The latest game in the Vampire Survivors series, Vampire Crawlers, is now available as a free demo on Steam and Xbox, and players are already flocking to try it out. Although card battling games aren’t always the most popular, Vampire Crawlers proves that this genre can be incredibly fun when combined with the addictive gameplay of Vampire Survivors.
If you haven’t heard of it, Poncle’s last game, Vampire Survivors, came out in 2022 and quickly became one of the most popular action roguelikes around. It even won three BAFTA awards! Despite the huge success of Vampire Survivors – which inspired many similar games now called “Survivors-likes” – Poncle decided to try something completely different. They’ve created a fast-paced deckbuilding game with roguelite features, and early signs suggest it’s a smart move.
Vampire Crawlers Demo Is Out as Part of Steam Next Fest 2026
- Vampire Crawlers demo on Steam
The free demo for Vampire Crawlers became available on February 23rd as developer Poncle had announced, coinciding with Steam Next Fest 2026. Players on Xbox can also try the demo, but a PlayStation version isn’t available yet. Immediately after launch, over 3,000 people were playing the action roguelike on Steam, according to SteamDB data.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
Results
Pick a game
Though Vampire Crawlers changes the gameplay from the fast-paced, bullet-hell style of Vampire Survivors to a turn-based, deckbuilding system, it still offers plenty for longtime fans. The game includes characters players will recognize, like Antonio, Gennaro, and Arca, and keeps the same charming pixel art style. As a nod to its predecessor, the demo even begins with a familiar top-down view before switching to a first-person perspective.
As a big fan of Vampire Survivors, I’m really excited about Vampire Crawlers! It feels like it’s set in the same world, with a lot of the same creatures and enemies showing up. It’s cool to see that connection!
Poncle Follows an Interesting Design Philosophy with Vampire Crawlers
Image via Poncle As a huge fan of turn-based games, I’ve definitely noticed they can sometimes drag on – a lot of modern games even let you speed things up or skip animations! That’s why I was so excited to hear about Vampire Crawlers. The developers specifically set out to fix that problem, focusing on constant action. They’ve designed it so you don’t have to sit and watch things play out before you can do anything – you can basically chain abilities together instantly! And get this, you can even play your whole hand at once, no matter what’s happening in the battle. It sounds amazing!
However, Vampire Crawlers isn’t a simple game where you just repeatedly click to win. It’s actually quite strategic, with elements like mana, gems, and special boosts that work best when cards are played in a specific sequence. The game doesn’t aim to eliminate strategy from traditional turn-based games; instead, it transforms it into a fast-paced ‘turboturn’ system where everything happens simultaneously, letting players act without delay.
Fans Seem to Enjoy Vampire Survivors’ New Spin-Off
Image via Poncle It’s too soon to say definitively whether Vampire Survivors‘ new spin-off will be a hit, but it’s already proven popular with thousands of players. Initial reactions on platforms like social media and Twitch are overwhelmingly positive. One Reddit user praised the game’s flexible pace, saying, “I love the fact that you can play cards at basically any speed.” Another player shared, “It’s so much fun, and I’m still unlocking new content hours in – I’m going to be playing this all week!”
More Vampire Survivors Spin-Offs Are on the Horizon
Players who liked how different Vampire Crawlers was from Vampire Survivors will be happy to know that the developers, Poncle, want to keep exploring new ideas. According to a post on the game’s Steam page, Poncle sees Vampire Crawlers as the first in a potential series of spin-off games. They’re excited to take the core elements that made Vampire Survivors successful – being easy to pick up, fast-paced, affordable, replayable, fun, and visually exciting – and use them in different game genres.
I’m really excited about Vampire Crawlers, and it sounds like the developers, Poncle, are already thinking about what’s next once the full game is out. But don’t worry, they’ve promised to keep supporting it even after launch! They’ve said they have tons of ideas for updates and new content, which is awesome to hear as a fan. It’s good to know they’re not just abandoning it once the 1.0 version is finished.
You can try out the demo for Vampire Crawlers now on Steam and the Microsoft Store. The full game is scheduled to launch in 2026.
Read More
- Poppy Playtime Chapter 5: Engineering Workshop Locker Keypad Code Guide
- Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Chapter 23 Preview: Yuji And Maru End Cursed Spirits
- God Of War: Sons Of Sparta – Interactive Map
- Poppy Playtime 5: Battery Locations & Locker Code for Huggy Escape Room
- Who Is the Information Broker in The Sims 4?
- 8 One Piece Characters Who Deserved Better Endings
- Pressure Hand Locker Code in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5
- Poppy Playtime Chapter 5: Emoji Keypad Code in Conditioning
- Why Aave is Making Waves with $1B in Tokenized Assets – You Won’t Believe This!
- Engineering Power Puzzle Solution in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5
2026-02-24 08:04