Steam Next Fest has returned, bringing with it a massive selection of demos for highly anticipated games. For horror fans, it’s the perfect opportunity to try terrifying experiences before they fully release. Here are five standout horror game demos you won’t want to miss during the Steam Next Fest October 2024.
Incantation
From the developers behind The Bridge Curse series comes an adaptation of one of the most chilling Taiwanese horror films in recent years, Incantation. As a personal favorite, I consider it one of the scariest films I’ve ever seen, largely due to its unsettling sound design and atmosphere.
This first-person horror game follows a mother on a desperate search for her missing daughter, leading her to a remote village controlled by a mysterious cult. Use stealth to navigate around the village and try to unravel the secrets of the cult and the sinister force lingering in the air.
Among Ashes
From solo developer Rat Cliff Games comes Among Ashes, a metafictional horror game about a haunted video game called Night Call, and the unsettling story behind its creation. In real-life, you can explore around your apartment, and sit down at your computer to dive into Night Call, a survival horror game within the game itself.
As you progress, the line between the game and reality blurs—entities from Night Call begin to invade your real world, with terrifying and unexplained events happening beyond the screen.
I’m on Observation Duty 7
The wildly popular I’m on Observation Duty series, which pioneered the spot-the-anomaly horror subgenre, returns with its seventh installment. This time, players will explore six brand-new eerie levels filled with unsettling anomalies waiting to be uncovered.
For those new to the series, the gameplay revolves around monitoring surveillance footage and reporting changes—whether it’s objects shifting, new unsettling figures appearing, or other strange occurrences. It’s a test of sharp observation skills and a keen eye for detail.
Heartworm
Published by horror veterans DreadXP, Heartworm offers a nostalgic dive into low-fidelity survival horror, complete with fixed camera angles and retro visuals that evoke the classics of the genre.
The game follows Sam, a young woman obsessed with uncovering the mysteries of the afterlife. Her research leads her deep into the dark web, where she discovers a secluded house in the mountains. This creepy place holds the answers she seeks, but it also has a chilling reputation—no one who enters ever returns.
Midnight Special
Midnight Special is a point-and-click survival horror game that puts you in the shoes of Sarah, a babysitter hired to watch over the Boyd children in their eerie manor house. What begins as a typical night quickly turns unsettling as strange occurrences unfold, including bizarre phone calls, inanimate objects coming to life, and the children disappearing.
The game has gorgeous 16-bit graphics, highly reminiscent of 90s point-and-click adventures.
That’s been our selection of 5 horror game demos to try during the Steam Next Fest. Of course, there’s loads of other horror games that deserve your attention too, so make sure to browse the full selection over on Steam. The event lasts from the 14th October until the 21st, so you have a week to try as many demos as you want.
