Dmytro Senchenko1 min read

KUTO Free Demo Is Out, and We're in Steam Next Fest

The free KUTO: The Lock of Time demo is live on Steam now, no access request needed. The game is also in Steam Next Fest, October 19-26, 2026.

The KUTO: The Lock of Time demo is live. It's free, and you can download it right now from the game's Steam page. Look for the "Download KUTO: The Lock of Time Demo" button above the wishlist box.

We're also taking part in Steam Next Fest, the October 2026 edition. The fest runs from October 19 to October 26, opening and closing at 10:00 PDT. The demo is already out, so you don't have to wait for it.

How this differs from the playtest

The playtest is closed. You request access and wait for your wave. The demo is a separate download, and anyone with a Steam account can press the button and play. No queue.

If you already have playtest access, you can play the demo too. It's its own item on the store page.

What changed since the playtest started

In the first week of the playtest 52 people played 113 sessions, died 153 times, and four of them wrote, without talking to each other, that the combat is weak. We shipped five builds in those same six days and kept going. The demo is the build we want people outside the playtest to judge.

A game gets only one Next Fest on Steam, so this is our one shot at it. We'd rather hear what's wrong now than after release.

What you can do

Play the demo and tell us what broke. The feedback form works, and so does our Discord.

Then wishlist the game. For a small team that is the most useful thing you can do, and it keeps the game on your radar after the fest ends.

Get the free demo and wishlist KUTO: The Lock of Time on Steam

Keep reading

KUTO Playtest Week One: 153 Deaths, 30 Hours

285 people got access, 52 launched the game, and four of them told us the same thing about the combat. Here is the first week of the playtest in numbers.

KUTO Playtest — Sign Up for the September Build

The first playable slice — one level, the Minotaur, Athena, and time rewind — goes to testers in early September. Here's what you'd be playing, what isn't in yet, and how to sign up.