The wait is over, and the wheels are turning! Today, February 23, 2026, developer Randwerk and publisher Sidekick Publishing have officially dropped the surprise playable demo for WANDERBURG as part of Steam Next Fest.
If you’ve ever looked at a medieval castle and thought, “This would be much better if it had a giant engine, 12-foot wheels, and a hunger for villages,” then this is the game you’ve been waiting for.
What is WANDERBURG?
Described as “Howl’s Moving Castle meets Agar.io,” WANDERBURG is a minimalist open-world roguelike where you pilot a Castle on Wheels. In this bizarre ecosystem, castles are the apex predators. You aren’t just defending a fortress; you are the fortress, and you are hungry.
Key Features of the Demo
The demo offers a substantial look at the core gameplay loop that has already earned the game over 250,000 wishlists:
- Consume and Grow: Roll over fleeing villages and smaller fortresses to fuel your expansion. As you defeat bosses, your castle physically grows from a small tower to a massive, multi-module war machine.
- Modular Arsenal: Customise your build on the fly. You can staff your ramparts with Wizard Towers, mount heavy Cannons, deploy Explosive Mines, or even attach Giant Spider Legs for mobility.
- Survivors-Like Progression: While you navigate an open world, the combat and upgrade system draws inspiration from “survivor-like” mechanics, offering satisfying power scaling within every run.
- “Ready-for-Potato” Optimisation: The developers have ensured the game runs smoothly on almost any hardware, from high-end rigs to office laptops and handhelds.
“Wanderburg is a minimalist open-world roguelike in an ecosystem of Castles on Wheels. Consume, grow bigger, upgrade your modules, and survive!” — Randwerk Development Team
Why the Hype?
WANDERBURG first turned heads at the 2025 PC Gaming Show, and a recent closed playtest saw a staggering 126,000 participants. The community feedback from that test has been baked into this new Demo build, which includes more content, refined vehicle handling, and improved balance.
How to Play
The demo is available right now on Steam as part of Steam Next Fest, which runs from February 23 to March 2.
| Platform | Status |
| PC (Steam) | Demo Live Now |
| Full Release | Late 2026 |
| Input Support | Keyboard, Mouse, Controller, Touch |
If you enjoy the demo, don’t forget to Wishlist the game—it’s the best way to support the three-person team at Randwerk as they roll toward the full 2026 launch!
Find out more here – https://wanderburg.com/
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