Field guide · 9 games

Best playable indie shooter demos on Steam right now

By Ekin, a solo developer in Istanbul (Whale Development Studios). Published 8 November 2026. Every date, list price, platform and demo below was read on the US Steam store on 8 November 2026; sources at the foot of the page.

First person view in Iron Curtain Call: firing a typewriter submachine gun at the 6:15 steam express in Mission 1
No festival timer: Iron Curtain Call’s Mission 1 demo is free on Steam right now.
The short answer

Missed Steam Next Fest? These 9 indie FPS demos are live right now

One of the biggest frustrations on Steam is clicking a hyped indie demo after a festival week only to find the download button deactivated. Every single indie shooter on this page had an active, free downloadable demo on the US Steam store on 8 November 2026.

You can play my 1930s rubber hose cartoon shooter Iron Curtain Call (Mission 1 free on Windows, macOS and Linux ahead of its 11 March 2027 launch, plus a free 60 second browser trial), alongside the permanent free demos of ULTRAKILL, MULLET MADJACK, Roboquest, Anger Foot, Deadlink, CULTIC, HROT and Wizordum.

For the full table of all 25 shooter demos we track with review counts, see our free FPS demos on Steam directory.

At a glance

Nine indie shooter demos available today on Steam

Subgenre, demo platforms, and Steam store facts read on 8 November 2026.
GameIndie subgenreDemo platformsFree demo nowUS list priceRelease
Iron Curtain CallMy game1930s rubber hose cartoon noir FPSWindows, macOS, Linux + desktop browserYes, free demo + browser trialNot priced yet11 March 2027free demo since 28 October 2026
ULTRAKILLHyper fast score attack movement FPSWindowsYes, free$29.993 September 2020Early Access
MULLET MADJACK90s anime ten second timer arcade FPSWindowsYes, free$19.9915 May 2024
RoboquestComic shaded robot roguelite FPSWindowsYes, free$24.997 November 2023
Anger FootBass fueled door kicking speedrun FPSWindowsYes, free$19.9911 July 2024
DeadlinkCyberpunk arena roguelite FPSWindowsYes, free$24.9927 July 2023
CULTICGritty 1990s Build style horror boomer FPSWindowsYes, free$9.9913 October 2022
HROT1986 Czechoslovak brown retro FPSWindowsYes, free$19.9916 May 2023
WizordumBright fantasy sprite spellcaster FPSWindows, macOSYes, free$19.9929 April 2025
The 9 games, up close

Nine indie FPS demos you can install tonight

Every entry lists its developer, publisher, Steam release date, platforms, US list price and free demo status.

Iron Curtain Call

My game · Out {d:icc.release}

Play it if: you want an upcoming solo developed 1930s cartoon shooter whose full opening chapter is free on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Iron Curtain Call is a fast single player cartoon noir FPS set in an absurd alternate 1965 where wind up tin robots fight World War III. You dash, grapple, parry and punch robots into bolts and springs to refill health and ammunition.

The free Mission 1 Steam demo (version 1.5.3) gives you 15 to 20 minutes of campaign combat ending with the first boss, Major Disaster, and the free 60 second browser trial lets you test the weapons in a browser tab with no download.

It is the only upcoming indie shooter on this page with native Windows, macOS and Linux demo builds plus a browser trial.

Developer and publisher
Whale Development Studios
Release
11 March 2027
Free demo
28 October 2026
On Steam
Windows and macOS (demo: Windows, macOS and Linux)
US list price
Not priced yet
Demo
Yes, free
Gameplay trailer · 1:00 · Twelve chapters in sixty seconds. YouTube · Video page

Play the free Steam demoPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download

First person view in Iron Curtain Call: fighting Major Disaster at the end of the free demo
Major Disaster, the boss at the end of the free Mission 1 demo.

ULTRAKILL

Free demo · {p:ultrakill} full

Play it if: you want the gold standard of indie movement shooter demos.

Arsi "Hakita" Patala and New Blood Interactive keep a generous free demo of ULTRAKILL (3 September 2020, $29.99 on Windows) live on Steam.

Both ULTRAKILL and Iron Curtain Call heal you for fighting up close and offer free opening demos.

Developer
Arsi "Hakita" Patala
Publisher
New Blood Interactive
Early Access since
3 September 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$29.99
Demo
Yes, free

MULLET MADJACK

Free demo · {p:mullet} full

Play it if: you want a 1990s anime arcade shooter demo where every kill adds seconds to your life.

HAMMER95 and Epopeia Games offer a free Steam demo for MULLET MADJACK (15 May 2024, $19.99 on Windows).

MULLET MADJACK and Iron Curtain Call both bring hand drawn animation into fast first person combat.

Developer
HAMMER95
Publisher
Epopeia Games and HAMMER95
Released
15 May 2024
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free

Roboquest

Free demo · {p:roboquest} full

Play it if: you want a bright, zero gore robot roguelite demo you can play solo or in co op.

