10 Video Game Demos Better Than P.T.

Game demos used to be really popular. Magazines would even have regular features on the latest and greatest ones! A great demo could generate excitement and boost sales for the full game. Nowadays, demos are much rarer, and they usually aren’t for the most anticipated, big-budget titles.

Perhaps the most well-known game demo ever is P.T. It was genuinely terrifying – more so than many complete horror games – and created such a chillingly realistic atmosphere that it remains incredibly frightening, even if you know what to expect.

Everyone still talks about P.T. years later, which is wild considering it was *just* a demo that never turned into a full game! It really got people buzzing, but honestly, I think other demos have been even more impressive. For me, the best demos really grab you with the gameplay itself, and that’s where P.T. fell a little short. I’ve been thinking about it, and there are definitely some games out there with demos that blew P.T. away. Here’s a list of a few of them!

10. Hell Is Us

A New Type Of Open World

The demo for *Hell Is Us* came out recently, in the summer of 2025, and it really stood out. The graphics were beautiful, but what was even more impressive was the open-world design. It didn’t use a map, icons, or any on-screen directions, which felt incredibly refreshing and innovative.

Honestly, I hadn’t really *thought* while playing a game in ages, but Hell Is Us totally changed that. There’s a real mystery to the world and what’s going on, and the atmosphere is incredible – it really pulls you in. It’s rare to pick up a game these days and feel like you’re experiencing something truly fresh, but that’s exactly what this game gave me.

The game is surprisingly short, leaving you wanting more just as you start to get immersed in its world. Thankfully, the ending delivers on that desire and then exceeds expectations.

9. Mecha Break

Mecha Free For All

Mecha Break sounds great in theory – it combines the fast-paced action of Armored Core with large-scale team battles, and it’s free to play. I was definitely excited going in, and the demo really delivered on that promise.

It’s rare to see a free-to-play game with graphics, controls, and presentation this polished. The demo includes several playable robots and full online features, and it quickly became incredibly popular on Steam.

This demo has more players online right now than any other game demo we’ve seen – and for good reason! The gameplay is quick and exciting, the graphics are stunning, and it lets anyone easily experience thrilling mecha combat.

8. The Last Of Us

Discovering A Legend

The Last of Us initially gained attention in a surprising way. It wasn’t heavily promoted; instead, it was first available as a downloadable demo included with the purchase of God of War: Ascension.

Even though it was brief, a small demo showed us a game that would truly revolutionize the gaming world. Featuring Joel and Ellie escaping a collapsing building, it perfectly showcased what made the game special: its intense combat, the strong bond between the characters, and the realistic, emotionally powerful atmosphere and voice acting that would soon captivate millions of players.

Honestly, the demo didn’t really show us the beginning of the story, which was cool because it left a lot to discover when the full game launched. What *really* grabbed me was how brutal the combat was. It felt like Uncharted’s fighting system, but cranked up to the max – super violent and unforgiving. It did a fantastic job of setting the scene, but it cleverly held back a lot of stuff to keep us guessing.

7. Lies Of P

BloodReborne

The demo for *Lies of P* was released in 2023, during a year that was already shaping up to be huge for video games. It quickly grabbed attention because it strongly resembled and played much like the popular game *Bloodborne*.

The demo instantly grabbed people’s attention with its eerie, Bloodborne-inspired atmosphere and exciting combat. What really set it apart was its length – a full four hours of gameplay, which is unusually substantial considering some complete games are only ten hours long.

The Lies of P demo was incredibly impressive, featuring several challenging boss battles, a captivating atmosphere, and a dark reimagining of a familiar fairytale. It felt almost too good to be true—but thankfully, the full game lived up to the hype, becoming one of the best action RPGs and Soulslike games ever made. While the complete game is a lengthy 40+ hour experience, the demo was a fantastic preview of what was to come.

6. Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era

A Return to the Past

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era revives a classic style of game that hasn’t been prominent since the early 2000s. While the demo is only a preview of the full game, it lets you explore all four factions, test out different game modes, and play through a good portion of the single-player campaign.

This demo perfectly captures the spirit of the game. It lets you experience the engaging army building and a combat system that feels both fresh and true to the series’ roots. It’s fantastic to see this game revitalized.

This demo shows enough promise to suggest that when the game finally comes out, its dedicated fans – who have eagerly awaited its return for years – will have a lot to be excited about.

