PC Gamers, Rejoice! Free Resident Evil Requiem Alternative Has Me Hooked

Steam has a new free demo available for you to try, and it might be the best thing to tide you over until Resident Evil Requiem launches.

Early 2026 is bringing us a lot of much-awaited horror titles, including Resident Evil Requiem, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly remake, and Reanimal from Little Nightmares developer Tarsier Studios.

While we wait for those games to release though, how about a new free demo for an upcoming horror game that looks rather interesting?

The Occultist is an upcoming first-person narrative thriller with horror elements, where you play as a paranormal investigator named Alan Rebels (yes, that’s his real name).

Rebels travels to an abandoned island off the coast of Britain to investigate the disappearance of his father, and gets more than he bargained for after encountering supernatural entities and a macabre cult that is performing cruel rituals.

It’s a first-person game where you use Alan’s mystic pendulum to interact with the environment, pick up various details, and ultimately unravel what has happened on the island. Here’s a trailer so you can see more of the game in action.

The Occultist Is Due To Release In 2026

The Occultist is due to release sometime in 2026, but if you’d like to try the game out today, a new free demo is now available to download on Steam.

It’ll take you around 40 minutes to complete, perfect for a lunch break.

“During the Steam Festival of Detectives 2026, The Occultist is opening its doors with its first-ever public demo,” writes The Occultist developer DALOAR in a blog post. “This is the first time players outside the studio can explore the island, uncover its mysteries, and experience the atmosphere we’ve been building.”

Daedelic Entertainment

DALOAR makes sure to remind players that the demo is an early build of the final game, with bugs and issues possibly present which aren’t indicative of the final quality. So be aware of this as you play it.

The Occultist demo will be available for the duration of Steam Detective Fest, which is running now until 19 January. So you have plenty of time to check the game out if you’re interested in it.

Our own Kate Harrold saw the game last year at Gamescom, writing that “from what I’ve seen, The Occultist may then be exactly my kind of horror game.”

Head to The Occultist’s Steam page if you’d like to know more about it, and grab its free demo available this week.