5 Mystery Game Demos From Steam Next Fest - October 2025
True crime, death games, ontological mysteries, and more!
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Streaming Steam Next Fest
For this Steam Next Fest, I decided to stream myself playing a variety of demos. Despite playing for nearly 10 hours, I was barely able to play through 10 games, and there are well over 100 mystery game demos in the fest!
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I really enjoyed playing games on-stream. I used to stream my own game development from 2018 to 2021 on the Goldbar Games Twitch channel, so it was a lot of fun to go back to interacting with people live. Again, this is only something I can really do if I can work on Mystery Gamedev full-time, so your support genuinely means a lot to me.
5 Mystery Game Demos
With that said, let’s get into the list of mystery game demos.
Apparently, this fest featured so many mystery games that all 5 of the demos I’m going to mention are from developers that I’ve gotten to know through our Discord server! So I guess I will be biased for this one, but that’s okay — they are all great games that I played through on stream, if you want to see my full thoughts on them. Or better yet, if you think they sound fun, go ahead and play their demos or wishlist them yourself.
(And to be clear, there were many more games that I had fun with too, but there’s not enough room here to list them all! It’s so hard to just pick a few!)
Advent: Dawn
A research trip turns deadly when seven strangers are trapped in a vast cave beneath a remote island. 『Advent: Dawn』 is a sci-fi mystery visual novel where you must escape through fear, fractured trust, and whispers from the deep. Will you unravel the mystery before the cave unravels you?
This sci-fi mystery game is inspired by classics like Zero Escape, Ever17, and Steins;Gate. A group of researchers suddenly become trapped in a cave and must seek a way out, though not without some mystery and adventure in the process.
The game involves choices and branching paths, and there is a flowchart to help you navigate the story. The demo introduces each character, ending with some intense action, and leaves you with many questions to think about.
Beyond R: Rule Ripper
An evolving death game set in a bar, where getting to know its players is the only way out. Each person hides one of the game’s rules. Discover them through their pasts, tastes, and finding hidden clues, then face them in an all-out discussion. Only three can survive, unless you fight back.
Inspired by classic games like Zero Escape, Danganronpa, and Ace Attorney, the story involves characters forced to participate in a death game where each player represents a different rule that only that player can break. When a player is eliminated, their associated rule stops applying to the remaining players. It’s a very unique concept, and it naturally makes you wonder how the story will play out.
I remember playing a much earlier version of the demo years ago and it has come a long way since. The characters and their designs are especially unforgettable.
The story takes its time starting out, but the novel-like narration adds to the atmosphere of the world. The demo is also very long, so I can only imagine the length of the full game.
Call of the Golden Valley
Your friend is missing in the Australian outback and you must find her. Search the Internet for clues, solve mysterious puzzles and uncover the conspiracy of the vanishing hikers of Golden Valley.
This game takes inspiration from true crime stories as you must uncover the truth behind the disappearance of your friend. You play as an American tourist visiting Australia in search of your friend. You can roam a full 3D environment, interrogate characters, investigate using computers, and even take pictures with a camera.
There are also animals native to Australia wandering around the land that you will need to photograph, so it is cool to learn about the wildlife through gameplay!
Confidential Killings
A series of murders is shocking Hollywood! Use your detective skills: search the crime scene, find clues, solve the mystery. Who is pulling the strings behind these Confidential Killings?
This game plays a lot like Golden Idol but with a gritty, noir artstyle and story. You click on words to add them to your list of clues, then piece together statements about what happened, who was involved, and so on. Simple concept with great execution.
Geamana Village
A first-person investigative game set in a drowned village. Explore abandoned homes, speak with the last remaining locals, and capture through your lens the destruction left behind by the toxic sludge. Gather evidence, follow every clue, and uncover the truth hidden beneath silence and decay.
This game lets you explore a huge 3D open world with levels of fog that really remind me of Silent Hill. You can drive a truck, search with a flashlight, and even take pictures with a camera to uncover clues. There are also various ways of getting killed if you’re not too careful.
Inspired by true events, you play as a journalist recently fired for getting too close to an environmental conspiracy. The world is large and mysterious characters send you on quests, so the demo definitely has you wondering about the truth beneath the surface.
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, we were not paid to promote any of the above games. Each game was selected based on its relevance to our readers, considering its release date, number of positive reviews, and store page description. We are not responsible for any issues arising from attempting to purchase, download, or play any game.
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