Demos Are Taking Over Games (Again)

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Once upon a time, demos were a fixture of the videogame ecosystem, providing free entertainment and some very effective advertising to some of the most popular games of the 20th century, but as the new millenium came around, they quickly began to fall out of fashion. In 2026, however, videogame demos have done something very surprising indeed, they've staged a dramatic and overwhelming comeback.

But... why have demos returned in such force in the 2020s? What caused them to die off to begin with? And what does this all have to do with videogame intros become shorter, snappier and overall more effective in broadly the same timeframe? Luckily for you, The Architect has been researching exactly that topic, and it turns out the history of demos, and the health of game design as a whole are more deeply intertwined than you might have expected...

You Saw:

Nightmare Kart - 2024

Fly Knight - 2025

Frogun - 2022

Hollow Knight Silksong - 2025

Stardew Valley - 2016

Baldur's Gate 3 - 2023

Shadow Labyrinth - 2025

DOOM - 2016

Mina The Hollower - Not Out Yet

HASTE: Broken Worlds - 2025

The Stanley Parable - 2013

Amanda The Adventurer - 2023

Terra Nil - 2023

Half Sword - Not Out Yet

Berry Bury Berry - 2026

Section 1 - Not Out Yet

Little Kitty Big City - 2023

Dicevaders - Not Out Yet

Hytale - Not Out Yet

Lies of P - 2023

Viewfinder - 2023

Mewgenics - 2026

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - 2025

Abiotic Factor - 2025

Doom - 1993

Metal Gear Solid - 1998

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater - 1999

Jazz Jackrabbit - 1994

Star Wars Jedi Knight 2 - 2002

Mirror's Edge - 2008

PT - 2014

Sword of the Sea - 2025

Warframe - 2013

Counter Strike 2 - 2023

Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door Remake - 2024

Highguard - 2026

Apex Legends - 2019

Big Boy Boxing - Not Out Yet

Children of the Sun - 2023

Dead As Disco - Not Out Yet

Don't Stop Girlypop! - 2026

Balatro - 2024

Cairn - 2026

Arc Raiders - 2025

Of The Devil - 2025

Mightreya - Not Out Yet

Anger Foot - 2024

Potionomics - 2022

All Will Fall - Not Out Yet

Red Dead Redemption 2 - 2018

Horizon Forbidden West - 2022

100 Line Last Defence Academy - 2025

Final Fantasy 14 - 2013

Death Stranding - 2019

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 - 2025

Mortal Sin - 2025

The Elder Scrolls 5 - 2011

MIO: Made In Orbit - 2025

Metroid Prime 4 - 2025

There Are No Ghosts In The Grand - Not Out Yet

Persona 3 Remake - 2024

Alabaster Dawn - Not Out Yet

Absolum - 2025

Void Breaker - Not Out Yet

ReStory: Chill Electronics Repair - Not Out Yet

Unicorn Overlord - 2024

Metaphor Refantazio - 2024

Chants of Senaar - 2023

Goodnight Universe - Not Out Yet

Hitman World of Assasination - 2022

Fallen Aces - Not Out Yet

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - 2013

007 First Light - Not Out Yet

John Wick Hex - 2019

Final Fantasy 7 Remake - 2020

Tears of Metal - Not Out Yet

Monster Hunter Wilds - 2025

Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate - 2018

Sifu - 2022

Dispatch - 2025

Buckshot Roulette - 2023

The Lift - Not Out Yet

Baby Steps - 2025

Skin Deep - 2025

Elden Ring - 2022

Hades - 2020

Hades 2 - 2025

Resident Evil 4 Remake - 2023

Resident Evil 7 - 2017

Resident Evil 8 - 2021

Dark Souls - 2011

Tactical Breach Wizards - 2024

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition - 2020

Frostpunk 2 - 2024

Crusader Kings 3 - 2020

Marvel Rivals - 2024

Fortnite - 2017

Dota 2 - 2013

Marvel Snap - 2022

Stellar Blade - 2023

Metroid Prime - 2002

Terraria - 2011

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - 2024

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - 2022

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 2023

Cristol: Theatre of Idols - 2026

Pragmata - Not Out Yet

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 2017

Undertale - 2015

Replaced - Not Out Yet

Deus Ex Human Revolution - 2011

Gloomwood - Not Out Yet

Digimon: Story Time Stranger - 2025

Pokémon Scarlet - 2022

Dobbel Dungeon - 2026

MENACE - Not Out Yet

Omlette You Cook - 2026

Esoteric Ebb - Not Out Yet

Inscryption - 2021

Blue Prince - 2025

Lonely Mountains Downhill: Snow Riders - 2025

Titanfall 2 - 2016

He Is Coming - Not Out Yet

Yap Yap - 2026

Bloodthief - 2025

Spilled! - 2025

Reanimal - 2026

Rhell: Warped Worlds - Not Out Yet

Slots and Daggers - 2025

The Bazaar - 2025

Demon Bluff - Not Out Yet

The King is Watching - 2025

Clover Pit - 2025

Bits and Bops - 2025

Nioh 3 - 2026

The Witcher 2 - 2011

Horizon: Zero Dawn - 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - 2011

Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator - 2026

Deltarune - Not Out Yet

Xcom 2 - 2016

Motorslice - Not Out Yet