Steam NextFest's first major success is a fantasy extraction ARPG

The open beta for the upcoming Fantasy Extraction ARPG Mistfall Hunter is doing some impressive numbers on Steam, despite starting at a very random time in the morning before the official launch of Steam Next Fest – an event that highlights upcoming games with demos that run for a week between June 15 and June 21.

As of the time of writing, the numbers for Mistfall Hunter have exceeded 10,000 for Steam alone, although this test is also running simultaneously on consoles, so that number is probably much higher. Despite these solid numbers, many players are wondering where the hype for the game lies, speculating that people might be a little tired of the extraction genre.

Mistfall Hunter is doing numbers for its open beta

The open beta also features a new class, The Weathered Knight

This is the first open beta for Mistfall Hunter, an extraction ARPG that we first previewed back in October 2024. The trailer at the time gained some traction because it appeared to be a sort of soul-like extraction game inspired by Norse mythology with RPG elements, described as “extra RPG-PGPG action.”

The open beta features the entire class roster as well as some “improved combat systems” that may refer to balance changes since the final test. It will also feature a new class, Weathered Knight, as well as a new map, Halogrove.

Weathered Knight defeating the boss in Mistfall Hunter.

It's a lot to get your head around, but I think people are generally excited about a new type of fantasy extraction game in a genre that's been dominated lately by the likes of Ark Raiders and Marathon. The game will release soon, scheduled for July 30, 2026, if the open beta plan goes ahead.

Early impressions of Mistfall Hunter are very good, with fans praising its complex combat and aesthetics. However, some players are complaining of stuttering and poor performance even on high-end gear. Unfortunately, after scanning through Discord and reading player complaints, this seems to have been an issue with the game since the previous playtest.

Others are wondering why the game hasn't gained more traction online, and chatter and content about the game seems to be quite limited so far. I expect it to start ramping up as more players jump into the open beta this week, despite the stuttering issues. It could also be because this specific type of combat and gameplay loop is only going to appeal to a hardcore subset of players.

There's also a Golden Cipher event going on during open beta. Players can collect golden ciphers by opening chests and defeating monsters and exchange them for prizes at launch. These are apparently very rare. One of the golden ciphers can be a Steam key for the full game, which is a nice touch.

The open beta is now available on Steam, comes in at around 45gb, and is completely free-to-play.