Demo guide
Quick answer
The free demo has been on Steam since June 11, 2026 and has had two major updates; play it twice - once for the station, once for how much of it you can avoid.
The RetroSpace demo is the only build anyone outside the studio can play before October 1, and it is worth taking seriously: it has already received two major updates, and both of them changed systems that carry into the retail game.
What the demo is
- Released June 11, 2026, timed with Steam Next Fest.
- Playable on PC via Steam, free, no purchase required.
- Runs the same premise as the full game: Aurora 5, the Nameless Man, mutants, a broken timeline.
- Its medium difficulty is the one the demo exposes, and what it does with item loss is a demo behaviour, not a promise about the launch build.
What the two big demo updates changed
The developer's own patch announcements are the best guide to what the systems actually do, because they name the fixes players asked for.
| Patch | What it changed | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| First major demo update | Death and rebirth rework: after dying you return to your corpse to extract genes if you want to clear the cloning error, and on the demo's medium difficulty you no longer lose inventory items on death | Tells you the clone loop is about recovery trips, not punishment |
| First major demo update | Bodies left behind: fixed corpses spawning in unreachable spots | Your gear should stay retrievable |
| Second major demo update | Save system: protected quick save added | You can experiment without fear of a bad save |
| Second major demo update | Wrench buffed: more range, more damage, new charged attack | Melee is meant to be viable early |
| Second major demo update | Gunplay pass: already-loaded guns, better sounds, more damage and higher fire rate for the shotgun and the small gun | Guns get real, but later |
| Second major demo update | UI upgrade, less chaotic audio, "Hello darkness" lighting pass, turret damage now visible as smoke and sparks | Readability: you can tell what is happening and what you broke |
| Second major demo update | Enemy state indicator can be toggled from the menu | Play with or without the readability aid |
| Second major demo update | Cloning error system re-tuned, including the effects of certain errors | The clone penalty changed shape after player feedback |
| Second major demo update | PDA and inventory usable while crouching | Sneaking and checking your kit are meant to coexist |
How to use the demo before launch
- Play it twice. Once to see the station, once to see how much of it you can avoid fighting.
- Test the clone recovery trip on purpose. Die somewhere awkward, then go get your body. That round trip is the game's core tension.
- Try one Mutamod™ and pay attention to the side effect. They are described as unexpected and irreversible — see Mutamods explained.
- Never judge the demo's difficulty as the final one. Two rounds of patches already moved it heavily in the player's favour.
Still unconfirmed
- Whether demo progress or saves carry into the retail build.
- Whether the demo stays available after launch, or is retired.
- How much of the station the demo covers compared with the full release.