5. Superhot VR

Enter the Matrix

I remember when I first tried the Superhot VR demo – it totally blew my mind! Honestly, it felt like a real turning point for VR, proving it could be a seriously awesome gaming platform. For me, *this* is what VR should be all about. It genuinely felt like stepping into The Matrix – one minute I was in my living room, the next I was in this cool, minimalist virtual world, dodging bullets in slow motion and basically living out my action movie fantasies. It was incredible!

Even though this gameplay footage is short, it immediately grabs your attention. It’s universally impressive – when I first experienced VR in 2017 and showed this to my friends, they were stunned, genuinely surprised that something like this was even possible. It felt like seeing a glimpse into the future of virtual reality.

4. Devil May Cry

Dante Enters the Fray

I’ll never forget the first time I opened my copy of Resident Evil: Code Veronica. I was shocked to find a second disc featuring a mysterious character – a white-haired man in a striking red coat wielding a sword. As someone who wasn’t deeply familiar with the Resident Evil series, it instantly grabbed my attention. When I started playing, I experienced a completely fresh and exciting feeling.

Okay, so the game totally gave me Resident Evil vibes with its creepy atmosphere and music, but it flipped the script. I wasn’t running *from* the monsters, I was the one doing the hunting! Instead of zombies, I was slicing up these creepy puppet things and even juggling them with my guns – seriously! It reminded me a lot of the action in The Matrix, which had just come out, and it felt like the closest I’d ever gotten to actually *being* in that kind of fight.

The game was captivating, really fast-moving, and full of action – exactly what I, as a teenager, wanted in a game at the time. Even though the demo was short, I immediately forgot about Resident Evil. I was completely hooked on Devil May Cry and wanted to know when it would come out, because it felt like a completely new type of game had been born.

3. Final Fantasy XVI

Fantasy Reborn

When the demo for Final Fantasy 16 was released in 2023, it had been a significant amount of time since the last major Final Fantasy title. Expectations were incredibly high, and the demo immediately felt different than previous games in the series. It begins with an action-packed, on-rails shooting sequence that feels abrupt and a bit disconnected from the usual Final Fantasy experience.

The game truly comes alive once you start playing. This demo is around two and a half hours long, and it’s incredibly exciting throughout. The game’s world is beautifully crafted, the combat is quick and enjoyable, and the story is as captivating as any classic Final Fantasy title.

The demo successfully showcased the core gameplay, giving players a taste of both Eikon and standard battles. It generated a lot of excitement, and ultimately proved to be a strong indicator of the quality of the final game in the series.

2. Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour

Welcome To The Baker House

Resident Evil 7 felt like a fresh start for the series, and it all began with the game’s demo. Before its release, the last major Resident Evil game had come out in 2012, so fans had been waiting a long time. The first glimpses of Resident Evil 7 showed a game that looked drastically different from previous installments.

The demo was a truly impressive experience, using a first-person perspective and realistic visuals with deliberately slow-paced gameplay. It introduced us to the unsettling Baker family – a frightening group who aren’t quite human – and put the new player character, Ethan, through a terrifying ordeal in their home.

The demo offers a shockingly different Resident Evil experience. Everything familiar – the campy dialogue and dramatic cutscenes – has been replaced with realistic visuals, a tense atmosphere, and truly frightening moments, making it one of the scariest entries in the series.

1. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Snake on a Boat

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was incredibly anticipated, and players first got a taste of it through a demo included with the excellent game, Zone of the Enders.

Man, that demo was amazing! The gameplay was just incredible. They seriously took the stealth action from the first game and made it so much better – new moves, the animations were unbelievably smooth, and the enemies were way smarter. Plus, they added a first-person shooting mode, which was a huge deal! You could even aim for specific body parts, and that would actually affect how enemies reacted. It was so immersive and really upped the realism.

The ship’s layout was brilliantly designed, and seeing Metal Gear Ray for the first time was truly spectacular. Many consider this to be the greatest introductory level in video game history.

Another key issue was the deception surrounding who the player would control. Most people assumed they’d be playing as Solid Snake, and even though the demo’s ending was unclear, fans expected another great adventure with him as the main character.

It turns out Raiden was the main focus of the demo, which sparked a huge debate among gamers – and for good reason. It really resonated with players, and that’s the mark of a truly great demo.

2025-10-11 16:12