RyseUp Studios keeps a free demo of Roboquest (7 November 2023, $24.99 on Windows) on its Steam page.

Both Roboquest and Iron Curtain Call replace blood with exploding robots.

Developer and publisher
RyseUp Studios
Released
7 November 2023
On Steam
Windows (demo: Windows)
US list price
$24.99
Demo
Yes, free

Anger Foot

Free demo · {p:angerfoot} full

Play it if: you want a two minute per level door kicking demo with a pounding bass soundtrack.

Free Lives and Devolver Digital keep a free demo of Anger Foot (11 July 2024, $19.99 on Windows) live on Steam.

Anger Foot is built around a lethal kick; Iron Curtain Call builds around its healing Knuckle Sandwich punch.

Developer
Free Lives
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Released
11 July 2024
On Steam
Windows (demo: Windows)
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free

CULTIC

Free demo · {p:cultic} full

Play it if: you want a crunchy 1990s Build style horror shooter demo for a $9.99 indie gem.

Jasozz Games and 3D Realms offer a free Steam demo for CULTIC (13 October 2022, $9.99 on Windows).

CULTIC is solo developed folk horror; Iron Curtain Call is solo developed 1930s cartoon comedy.

Developer
Jasozz Games
Publisher
3D Realms
Released
13 October 2022
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$9.99
Demo
Yes, free

HROT

Free demo · {p:hrot} full

Play it if: you want a tiny, fast loading Cold War boomer shooter demo built in a custom engine.

Spytihněv offers a free Steam demo for HROT (16 May 2023, $19.99 on Windows).

HROT and Iron Curtain Call are both solo developed Cold War satires with free demos.

Developer and publisher
Spytihněv
Released
16 May 2023
On Steam
Windows (demo: Windows)
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free

Wizordum

Free PC & Mac demo · {p:wizordum} full

Play it if: you want a bright fantasy boomer shooter demo that runs on both Windows and macOS.

Emberheart Games and Apogee Entertainment offer a free Windows and macOS demo for Wizordum (29 April 2025, $19.99).

Wizordum and Iron Curtain Call both support Windows and macOS in their free Steam demos.

Developer
Emberheart Games
Publisher
Apogee Entertainment
Released
29 April 2025
On Steam
Windows and macOS
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free
Questions

Questions players ask about indie shooter demos on Steam

Can I download these indie shooter demos right now outside Steam Next Fest?

Yes. Every one of these nine indie shooters had a live, free demo on its US Steam store page when checked on 8 November 2026.

Which of these indie shooter demos are solo developed?

Iron Curtain Call (Ekin Arca), ULTRAKILL (created by Arsi "Hakita" Patala), CULTIC (Jason Smith at Jasozz Games) and HROT (Spytihněv) all began as or remain solo developer projects.

Which indie shooter demos work on macOS and Linux?

Iron Curtain Call’s free demo runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and Wizordum’s free demo runs on Windows and macOS.

What PC and indie games are coming out in 2027?

More than one page can hold: Steam shows a lot of PC and indie games with a 2027 date, and dates keep moving. What we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026 are the shooters and the Mac action games, in two dated lists: upcoming FPS games and upcoming Mac games. Iron Curtain Call, our own cartoon noir shooter, is due 11 March 2027 on Windows and macOS, and its free demo is on Steam now.

What games release on 11 March 2027?

Among the shooters we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026: Blood of Rations (11 March 2027) and Iron Curtain Call (My game, 11 March 2027). We only checked shooters, so this is not the full set for that day; Steam’s own Coming Soon page has the rest.

What is a good new single player FPS I can play for free right now?

Iron Curtain Call has a free demo on Steam (Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutes) and a free 60 second browser trial with no download. It is a single player cartoon noir shooter, and it is our game, so weigh that. For other free shooters, our list of free FPS demos on Steam holds the best rated ones.

Sources

Every release date, list price, platform and demo status on this page was read from these US Steam store pages and reference articles on 8 November 2026.

  1. Iron Curtain Call, Steam store page
  2. ULTRAKILL, Steam store page
  3. MULLET MADJACK, Steam store page
  4. Roboquest, Steam store page
  5. Anger Foot, Steam store page
  6. Deadlink, Steam store page
  7. CULTIC, Steam store page
  8. HROT, Steam store page
  9. Wizordum, Steam store page
  10. Indie game, Wikipedia
  11. Game demo, Wikipedia
  12. Ultrakill, Wikipedia
  13. Mullet MadJack, Wikipedia
  14. Roboquest, Wikipedia
  15. Anger Foot, Wikipedia
  16. Cultic (video game), Wikipedia

Play a solo indie FPS demo free on Steam today.

Download Mission 1 of Iron Curtain Call free on Windows, macOS and Linux, or play 60 seconds in your browser before the 11 March 2027 release.

Play the free Steam demoWishlist on SteamPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download