Xbox launches 2026 Demo Fest with 30+ free demos

Xbox launched its 2026 Demo Fest on June 4, making more than 30 free game demos available on the Xbox Store for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The collection includes upcoming releases and independent titles across multiple genres.

The Demo Fest appears as a dedicated tab on console dashboards. Demos can also be found by browsing the Store’s “demos” section or by searching for individual titles. Files can be downloaded and run from the console store interface.

The selection includes single-player and multiplayer experiences. Active Matter presents a time-loop action game with levels built around hazardous “active matter” zones and timeline rivals. Grim Trials is presented as a heavy metal action roguelite with weapon and equipment crafting. Desolus is a first-person puzzle game set in a Gothic city, while The Crimson Maid combines first-person exploration with visual-novel scenes. Bao Bao’s Cozy Cleaning Services offers a low-pressure 2D pressure-washing game in pixel art, and Pieced Together is a scrapbooking game focused on friendship and memory.

Some demos showcase unusual mechanics. Moonbrella uses umbrella-based physics in a Metroidvania structure. Charlatan frames roguelike progression as a slot-machine experience. Mori Carta describes a deckbuilding roguelike where choices on each card are limited to left or right.

Management and life-sim demos on offer include K-pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut, which simulates trainee scheduling over an initial development period, and Kooeh: A Timeless Delight, a restaurant management title inspired by Malaysian cuisine.

Multiplayer and co-op entries are part of the festival. Carry The Glass is a two-player co-op platformer focused on carrying a fragile window through obstacles. Hazard Levels supports one- to four-player physics-driven co-op in a survival-horror context. Pit of Goblin is listed as an online horror co-op, and Pollito and Xiang Xiang allows control of two brothers either solo or in co-op.

Other demos available include action-adventure, RPG and narrative titles such as Faeland, Farlands, Nimrods, Salvation: Echoes of War and Starlit World, and smaller experimental projects like Space Tail and Wrap House Simulator.

Xbox did not include an end date for the Demo Fest in its announcement. Availability may vary by title, so users should check the Demo Fest tab or the Xbox Store for current demos and download details.