ID@Xbox Summer Game Fest Demo event kicks off today (Update)

See some “show floor” demos from the comfort of home

[Update: Xbox has published a full list of demos available for today’s demo event, with 34 games in total available to check out on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Here’s the lineup:

• Another Crusade (Dragon Vein Studios)
• Ato (Tiny Warrior Games)
• Batora: Lost Haven (Stormind Games)
• BattleCakes (Volcano Bean)
• Boxville (Triomatica Games)
• BROK the InvestiGator (COWCAT)
• Broken Pieces (Elsewhere Experience)
• Despot’s Game (Konfa Games)
• Doodle God Evolution (JoyBits Games)
• Endling – Extinction is Forever (Herobeat Studios)
• Exhausted Man (Candleman Games)
• Grid Force – Mask of the Goddess (Playtra Games)
• Grotto (Brainwash Gang)
• Lost Ruins (Altari Games)
• Metal: Hellsinger (Sunhammer AB/The Outsiders)
• MUSYNX (MUSYNX Studio)
• Nummels (Plattnip)
• Overpass: Rhythm Roadtrip (Studio Bean)
• Overrogue (EXE-CREATE)
• PolyFury (Wayfarer Games)
• RE:CALL (maitan69)
• Richman10 (Softstar Technology)
• Sail Forth (David Evans Games)
• Severed Steel (Greylock Studio)
• Shadowrun Returns (Codeglue)
• Spiderheck (Neverjam)
• Strings Theory (BeautifulBee)
• Strong Moon (Chihuas Games)
• Stuffed (Waving Bear Studio)
• Terror of Hemasaurus (Loren Lemcke)
• Tinykin (Splashteam)
• Wave Break (Funktronic Labs)
• Wreck Out (Four5Six)
• Ynglet (Nifflas’ Games)

Our original story follows.]

The indie gaming side of Xbox is hosting another demo event this year, the ID@Xbox Summer Game Fest Demo event. Starting June 21, the ID@Xbox team says it will have over 30 demos of upcoming games playable on Xbox.

These demos will be up from June 21 through the 27th, so be sure to check them out while the window’s open. And ID@Xbox notes that these demos are not the average demos you’d usually see on stores. While those usually come from fairly completed games, the ones in ID@Xbox are more akin to “show floor demos” you might catch at PAX or something. Basically, these are early-stage projects, so be constructive if things seem a little rough.

Xbox has highlighted some of the games arriving in this demo event, including:

• Batora: Lost Haven: An isometric action game where you journey through colorful planets and fight to save Earth using your physical and mental superpowers.
• Broken Pieces: A time-based thriller that seems ideal for Control fans, where you have to solve the mystery of this bizarre French village.
• Severed Steel: One for the blood-pumping FPS fans, it’s got bullet-time and destructible environments.
• Tinykin: A Pikmin-style game that we’ve had our eye on for a while, with an incredible look and tons of little helpers.

Dozens of demos galore

It’s already been a pretty good summer for demos. The Steam Next Fest is on right now, and there are a ton of upcoming projects to discover and add to your wishlist there.

Last year’s ID@Xbox demo event had some pretty great hands-on previews in the lineup too. Games like Tunic, Lake, Sable, and more were all part of the 2021 demo fest. These are worth giving a shot, especially if you’re looking for that next big indie to watch.