{"id":25141,"date":"2026-10-21T13:09:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T13:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/igamemag.com\/?p=25141"},"modified":"2026-10-21T13:09:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T13:09:42","slug":"steam-next-fest-october-2026-survival-fps-demos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/igamemag.com\/en-gb\/steam-next-fest-october-2026-survival-fps-demos\/","title":{"rendered":"Steam Next Fest October 2026: 8 Survival and FPS Demos Worth Playing Before It Ends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"A<\/p>

Steam Next Fest October 2026<\/strong> is live now and runs until 26 October at 10am PDT<\/strong> (6pm in the UK). Hundreds of unreleased games have free demos, so we went through Steam’s Top Demos chart and picked out the survival games and shooters that are worth your time. All eight below were among the most-played demos on Steam on 21 October.<\/p>\n

When does Steam Next Fest October 2026 end?<\/h2>\n

Valve’s dates are 19 October at 10am PDT to 26 October at 10am PDT<\/strong>. In the UK that’s 6pm BST on Monday 19 October to 5pm GMT on Monday 26 October, because the clocks go back on 25 October. Some developers take their demos down when the festival ends, so play anything you’re curious about before then.<\/p>\n

From Wednesday 21 October at 6pm (Steam’s time), the Next Fest page switches to personalised recommendations based on what players have tried so far.<\/p>\n

Steam Next Fest October 2026 survival and FPS demos at a glance<\/h2>\n\n
Game<\/strong><\/td>Type<\/strong><\/td>Players<\/strong><\/td>Release<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>\n
Frostrail<\/td>Survival FPS on a steam train<\/td>Solo or co-op<\/td>Q4 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n
Mortuus<\/td>Round-based zombies FPS<\/td>1\u20134 co-op<\/td>Coming soon<\/td><\/tr>\n
Never Be Alone<\/td>Open-world zombie survival<\/td>Solo or co-op<\/td>8 December 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n
Arctic Drive<\/td>Co-op driving survival sim<\/td>1\u20134 co-op<\/td>25 November 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n
Deadzone Rogue 2<\/td>FPS roguelite<\/td>Solo or co-op<\/td>Coming soon<\/td><\/tr>\n
Ballistic.exe<\/td>Shooting simulator<\/td>Single-player<\/td>2027<\/td><\/tr>\n
DREADMOOR<\/td>Horror fishing survival<\/td>Single-player<\/td>9 November 2026<\/td><\/tr>\n
Wyldheart<\/td>Co-op survival action RPG<\/td>Solo or co-op<\/td>Coming soon<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table>\n

1. Frostrail<\/h2>\n

Frostrail<\/a> is the survival shooter we’ve been most excited about. You explore, scavenge, craft and fight across a frozen, corrupted wasteland while running and upgrading a steam-powered train<\/strong> that’s your mobile base. It’s made by FakeFish and published by Shiro Unlimited, and it supports solo or co-op play. It’s due in Early Access in Q4 2026. Read our Frostrail release date guide<\/a> for everything we know.<\/p>\n

2. Mortuus<\/h2>\n

\"Zombies<\/p>\n

If you miss classic Call of Duty Zombies, try Mortuus<\/a>. It’s a round-based co-op zombies FPS<\/strong> for 1 to 4 players from Hamuno, set in a procedurally generated brutalist map. You buy doors, hit the mystery box, upgrade your guns and uncover a hidden ritual that wakes “the Mother”. No release date yet.<\/p>\n

3. Never Be Alone<\/h2>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Never Be Alone<\/a> is an open-world zombie survival game<\/strong> set 10 years after an outbreak, in a world reclaimed by nature. You protect a fragile safe zone, explore and piece together your forgotten past, alone or in seamless co-op. It comes from Jonas Jensen and Wes Larkin, is published by Beast Studios, and is due on 8 December 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

4. Arctic Drive<\/h2>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

In Arctic Drive<\/a>, your car is the only thing keeping you alive. It’s a 1\u20134 player co-op survival sim<\/strong> set in a procedurally generated Arctic wilderness: find supplies, repair your rig and keep driving in search of safety. Think a frozen take on the driving survival genre. Made by Pebbles Games and PlayTogether Studio and published by Bonus Stage Publishing, it’s due on 25 November 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

5. Deadzone Rogue 2<\/h2>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Deadzone Rogue 2<\/a> is a sci-fi FPS roguelite<\/strong> from Prophecy Games. You play as Talon 13-10 on a fallen Earth, combining weapons, augments and elements into builds to fight Monarch’s endless machines. It supports solo or online co-op with cross-platform multiplayer. No release date yet.<\/p>\n

6. Ballistic.exe<\/h2>\n

\"Looking<\/p>\n

For gun nerds, Ballistic.exe<\/a> is a detailed shooting simulator<\/strong> presented as a declassified computer program, with dozens of weapons, more than 200 cartridges and over 1,000 attachments. It’s made by Tic Tac Toe Digital, published by Kwalee, and due in 2027.<\/p>\n

7. DREADMOOR<\/h2>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

DREADMOOR<\/a> mixes survival with horror and, unusually, fishing. You fish murky waters in a submerged, rotting world, upgrade your boat, craft survival gear and fight monsters on water and land. It’s a single-player game from Dream Dock, published by Digital Vortex Entertainment, due on 9 November 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

8. Wyldheart<\/h2>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Wyldheart<\/a> is a co-op survival action RPG<\/strong> built around bite-sized campaigns. You start with nothing, build your character freely, investigate rumours and explore ruins in the fallen Kingdom of Caerwyn. It’s from Wayfinder Studios and Curve Games and supports cross-platform multiplayer. No release date yet.<\/p>\n

Also worth trying: Terrible Lizards<\/h2>\n

It’s not a shooter, but if you like horror, the Terrible Lizards<\/a> demo got a new version (v0.9.76) during Next Fest. It’s a horror parkour game set in an old Route 66 dinosaur park, and the full game launches on 29 October 2026.<\/p>\n

How to play Steam Next Fest demos<\/h2>\n