Arkheron, the interesting and ambitious blend between Diablo, PUBG, and Dark Souls from Bonfire Studios, which we first got a look at last September. It will have its first public playtest via the launch of a brand new demo arriving on February 20, 2026, just ahead of the first Steam Next Fest of 2026, which will officially kick off three days later on February 23.
The news of the new demo also came along with a new trailer, where Bonfire Studios takes players through some of its plans for Arkheron as the team gets closer to launch, and some of the changes and updates players who've previously participated in the game's alpha playtest weekends will notice.
Introduced in the demo will be two new Eternal item sets that Bonfire will reveal just ahead of the demo's actual release, though with that also means two current sets players are already familiar with will be removed for the demo. They're not going away permanently; it's just a switch Bonfire is making for now, and since part of the fun in Arkheron is mixing and matching items and abilities to create more powerful characters, it's all part of Bonfire giving players as many options on how to play as possible.
The demo also arrives with a new patch for the game, version 0.16, which adds a new tutorial, regional server selections, environmental updates and the ability to go back through your recent teammates if you want to keep playing with someone you randomly met through the game.
Once the demo goes live on February 20, players will be able to jump in 24/7 until March 2, 2026, when the demo goes offline. If Arkheron strikes you as something you want to keep playing, however, Bonfire is hosting another closed beta to help the studio further refine the game ahead of launch. The closed beta will introduce a ranked mode and will be focused on ensuring the game's competitive progression is finely tuned.
You will need to be sent a key to access the closed beta, so if you're enjoying Arkheron during Steam Next Fest, make sure to sign up for the closed beta to potentially participate in it.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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