Tears of Metal: Co-op Hack-and-Slash Roguelike Demo 2026

Tears of Metal is the kind of game that sells itself in one screenshot: a lone warrior, a castle gate, and an absurd amount of blood. Paper Cult's medieval co-op roguelike ran a demo at Steam Next Fest in June 2026, and it has since launched into Early Access on July 22, 2026, with the demo giving way to a full release backed by a strong early player response.

What is Tears of Metal? (quick answer)

Tears of Metal is a medieval hack-and-slash co-op roguelike from Paper Cult. You cut through hordes of enemies to reclaim your island with the help of a Scottish battalion, uncovering the mystery of a Dragon Meteor as you push deeper into enemy trenches. It plays solo or in online co-op, and after a Steam Next Fest demo in June, it launched into Early Access on July 22, 2026, priced at $24.99.

Key takeaways

• Medieval hack-and-slash roguelike from Paper Cult, solo or online co-op
• Demoed at Steam Next Fest, June 15 to 22, 2026, then launched in Early Access on July 22, 2026
• Priced at $24.99, and Steam reviews sit at Very Positive in the first week
• You reclaim your island with a Scottish battalion against an invasion
• Story hook: the mysterious Dragon Meteor and the trenches beyond it
• Bold cel-shaded art with large-scale, blood-soaked battlefield combat

A horde roguelike that wants a crowd

The pitch is volume. Tears of Metal puts you on vast battlefields against packs of enemies, with kill counters ticking into the hundreds and blood painting the ground. This is not a careful dueling game. It is about wading into a formation and coming out the other side, then building your run's power to do it again against worse odds.

The cel-shaded art does heavy lifting. The stark palette and red splatter give the violence a graphic-novel punch that most horde games lack. If you enjoy build-driven action like this, our Cursemark launch preview covers another fresh roguelite leaning on deep build variety.

Tears of Metal supports online co-op, and the four-fighter party display hints at how chaotic a full squad run gets.

Co-op is the hook to watch

Horde combat and co-op are a natural pairing, and Tears of Metal builds around it. The on-screen party display shows up to four fighters, and the appeal is obvious: the carnage scales when friends are carving the same battlefield. That held up past the demo: Paper Cult's own launch-week patch notes addressed a multiplayer crossplay hotfix, a sign the co-op mode was getting real traffic out of the gate. For more in this space, our best indie co-op games and best indie roguelites roundups point to neighbors worth a look, and the Lost Castle 2 weapons tier list covers the co-op beat-em-up the genre currently measures itself against.

How the Early Access launch went

The combat feel was always the make-or-break question, and the numbers since launch suggest it landed. Tears of Metal went live in Early Access on July 22, 2026, at $24.99, and Steam reviews sit at Very Positive from over 1,600 reviews in the first week, a strong open for a horde roguelike leaning entirely on melee feel. Paper Cult has already pushed several patches, including a crossplay hotfix on launch day and follow-up balance notes through late July. The Dragon Meteor story is still the narrative hook, but the moment-to-moment slashing is clearly what's carrying the early reception.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Tears of Metal? A medieval hack-and-slash co-op roguelike from Paper Cult where you reclaim your island with a Scottish battalion. It ran a Next Fest demo in June 2026 and has since launched into Early Access.

Is it co-op? Yes, solo or online co-op, with a four-fighter party shown on screen.

Is there a demo? There was, during Steam Next Fest (June 15 to 22, 2026), but it's no longer available now that the Early Access version has launched.

When does it release? It launched into Early Access on July 22, 2026, priced at $24.99.

What kind of roguelike is it? A horde-focused action roguelike about mowing through large enemy formations and building run power.

Related Reading

• Grave Seasons: A Farming Sim With a Serial Killer Twist: Grave Seasons is a narrative farming sim where a supernatural serial killer stalks your cozy.
• Distant Shore: Magnetic Parkour Demo at Next Fest 2026: Distant Shore is a first-person magnetic parkour game, Portal meets Mirror's Edge, with a demo.

References

• Tears of Metal on Steam
• Steam Next Fest June 2026
• Paper Cult (developer)