Steam Next Fest is running until 2 March, giving us a glorious week of demos showcasing upcoming games. As usual, there are tons of great turn-based titles to watch out for, some of which you can try for the first time this week!
From shadowy horror to creative deck builders and everything in between, I’ve rounded up the most exciting turn-based demos to try this Next Fest. As always, if you like a game, be sure to Wishlist and Follow it on Steam to give the developers a much-needed boost in visibility!
Fogpiercer
Fogpiercer adds tense, high-speed chases to deck builder gameplay, shaking up the usual formula and creating an unabashedly cool adventure.
Driving the train that carries the last hope of humanity, you’ll have to fight off raiders as you careen endlessly forward along the track. Combat rewards creativity, as you can force enemy vehicles into oncoming obstacles or even onto the track in front of you, where momentum will do the rest.
Fogpiercer is expected to launch sometime in 2026, but an exact release date hasn’t been confirmed yet. In the meantime, the free demo offers a taste of what could be one of this year’s most exciting roguelikes.
Enter the Chronosphere
- Developer: Effort Star
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: Windows, Mac
- Steam Page
How exactly does one make a bullet hell turn-based? Enter The Chronosphere does exactly that, by pausing its frantic action whenever you’re stopped. As long as you’re standing still, you can take aim and make plans, but when you’re in motion, so are all the enemies and projectiles.
The game also has some stellar hand-drawn visuals, promising a memorable cast and world to explore and explode. There’s a lot to love in the demo, so we can expect even more fun when the full game launches.
Prismarch
- Developer: Q2 2026
- Release Date: Noah Magner
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
It’s about time chess got an update – we were beginning to think the devs had abandoned it. Prismarch turns the game of kings into a roguelike, where pieces can gain upgradeable class abilities to ensure your dominance of the board. You’ll need the extra power to defeat the Prismatic Kings, and a single piece can gain as many powers as you want to give it.
Prismarch might be anathema to chess purists, but if it’s anything like Shotgun King or Passant, I’m more than willing to give it a go.
EvoCreo 2
- Developer: Ilmfinity Studios
- Release Date: Q2 2026
- Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android
- Steam Page
EvoCreo has a cult following as an alternative to Pokemon, and if you’re looking for gameplay that’s more akin to the classics then the upcoming sequel is a great reason to dive in. EvoCreo 2 has over 300 monsters to catch and train, plus a story full of exploration and battles just like the good old days.
The mobile version is already available, and the PC version is expected to land later this year. If you’re planning to wait, Steam has the original EvoCreo for $9.99 even when it’s not on sale so you can enjoy the world and monsters in the meantime.
Tides of Blazefall
- Developer: Awaken Realms
- Release Date: TBA
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Tides of Blazefall merges open-world exploration and card-based tactical combat with deep narrative and worldbuilding to create an atmospheric weird fantasy tale at sea. With a heavier focus on the story and characters, the game seems to be more of a full-sized RPG than a roguelike, and your choices can affect your deck as well as the story, leading to long-term consequences.
Blazefall‘s blend of genres and haunting aesthetic should make it a good pick for lots of players. There’s no firm release date yet, so try the demo and see what you think!
WILD Tactics
- Developer: The Wild Gentlemen
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
“Zootopia-noir XCOM” sounds like a fever dream on paper, but that’s exactly what Wild Tactics is, and it really works. Commanding a squad of specialists to clean up an anthropomorphic city run by mobsters, you’ll deploy each character’s unique abilities and navigate their complex relationships in ’50s-style gangland shootouts.
While lots of tactical games give you randomly-generated units, Wild Tactics focuses instead on developing its core cast, making the story a bit more personal. It’s a fun take on a genre that’s often deadly serious, so check out the demo!
Rune Dice
- Developer: Smart Raven Studio
- Release Date: 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Dice-builders are a fun offshoot of their card-based cousins, and Rune Dice offers a neat twist that sets it apart from the pack. You’ll roll buckets of dice selected from your “deck,” which is fun in and of itself, but when dice of matching colors make contact, they merge and level up. Better yet, they create an explosion, shaking up nearby dice with the game’s realistic physics engine, potentially creating more merges and bigger combos.
Not only is Rune Dice satisfying, but it’s also designed to be quick to play, so you can squeeze in a run if you don’t have much time. The best way to see how this game works is to try it, and the demo is free on Steam now.
Wretch: Divine Ascent
- Developer: Ogopogo
- Release Date: 19 November, 2025
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Wretch: Divine Ascent is the mature, serious relative of Backpack Battles. While it looks like a 1v1 fighting game, you won’t be jump-canceling or pulling off meticulous button combos here. Instead, your character acts based on how you arrange the gear in your bag beforehand, turning the following swordfight into an autobattler.
If organizing your inventory and finding synergies are some of your favorite side activities, you’ll be glad to see that Wretch has made an entire game out of them. Getting a good setup and watching it work feels great, and the game has a roadmap with new content and characters extending at least through the rest of the year.
Reptilian Rising
- Developer: Gregarious Games, Robot Circus
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: Windows, Mac
- Steam Page
Absolutely drenched in ’80s neon, Reptilian Rising is silly, irreverent fun in tactical roguelite form. To stave off an invasion by Dictatorsaur’s reptilian army, you’ll recruit history’s greatest heroes to join the fight with over-the-top technology and cartoonish hijinx.
