Steam Next Fest October 2026: 8 Survival and FPS Demos Worth Playing Before It Ends

Steam Next Fest October 2026 is live now and runs until October 26 at 10am PDT (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 October 21.

When does Steam Next Fest October 2026 end?

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

From Wednesday, October 21 at 6pm (Steam's time), the Next Fest page switches to personalised recommendations based on what players have tried so far.

Steam Next Fest October 2026 survival and FPS demos at a glance

1. Frostrail

Frostrail 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 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 for everything we know.

2. Mortuus

If you miss classic Call of Duty Zombies, try Mortuus. It's a round-based co-op zombies FPS 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.

3. Never Be Alone

Never Be Alone is an open-world zombie survival game 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 December 8, 2026.

4. Arctic Drive

In Arctic Drive, your car is the only thing keeping you alive. It's a 1–4 player co-op survival sim 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 November 25, 2026.

5. Deadzone Rogue 2

Deadzone Rogue 2 is a sci-fi FPS roguelite 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.

6. Ballistic.exe

For gun nerds, Ballistic.exe is a detailed shooting simulator 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.

7. DREADMOOR

DREADMOOR 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 November 9, 2026.

8. Wyldheart

Wyldheart is a co-op survival action RPG 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.

Also worth trying: Terrible Lizards

It's not a shooter, but if you like horror, the Terrible Lizards 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 October 29, 2026.

How to play Steam Next Fest demos

• Open the Next Fest page on Steam, or go straight to a game's store page using the links above.
• Click Download Demo (or Install Demo). Demos are free and install like any other game.
• Wishlist the games you like. Steam emails you when a wishlisted game releases.
• Use the Top Demos chart and the genre filters (try the Survival and FPS tags) to find more.

More upcoming survival games on iGame Magazine

• Frostrail release date – everything we know about the train survival shooter
• Terrible Lizards release date – out October 29
• ZERO Sievert 2 release date – the extraction shooter sequel
• The Dead We Knew – co-op zombie survival, out October 22

Steam Next Fest October 2026 FAQ