The free ROCKBEASTS demo has grown from two episodes to three for Steam Next Fest, and developer LICHTHUND shipped the expansion alongside a changelog that is mostly about removing friction: controller prompts, cutscene skipping, rhythm-game timing, and accessibility options.
What the third episode adds
The demo now carries three episodes, up from the two available earlier in October. ROCKBEASTS casts you as the manager of a struggling grunge band in an alternative 1990s America, splitting its time between band management, narrative choices, and rhythm-game performances. A third episode means more of that loop to evaluate ahead of the game’s January 2027 launch window.
The changelog, in practical terms
LICHTHUND’s Steam announcement lists the specific fixes. On the input side, the build reduces accidental switching between controller prompts and mouse controls, improves controller navigation, and adds AZERTY keyboard support under Settings → Accessibility. Cutscene-skipping errors are fixed, as are photo and oscilloscope minigame button prompts and a bug where prompts failed to update after changing language.
The rhythm-game side got positioning adjustments in several places and audio-sync improvements in the minigames. Aspect-ratio fixes cover 16:10 displays, and a random incorrect-glyph issue in minigames is addressed. The team also fixed an intermittent problem with loading saved games and made the back button visible when using a mouse or keyboard.
The full game pairs management with performance
The store description lists writing by Jakub Szamałek, principal writer of The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, with voice performances from Critical Role’s Matthew Mercer, Sam Riegel, and Liam O’Brien alongside Iggy Pop. The third episode gives a longer look at how the band-management decisions, the money and morale trade-offs, and the rhythm-game performances connect before the January 2027 launch.
Steam Deck and gamepad support
The studio states the expanded demo supports gamepad as well as mouse and keyboard, including play on Steam Deck. That is a developer statement about input support rather than an independently certified performance claim. The demo remains free, and the full game is slated for January 2027 with publishing involvement from Critical Role, though the exact day is still unannounced.
The free ROCKBEASTS demo is available now on Steam.
