Steam is a treasure trove of hidden gems when you know where to look, but if you want to be a bit more frugal it’s a good idea to try before you buy.

Fortunately for you Steam has several free demos of indie games, and even some AAA titles, available to try, and below are nine that I’d wholeheartedly recommend.

Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree released last week! Check out the game’s launch trailer below

Let’s kick things off with a funny one, Meme Mayhem. This is a bonkers title where you hurl emojis at some of the biggest stars and faces of internet colour, a bit like a shoot-em-up game. There are multiple levels, power-ups, and loads of nutty references, so it’s good fun.

Next up is FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, which you can get a free trial of and experience the online game over 30 million people are playing at the moment. If you love online RPGs and MMOs this is one to try.

Moving on, we have Dungeon Clawler, a fun take on dungeon-crawling RPGs that sees every attack you make dictated by what you can win in a claw machine, don’t worry though, this claw machine isn’t rigged like the real-life ones.

Then we’ve got Idle Colony, which is a bit hard to explain, but in essence it’s a game where you play as little critters trying to collect as much fruit as possible, with the swarm growing and growing as time goes on.

If you’re looking for one to play with friends you should try Dark Hours, an online horror title that you can play with up to three of your buddies. The only goal is to survive, either escaping the pursuing demons or hiding till morning.

This next one is a weird favourite of mine, Euro Truck Simulator 2, it’s just a good simulation game where you start your own trucker business, and feel weirdly relaxed as you’re doing it.

Next is Bopl Battle, a couch-co op game where you fight friends in a Smash Bros-like arena fighter.

Second to last is Aloft, a co-op sandbox survival game where you can take to the skies with your own airship of glider, and explore the various floating islands.

Last but not least is Deltarune, the critically-acclaimed follow-up to Undertale, so if you loved that game, it’s worth giving this one a try too.

If none of those caught your eye, check out the full list on Steam and see if you can find anything better.