DreamHack Birmingham 2026 was the festival’s first proper debut in the UK, and the three-day event was undeniably a success, with esports, panels, cosplay – though I shall stop there as a slightly more detailed overview of what was on at DreamHack Birmingham 2026 is available.
Of course, no gaming event is complete without at least a handful of demos, and DreamHack’s Indie Playground did not disappoint; a showcase of games from both local and global independent developers, there was plenty of variety in genres, art styles and mechanics to get a hands on with. While I think I may have missed a game or two, here are some of my stand out picks from the Indie Playground at DreamHack Birmingham 2026.
The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker 2
The madness of Dr Dekker continues in The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker 2. For those who are unaware of the first game, The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker is a FMV murder mystery developed by D’Avekki Studios and available on PC and consoles. In both The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker and its sequel, you take on the role of a psychiatrist who must solve a murder while tactfully treating your patients, using talking therapy to get to the bottom of the mystery.
The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker 2 will be available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.
The first game had a unique, albeit difficult to master mechanic where the player is responsible for the wording of their own questions. This has been redesigned into a more streamlined system for The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker 2, with more prompts opening up based on the question selected previously. Despite the change, fans of the first game can still expect more unnerving psychological horror – even more unnerving for those with an aversion to eye contact.
Character Limit
Character Limit is one of those games which can, and probably should, be played in short bursts, but I’d more than likely end up spending hours trying to beat my previous score. A fairly straightforward premise with an equally no-nonsense aesthetic, Character Limit features a scrabble style rack with space for twelve letter tiles, which randomly generate as time passes.
Character Limit will be available on PC and can be added to your wishlist on Steam.
To play you simply click or type the words you can create from the letters available. If the rack is full for more than five seconds, its game over. Despite its already moreish gameplay, there’s still modes and challenges being added for full release. Character Limit is the creation of development team Hotel Outlaw, based in Swansea, and to honour their roots they’ve also programmed in a Welsh language mode. You can add Character Limit to your wishlist now on Steam.
Beast Breaker
If I had to describe Beast Breaker in just a sentence, I’d say it is addictive, wholesome, colourful fun, earning bonus points from myself for being centred around a rodent. Luckily I have more than just a sentence, so I can also tell you that Beast Breaker is a turn based RPG with an aim and bounce/pin ball style mechanic. A charming group of critters introduce you to the narrative and walk you through the basics before setting you off on your small task of conquering evil.
Beast Breaker is out now on Nintendo Switch and PC, with a demo available on Steam.
Each beast is made up of pretty geometric patterns, with individual segments displaying different numbers, each one representing how many hits it takes to break it. Throughout you’ll unlock more armour and items, allowing you to adapt Skipper’s loadout based on the beast you are about to face. Using the attacks at your disposal, you must make the most of your limited moves to take out their core and stop them terrorising the world.
Beast Breaker initially released on Nintendo Switch in 2021, arriving to PC in March this year. You can also test the ricocheting action with a demo available on Steam.
The Drifting Crown
Possibly the most quintessentially British premise for a game, the plot to The Drifting Crown revolves around fixing up the local pub – but of course, there is more to it than that. Developed by Sponge Hammer Games, the thing which stood out the most about The Drifting Crown was its unique approach to world building, in that you literally build the world.
The Drifting Crown will be released on PC, and you can add it to your wishlist on Steam.
In roguelite fashion, each run sees you starting fresh while simultaneously making progress by keeping some of the resources you have obtained. One of these resources being the hexagonal tiles which you use to build the map, strategically placing pieces based on boosts offered and choosing the best path for your destination. As well as its intriguing world, The Drifting Crown has a very satisfying, easy to pick up and play combat system. You can add The Drifting Crown to your wishlist on Steam.
Ink Strings
Ink Strings is a chill puzzle game with a whimsical artstyle developed by Tombobulus Games, with the fairly simple core mechanic of connecting the dots with pieces of string. The puzzles start off straightforward, connecting point A to point B without too much thought. As you progress, obstacles come into the mix; you’ll need to start guiding the string around buttons, eventually needing to use the grid background to calculate the trajectory of a pencil to bounce it into a sharpener.
Ink Strings has been confirmed for PC, with the demo available on their website also being playable on mobile.
As is usually the case with these sorts of maze-like puzzles, some solutions are easier to find when looking from a different perspective. You can try the demo available on their website – which works on mobile too, and you can wishlist Ink Strings on Steam.
How to God VR
I will preface this entry by saying I’m not the best with VR, so I definitely wasn’t able to get the most out of How to God. That said, I did enjoy the dark places my brain went when realising you could literally pick up the villagers on islands surrounded by water; a thought so concerningly frequent that the developers added a drowning animation upon request.
How to God VR is out now for Meta Quest, with a demo available for Steam VR.
The aim of How to God seems fairly simple: choose to listen to the angel or the devil on your shoulder in order to learn how to God, the choices you make dictating the type of ruler you’ll be. Though you will need a VR headset to give it a go, there is a demo available on Steam with the full game already available for Meta Quest.
Chronicles Reborn
Chronicles Reborn is a survival crafting game with a big open world to be explored and mythical creatures to be found. I spent my time in the demo focusing on crafting myself a cosy cabin on the beach, chopping down nearby trees and bits of foliage for resources – consequently not noticing the survival elements and dying of thirst. That’s on me.
Chronicles Reborn will be available for PC, with a demo hopefully coming next Steam Next Fest.
Having been pulled out of my building mindset I ventured into the world where my lack of survival skills was once more put on full display. Despite Chronicles Reborn still being in its early stages, there is plenty to do and see with ruins of ancient civilizations, quest giving NPCs, and the frankly adorable beasts which you can tame to aid you in your journey. You can wishlist Chronicles Reborn on Steam, with a demo hopefully coming during the next Steam Next Fest in June.
Everything is Crab
Everything is Crab is a SPORE inspired animal/evolution based (or carcinisation based, to be precise) roguelike developed by Odd Dreams Digital and published by Secret Mode. The gameplay formula is similar to that of Vampire Survivors, although a bit more strategy may be needed in your approach. You’ll start your very first run as a lil’ blob, your choices of powerups changing the form of your creature as you level up, testing how far you can push evolution.
Everything is Crab has a demo available now on Steam.
Once you have defeated your prey you can linger over corpses and fruit to get your fill and fill the level up bar. With various terrains, weather types, and a day and night cycle, your survival skills are put to the test as you battle your way to the top of the food chain. You can get a taste of Everything is Crab with a demo available on Steam.
