The demos have been played, the wishlists have been updated, and Steam has now revealed which games came out on top during June’s Steam Next Fest.
Roguelites once again made a strong showing, with everything from frantic action games to clever deckbuilders climbing into the event’s most-played demos.
Those were Steam’s biggest success stories. We also spent plenty of time exploring the festival ourselves, so alongside the official rankings, we’re highlighting a few demos that stood out to us for all the right reasons.
Steam’s Most Played Roguelite Demos
Let’s start with Steam’s list. These were the roguelites that players flocked to throughout June’s Next Fest, whether it was because of clever ideas, familiar names, or simply brilliant demos that refused to let people stop playing.
Grainrot
Knowing when to leave is often harder than knowing when to keep going.
That’s the entire hook behind Grainrot, a horror roguelite that wraps extraction mechanics around one very dangerous question. How much more are you willing to risk?
Every successful expedition tempts you to push a little further into increasingly unsettling environments, chasing better rewards while knowing that one bad decision could cost everything.
It’s a brilliantly uncomfortable loop that keeps raising the stakes because you convince yourself it’s probably safe to check just one more room.
Slay Blade
Some games ask you to master a weapon, Slay Blade asks you to master the rhythm behind it.
Every encounter revolves around chaining sword attacks together into increasingly stylish and devastating combinations, rewarding players who learn how to keep the momentum flowing rather than simply mashing through fights.
It’s fast, satisfying, and one we can’t wait to see drop later this year.
Sir, We Have an Orc Problem
Running a kingdom sounds like a respectable job until the orcs show up. Sir, We Have an Orc Problem mixes city management, strategy, and roguelite progression into a surprisingly chaotic balancing act, where every wave forces another difficult decision. Do you reinforce your defenses, invest in long-term growth, or simply hope what you’ve already built is enough to survive another attack?
It ends up feeling less like a tower defense game and more like a kingdom that’s constantly one bad decision away from disaster.
Demon Bluff
Poker has become one of the roguelite genre’s favourite building blocks over the last few years.
Demon Bluff isn’t interested in giving players another excuse to chase bigger numbers. Instead, it leans into the part of poker that’s always been the most interesting. That is, reading your opponent, bluffing at the right moment, and deciding exactly how much you’re willing to risk.
That psychological element gives every run a very different feel from traditional deckbuilders while still delivering the satisfying decision-making the genre is known for.
If you enjoy winning because you outthought the game rather than simply out-drew it, Demon Bluff is well worth keeping an eye on.
Our Picks From Steam Next Fest
Steam’s rankings tell you which demos attracted the biggest crowds, but they don’t always tell you which ones you’ll still be thinking about weeks later. These were the roguelites that surprised us, kept us coming back for another run, or simply did something we hadn’t seen before…
Fury Ball
We first reported on Fury Ball back when it was announced, and it’s been one we’ve been lowkey excited for ever since.
The first few minutes of the demo are pure chaos. However, what initially feels like complete mayhem slowly reveals itself as a surprisingly tactical roguelite where every ricochet, rebound, and upgrade starts feeding into increasingly ridiculous runs.
It captures the same satisfaction as landing the perfect pinball shot, except this time the ball is also your weapon. It never really slows down, and thankfully, it doesn’t try to.
Swordcery
Some games encourage experimentation and Swordcery is one of them. Every run becomes an excuse to combine spells, abilities, and upgrades in ways that probably shouldn’t work quite as well as they do. The result is a roguelite where discovering your next overpowered build is every bit as rewarding as surviving the current one.
By the end of the demo, starting another run felt less like a choice and more like an inevitability.
Spooker
Not every horror game needs to take itself seriously and Spooker certainly doesn’t.
Beneath the jokes, quirky presentation, and wonderfully strange cast sits a roguelite that’s surprisingly good at keeping players on their toes. One minute you’re laughing at something completely absurd, the next you’re scrambling to survive another unpredictable encounter.
It’s a combination that shouldn’t work nearly as well as it does.
Miniature Legends
Miniature Legends squeezes an impressive amount of tactical depth into its compact arenas, constantly asking players to think about positioning, upgrades, and long-term planning instead of simply charging into the next fight.
It’s exactly the sort of game Steam Next Fest was built to help players discover. Every run introduced another tactical wrinkle or interesting decision, making it surprisingly difficult to stop after just one attempt. If the full game builds on what’s already here, it could become a real hidden gem.
Shroom and Gloom
Punching mushrooms in first-person sounds like a crazy, fun afternoon. It turns out it’s also the setup to one of the most inventive demos of the festival.
Shroom and Gloom somehow combines first-person dungeon crawling, deckbuilding, and roguelite progression into something that feels refreshingly different from almost everything else we played. Every run asks you to balance exploration, combat, and deck improvements while constantly tempting you to push just a little deeper.
Out of every roguelite demo we played during June’s Steam Next Fest, this was one of the easiest recommendations to make.
And That’s a Wrap
Steam Next Fest has always been one of the best reminders that the next great game probably isn’t the one everyone’s already talking about. It’s often the demo you downloaded on a whim, played for ten minutes, then somehow spent the rest of the evening thinking about.
This year’s festival was packed with inventive roguelites, and if these demos are anything to go by, the genre isn’t running out of ideas any time soon.
Whether you found your next obsession on Steam’s most-played list or somewhere a little further down the rankings, one thing feels certain, there’s plenty to look forward to over the coming months.
What was your favorite demo of June’s Next Fest? Let us know in the comments below 👇