Road to Vostok has just released a final demo as part of this month’s Steam Next Fest. It is described as the last milestone before the game moves into Early Access and gives players a chance to try many of the new systems the developer has added.

The developer says they have spent the past nine months building the Early Access version. This demo is meant to show a small but meaningful slice of those changes. Choosing what to include was not easy. There are many new systems in development and the creator wanted to avoid giving everything away for free so the EA release still has value.

Players who jump into the demo will find a number of new features. It adds a map that is now four times larger, a full UI overhaul, a magazine and weapon handling system, grenades and lasers, a working day and night cycle, dynamic weather, shelter customization with a decor mode, voice acting, and fishing. These additions aim to make the game feel deeper and more lived in while keeping core survival challenge intact.

Not everything is in the demo. The developer saved systems like dynamic events, faction bosses, multi shelter support, a shelter cat, boats, many new weapons and items, new traders, and most of the planned maps for the Early Access release.

The demo’s tutorial covers the new content and it is strongly recommended playing it even if you tried previous builds. Shelter customization stands out as the developer’s favorite feature. Shelters start empty, but once you learn the new customization tools you can arrange decor and build a very personal space. The developer also ran a press preview build on October 2 and has since pushed several hotfixes and improvements to polish the demo.

If you are curious about the current state of Road to Vostok, the final demo is a good way to see what the game looks like and what to expect at launch.