Xbox’s ID@Xbox Indie Selects Demo Fest Is Live: 30+ Free Demos You Can Play Through December 31

ID@Xbox Indie Selects Demo Fest returns for the holidays

Xbox has kicked off its latest seasonal showcase for independent games with the newly launched “3… 2… 1… ID@Xbox Indie Selects Demo Fest Starts Now!” post on Xbox Wire, confirming that more than 30 demos are now live across Xbox, PC, and supported handheld devices. Running from December 9 through December 31, every demo included in this year’s event is free to download and play, giving players nearly three weeks to sample upcoming and in-development indies.​

You can browse the full collection in the dedicated Xbox Indie Selects Demo Fest section on the Xbox Store or directly via Xbox.com, where all participating titles are grouped under a single promo hub. As with prior ID@Xbox demo events, Microsoft emphasizes that these are early, often in-progress builds, so what you play this month may differ from each game’s final launch version.​

What’s new in this Demo Fest

This winter’s Demo Fest keeps the familiar ID@Xbox formula—limited-time, showfloor-style demos—but adds some notable twists for 2025. For the first time in this particular event, Xbox is calling out that the lineup spans Xbox consoles, PC, and handheld devices where supported, expanding how and where you can try each game​

Across the promotion, Xbox lists over 30 demos, with genres ranging from narrative adventures and deck-builders to physics-driven chaos sandboxes, roguelites, and strategy titles. The event also doubles as a soft announcement platform, with Xbox confirming multiple newly revealed games that are officially “coming to Xbox” alongside their playable demos.​

Four newly announced games to watch

Among the highlights, Xbox is putting a special spotlight on four newly announced titles that are now confirmed for Xbox and included in the Demo Fest rotation. Each one targets a different niche, giving the event a strong “something for everyone” feel.​

• Knuckle Jet (Rain Games)
  From the team behind Teslagrad, Knuckle Jet is pitched as a “jetpunk” action platformer starring Anastasia, a hero who ricochets off walls while smashing enemies with the eponymous Knuckle Jet gauntlet. Players can mix and match gear for different gameplay twists, and the game supports 2-player couch co-op plus a competitive Knuckleball mode for more chaotic sessions.​ 

• Megabattle (MadCat)
  Megabattle blends deck-building and robot customization into a roguelite loop where you construct your own fighter, experiment with different card combinations, and push as far as you can—so long as you don’t die and lose your run. The demo offers a chance to understand its buildcrafting depth and see how the card-based systems support multiple strategies.​ 

• Raging Bill (Artpunk Studio)
  Raging Bill is described as a single-player sandbox of over-the-top chaos, starring an ex-MMA champion turned billionaire whose private island devolves into outright madness with UFOs, zombies, dragons, and more. Built in Unreal Engine 5 using Lumen, Nanite, and Chaos physics, the 5km² island features multiple biomes, secrets, and retro Easter eggs, taking inspiration from Goat Simulator and Duke Nukem with its mix of combat, stunts, puzzles, and freeform exploration.​ 

• Reef Defense (Swift Creek Games)
  Reef Defense is a fast-paced strategy experience where invading crustaceans are coming for your eggs, forcing you to set up defenses, plan ahead, and adapt to incoming swarms. The demo is positioned as a bite-sized but tense sample of the full game’s tactical challenge, asking whether you can keep your reef safe or let the crabs feast.​ 

Full lineup: 30+ demos across Xbox, PC, and handheld

Beyond the four newly announced titles, the Indie Selects Demo Fest includes a broad collection of creative indies already playable as part of the promotion. The lineup touches nearly every corner of the indie spectrum, from cozy and narrative-driven to punishing, experimental, or systems-heavy designs.​

Some of the notable demos called out by Xbox include:

• Narrative adventures and stylish experiences

  • Aikyam (Thousand Stars Studio) on Xbox.​

  • Coffee Talk Tokyo (Chorus Worldwide) on Xbox, expanding the beloved Coffee Talk universe with a fresh cast and setting.​

