Steam Next Fest Is Here: 7 Free Demos Worth Trying, Including Games with Turkish Support

How does Next Fest work?

You can find all the demos on the official Steam Next Fest page. Here's a quick reminder:

• All demos are free. All you need is a Steam account.
• Some demos are only available during the festival. Some developers keep their demos online afterward, but there's no guarantee. If a demo interests you, trying it this week is your safest bet.
• Wishlist the games you enjoy. Steam can then notify you when a game launches or goes on sale. Wishlist numbers are also especially important for smaller studios.

1. Stronghold 4 — Turkish ✔

Genre: Castle building and strategy | Release: December 7, 2026 (Early Access)

The Stronghold series, a childhood favorite for many gamers in Turkey, is returning with a new mainline entry. Stronghold 4 tells a prequel story set years before the original game, following an ordinary shepherd on his journey to knighthood. The game features a 22-mission story campaign, a skirmish mode against AI opponents, and a free-build mode. Snow slows crop growth, while rain reduces archers' range.

The demo originally included free-build mode on the series' largest map. According to Firefly Studios, skirmish mode was also added to the demo for the festival. The game's interface and subtitles are available in Turkish.

Download the free demo on Steam

2. Loftia — Turkish ✔

Genre: Cozy multiplayer life simulation | Release: November 3, 2026 (Early Access)

A life sim where you farm, decorate your home, and share a world with friends on islands floating in the sky. It's a promising choice for players who enjoy Stardew Valley-style games but want to experience that kind of world with friends.

There's one important detail to know: according to the developer, this demo is available only during the festival, but your progress will carry over to the Early Access version launching on November 3. The interface is available in Turkish.

Download the free demo on Steam

3. GrimKeep — Turkish ✔

Genre: Dice-based roguelite | Release: November 30, 2026

Set in a fairy-tale city turned nightmare, GrimKeep is a roguelite built around combining items and dice to create powerful synergies. On each run, you discover different items and upgrade your dice bag with special dice that can poison enemies, heal you, or generate gold. The fun comes when a series of small bonuses adds up to enormous damage numbers. If you like combo-building games such as Slay the Spire or Balatro, this one may be worth a look.

The interface is available in Turkish, and the system requirements are very low, making it easy to try even on older PCs.

Download the free demo on Steam

4. Frostrail — No Turkish support ✘

Genre: Survival, first-person shooter, online co-op | Release: Q4 2026 (Early Access)

In a frozen, cursed world, an armored steam train is your only refuge. You leave the train to scavenge ruins, gather supplies, fight creatures, and upgrade your train to keep the journey going. You can play solo or online with friends. The game is being developed by independent studio FakeFish and published by Shiro Unlimited, the publishing label of Shiro Games, the company behind Northgard.

If you're looking for a demo to try with a group of friends, this is a good place to start. There's no Turkish support, and its system requirements are higher than those of most other games on this list: you'll need at least an RTX 3060-class graphics card, while an RTX 4060 is recommended.

Download the free demo on Steam

5. ROCKBEASTS — No Turkish support ✘

Genre: Story-driven role-playing and management | Release: January 2027

A darkly humorous RPG in which you manage a grunge band on its journey from garage gigs to stadium shows in an alternate version of 1990s America. You book concerts, repair broken equipment, deal with band members' egos, and take the stage for rhythm-based performances.

One of the game's biggest draws is its writer. According to its Steam page, the story was written by Jakub Szamałek, one of the lead writers behind The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. Iggy Pop is also among the voice cast. If you enjoy story- and character-driven games, this could be one of the strongest picks on the list. However, there's no Turkish support, and much of the game revolves around dialogue, so a good command of English will be important.

Download the free demo on Steam

6. Northgard Battlegrounds — No Turkish support ✘

Genre: City building and auto-battler | Release: October 27, 2026 (Early Access)

Set in the world of the Viking-themed strategy game Northgard, this auto-battler lets you shape your army through the buildings you place in your village each turn. Position buildings strategically, choose blessings from the gods, and then watch your army battle those of other players. These battles are asynchronous: your opponents don't have to be online at the same time, because your army fights armies other players have already built.

The game enters Early Access on October 27, just one day after the festival ends, making the demo a timely opportunity to get to know it before buying. There's no Turkish support.

Download the free demo on Steam

7. Hela: of Mice & Magic — No Turkish support ✘

Genre: Co-op puzzle and exploration adventure | Release: December 1, 2026

A heartwarming adventure inspired by the landscapes of northern Sweden, in which you play as a tiny mouse carrying a magical backpack. Everyday objects become enormous obstacles from a mouse's perspective as you solve physics-based puzzles and try to help a witch who has fallen ill.

It's a good option if you're looking for something to play as a family or with children. One thing to note: the full game will support online co-op, but according to the developer, the demo offers two-player split-screen co-op and Steam Remote Play Together. Remote Play Together lets you play a game designed for local multiplayer with a friend over the internet, and only the host needs to download the demo. There's no Turkish support, but because the game focuses more on exploration than dialogue, the language barrier may be less noticeable than in other entries on this list.

Download the free demo on Steam

Quick comparison

Steam's event calendar doesn't stop when the festival ends on October 26. According to Valve's schedule, Steam Scream V Fest, an event dedicated to horror-themed games, begins on the very same day. You can find the other Steam events coming up before the end of the year in our Steam year-end calendar guide. For now, there's just one thing to do this week: download a few demos and wishlist the games you enjoy.