it’s time for NEEEXXTT FEEESSTTT!
That magical time of year (that repeats a few times) where we all promise to play a shit ton of demos, end up playing one or two, and then buy them all on release anyway because… well, intentions were good, right?
What is it?
Next Fest is when a metric crapload of demos hits Steam. Want to try a game without testing Steam’s refund policy? This is your chance.
Where and When?
It’s on Steam (duh) and runs from October 14th to the 21st. Heads up, though—just because Next Fest ends doesn’t mean all demos will disappear. Some might stick around for a few days or until a release date. But don’t bank on it—prioritize the demos you’re most hyped for (or the ones you think will cost the most).
Keep in mind this list isn’t exhaustive—there are over 200 games tagged as Survival, and I filtered a ton out (low effort, looks like it won’t go far, too early to be useful, token survival with just a food bar, or it just didn’t grab my interest). Feel free to comment with games you’re excited to try or anything I missed. Oh, and don’t forget to follow my curator page so you can catch my thoughts directly on the game store page!
Let’s get to it—no particular order, just chaos from here on out.
Shit I Plan On Trying:
Store Page
I’m probably the most hyped to try out this title. The mechanical depth of The Long Dark -and the setting- will always hold my heart, but I’ve always wanted to experience it alongside more realistic graphics. Honestly, this demo will probably spawn a whole article- so watch for that!
Store Page
Right off the cuff, my initial thought is, “This game is leaning pretty heavily on Starsand,” I don’t even mean that as someone who ran the Starsand Discord for a bit. You’ll remember that I covered this game a bit in the Shit You May Want to Back On Kickstarter article. I kinda feel like it’s going nowhere, but we shall see. (I wonder if they’ll respond to my post here.)
Store Page
Okay, I guess that someone either liked Last Oasis– when it was good- or entered the survival genre, came across LO, and was mad/glad/sad that LO was dead and thought they could do it/do better. (Clearly, I’m talking out of my ass, but still.) Either way, we’ve seen this whole “giant walking/sailing desert objects running around while PvP happens” before, and I feel like it will have the same uphill battle that Last Oasis tried to navigate—and ultimately failed. Demo feedback so far is mixed, with most folks complaining about performance. And PvPers are both praising and hating it, saying it is “the best version of that one PvP game that was good until it was bad because people cry and things got easy or maybe hard.”
Store Page
If you’re a fan of UnReal World but can’t quite get into the graphics, this may be your chance to engage in some text-based survival!
Store Page
A Hashtag community member pointed this game out to me a few weeks ago, so I’m keen to check out the demo. The vibe I’m getting – from the store page- is a bit like Subsistence and Sunkenland had a baby in the snow?? Which is totally fine by me.
Store Page
I don’t know if I get a survival vibe from the game as much as it is an exploration and crafting game, but I am actually keen to check out the cooking system. Looks kinda neat!
Non Survival Things
Store Page
Way back in the day -long, long ago- I was very into Day of Defeat, to the point that I ran a realism unit for it, which is pretty damn nerdy. These days, I tend to do very little with any of the fast-paced military sims/shooters/extraction shooters – though I really did want to get into Tarkov- so I’m mainly checking out this title because one of the developers associated with the project has been a long time member of the Hashtag Discord, and support matters!
Store Page
Honestly, I would never play this because it’s terrifying and creepy as fuck- but! That being said, it does look interesting??
Exists- Maybe Is Survival?
Store Page
Kinda a quirky-looking art style. This game bills itself as a “prehistoric tribe management roguelike” with resource management.
Store Page
I am so, so very much not a card game person – though Becca is- and lately, it’s been interesting to see how many card game survival titles have been popping up. It neatly circumvents many of the sticky points of survival games for solo developers- filling an open world with content plus AI animations- letting them focus instead on mechanics/mechanical depth. And story, I guess, for those into stoooorrryyy.
Store Page
Regardless of the actual scope of the game- whether it’s like the other poly titles or has new or unique aspects- it’s always tough for anyone to roll up to the survival genre sporting a low-poly art style. Also, shout out to that developer: please don’t reward ‘creators’ who harass you for keys with a freebie. Consider this a PSA.
Store Page
Is this even survival? No idea. Will it go anywhere? Not a clue. Is it somewhat adorable but also weird? Yes. (Especially the swimming.)
Store Page
If the teaser video doesn’t make you want to try the demo…idk. You probably didn’t watch it because it’s funny AF.
Store Page
All right, hands down, the vibe I’m getting from perusing the page and media content is a clunky and empty demo/game. When I checked the developers’ history, I saw that they’ve released two other titles- one entered EA in January and left in September, and the other entered EA in August. I guess we shall see!
And, finally, Give It A Pass.
Tbjbu2 has another upcoming game, World Crafter TD, and the demo is live. I still stand by what I said in this article.
So – what will YOU play?