  • Lost in Loss (Soroka Games) on Xbox and PC, signaling a more emotional, story-forward tone.​

• Action, platforming, and combat-focused games

  • Knuckle Jet (Rain Games) on Xbox and handheld, with its jetpunk action platforming.​

  • Mark of the Deep (Mad Mimic/Light Up Games) on Xbox, PC, and handheld, offering a swashbuckling adventure with combat and exploration elements.​

  • Pathologic 3 (Ice-Pick Lodge/HypeTrain Digital) on Xbox, giving players a first taste of the next entry in the cult survival-horror series.​

• Strategy, sim, and management-style titles

  • Reef Defense (Swift Creek Games) across Xbox, PC, and handheld.​

  • Under Par Golf Architect (Broken Arms Games) on Xbox, which lets you design golf courses rather than just play them.​

  • STONKS-9800: Stock Market Simulator (Ternox) on Xbox, PC, and handheld, leaning into retro financial sim vibes.​

• Quirky, experimental, or sandbox experiences

  • Amazing Frog? (Fayju) on Xbox, with its now-classic blend of ragdoll chaos and emergent comedy.​

  • Froggy Hates Snow (Crying Brick/Digital Bandidos) on Xbox, merging a distinctive premise with playful mechanics.​

  • Raging Bill (Artpunk Studio) on PC and handheld, as the “indie chaos turned up to 11” sandbox.​

• Deck-builders, roguelites, and systems-heavy games

  • Megabattle (MadCat) on Xbox, combining deck-building with robot construction.​

  • Deck of Haunts (Mantis Games/Dangen Entertainment) on Xbox, bringing a spooky card-based twist.​

  • Rhythm Towers (Innoloop) on Xbox, mixing rhythm gameplay with tower-defense mechanics.​

Other titles in the list include AWAYSIS, Biped 2, Boxes: Lost Fragments, Cash Cleaner Simulator, Cassette Boy, ColorBlend FX: Desaturation, Cyberwar Neon City, Empire in Decay, Go North, Incantation, Junkster, Kejora, Limbot, Master Lemon: The Quest for Iceland, Realm of Ink, Relooted, RoadOut, Showgunner, Star Ores Inc., Tenebris Somnia, Townseek, Worshippers of Cthulhu, and more, each tied to specific platforms within the Xbox ecosystem.​

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Platform breakdown at a glance

Here’s a quick overview of how the event’s coverage breaks down across devices for some of the key titles:​

All demos can be found under the Indie Selects Demo Fest collection on Xbox Store, making it easy to filter by platform and see what runs on your device of choice.​

Why Xbox keeps doing ID@Xbox Indie Selects Demo Fests

The Indie Selects Demo Fest continues Xbox’s broader push to highlight independent developers through the ID@Xbox program and its companion Indie Selects curation. Rather than traditional “finished” demos, the builds in these events behave more like trade-show vertical slices, giving players an early look and giving developers valuable feedback while there is still time to iterate.​

Xbox encourages anyone who tries these demos to share impressions with developers and the ID@Xbox team via social channels like X (Twitter), Instagram, Discord, Twitch, Bluesky, and YouTube. That direct conversation helps determine balance tweaks, feature priorities, and quality-of-life improvements as each title moves closer to launch.​

How to jump in and start playing

Getting into the Demo Fest is straightforward: head to your Xbox console or Xbox.com, open the Indie Selects Demo Fest collection, and start queuing downloads for any demo that catches your eye. Every demo is free to try during the event window, but once the promotion ends on December 31, many of these early builds may be removed from the store or replaced with updated versions closer to release.​

If you find a favorite, wishlisting the game on Xbox and following the developers on social media is the best way to track updates, launch dates, and potential Game Pass additions. For now, though, this December Demo Fest is all about experimentation—sampling as many new ideas as possible, discovering hidden gems, and maybe finding your next most-played indie before it officially launches on Xbox.