Reptilian Rising is also designed to look like a board game, complete with plastic figures representing your units, bases, and terrain. Give the demo a try and see how wonderfully absurd it can be!
Handmancers
- Developer: 58BLADES
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
- Steam Page
Handmancers turns rock-paper-scissors into a roguelike deckbuilder, and it’s much more strategic than it sounds. With each card representing one of the three Signs, counters will play a major part of your strategy and a well-timed combo is truly devastating.
Handmancers was originally going to launch into Early Access at the beginning of March, but has been delayed so as not to conflict with Slay The Spire 2 (and I can’t say I blame the devs on that decision!). In the meantime, try the demo to check out this creative, exciting indie project.
Atre: Dominance Wars
- Developer: Ironward
- Release Date: Q2 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
If you’re a fan of Heroes of Might and Magic or Age of Wonders, you’ll definitely want to check out upcoming indie 4X Atre: Dominance Wars. The trailers and demo are enticing us with high-fantasy empire building, godlike spells, and gorgeous maps, so if it’s as good as it looks we’re going to be spending a lot of hours in this game.
If you’re really looking to dive in early, you can request access to the playtest through Steam. Otherwise, check out the demo and be ready to jump on Atre when it launches this spring.
People of Note
- Developer: Iridium Studios
- Release Date: 7 April, 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
If you love a spectacle, then People of Note could be the RPG that whisks you away to a magical, musical world. The game is built entirely around music, blending rhythm game mechanics with traditional JRPG gameplay, and the soundtrack adapts as each party member takes their turn.
It’s a fun, creative adventure in the vein of classics like Brutal Legend, and when it launches in April we’ll be able to see if People of Note carves out a space for itself as a new indie favorite.
Infinity: HexaDome Tactics
- Developer: Blindspot Games
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Tabletop fans might be familiar with sci-fi skirmish wargame Infinity or its arena boardgame spinoff Aristeia. HexaDome Tactics takes the latter digital, bringing it to life with flashy visuals and fan-favorite gameplay.
If you like a good PvP tactical brawl, you’ll probably find that HexaDome Tactics is a great fit for you. It’s also a great option for getting into the game if the physical version is outside your budget – it will probably be easier to find an opponent, too.
Becoming Captain – The Roguelike Deckbuilder
- Developer: Le Havre Creation
- Release Date: TBA
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
This roguelike deck builder puts you in the shoes of an aspiring space pirate, with an improvisational combat style that challenges you to build your deck as you fight! It also has lots of hidden lore to uncover, so starting over becomes more than “just another run.”
Becoming Captain is an indie title that has a lot going for it. I’m excited to see how the full game turns out, so if you like deck builders it’s worth a Wishlist and Follow to keep an eye on.
Crystant
- Developer: DAWNER
- Release Date: Coming Soon
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Crystant is a roguelike RPG with survival horror vibes, trapping you in an underground post-apocalyptic facility. You’ll never know what’s around each corner as you explore the top-down map, but the only way to find out is to take the risk and check, scavenging for gear and crafting material while hoping the next mutant you encounter isn’t the last.
Crystant lets you carry over XP between runs and piece together the mystery of the facility, offering a trail of crumbs with each new run. If you’re up for a challenge, check out the demo and start your journey into the unknown.
Don’t Kill Them All
- Developer: Fika Productions
- Release Date: TBA
- Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
- Steam Page
Orcs have a reputation as bloodthirsty pillagers, and in Don’t Kill Them All, something has to change.
As the new Warchief, you need to teach your warriors that looting and pillaging means actually coming back with the loot instead of just slaughtering everything in your path; the longer your orcs stay in battle, the more likely they are to drop their plunder and go on a rampage, leaving you with little to build your camp with.
Don’t Kill Them All adds a fun level of decision-making to its cartoonish gameplay; get what you can and get out before your troops ruin everything. Its lighthearted silliness is a nice plus, too!
Forsaken Lands
- Developer: Lunisky Studio
- Release Date: Q2 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Deck builders are generally a solo experience, but Forsaken Lands lets you team up with friends for a co-op adventure. Your party is built from three heroes, each with their own deck, and if you hop online for some multiplayer havoc then each player controls a separate party member.
Whether you’re playing solo or not, though, Forsaken Lands‘ roster and card pool offers plenty of replay value. The full game is launching later this year, but you can request access to the playtest if you want to start playing a bit earlier.
Dungeons of DUSK
- Developer: 68k Studios
- Release Date: 2026
- Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
- Steam Page
This bloody, old-school style dungeon crawler is a “midquel” set between the 2018 shooter Dusk and its eventual sequel. Even if you didn’t play the original, there’s still plenty of gory fun to be had blasting cultists and demons in gameplay that feels like a mix between Doom and the old Might & Magic games.
Beyond just its campaign, Dungeons of Dusk has arenas, boss rushes, and more to keep you coming back even after you’ve rolled the credits. It should be out later this year, and you can check out the free demo on Steam now.
Scorched Sun
- Developer: Skeleton Coffee Games
- Release Date: 2026
- Platforms: Windows
- Steam Page
Speaking of cults, Scorched Sun puts you in the shoes of an initiate sent to investigate a remote monastery in a top-down survival-horror RPG with turn-based combat. Your limited field of vision means that threats could be lurking anywhere, and they’ll get the drop on you if you aren’t careful!
Its creepy vibe make Scorched Sun a good pick if you’re looking for an indie title to give you some scares. Who knows what will be hiding in the dark when the full game launches later this year?
