The free demo, and what carries over
The demo is free, covers about two hours and stays on Steam after launch, polished with extra cutscene clues. The developers have not published a save-transfer path, so plan on replaying Chapter 1 in the full game.
The demo is free, it is still on Steam after launch, and it is the single best way to decide whether this game is for you. It is also the thing most likely to confuse a returning player, because the demo you played in 2025 is not the demo that exists now — the build has been patched four times, and the launch version was rebuilt rather than abandoned.
The basics
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Store page | Psycho-Sleuth Demo, Steam app 3753800 |
| Price | Free |
| Length | about 2 hours of content |
| Released | 25 September 2025 |
| Still available | Yes — the developers confirmed it stays after launch |
| Covers | the opening case and the first trial (Chapter 1) |
| Save transfer | not published by the developers |
Two hours against a twenty-hour campaign is roughly a tenth of the game, and it is the tenth that teaches you the systems. That is a fair demo: it shows you the loop, the art, the voice work and one full debate, and it ends before the story does anything you would regret having seen.
The version history
The demo has been updated more than most full games. Every entry below is from the official Steam announcement feed:
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 25 Sep 2025 | Demo released with about 2 hours of content: 13 interconnected characters, investigation and debate mechanics |
| Mid-Oct 2025 | Steam Next Fest build: Chapter 1 story and pacing adjustments, debate UX revamp, AUTO / SKIP / LOG added to story mode, controller support in development |
| 30 Nov 2025 | Hotkey customisation, refined debate pacing and animation flow, professional revision of all English and Japanese text |
| 12 Jan 2026 | Limited-time side story about Lyle's childhood drawing, plus a full rewrite of the English localisation by native speakers |
| 17 Sep 2026 | Full performance pass, controller support live, Steam Deck compatibility, more voice variations, multi-language text pass |
| 4 Nov 2026 | Demo kept live alongside launch, with extra cutscene clues, reworked case pacing and new voice lines |
If your memory of the demo involves a clunky debate flow, a missing dialogue log or no controller support, you are remembering a build that no longer exists.
Does demo progress carry over?
This is the question with no published answer, and it is being asked on the Steam hub right now.
What is known: the developers have not published a save-transfer path, and Chapter 1 was substantially revised for the launch build — the launch notes describe reworked case pacing, extra clues hidden in cutscenes, and new voice acting. A save that carries over would drop you into a chapter that no longer matches the one you saved in.
How to check for yourself in two minutes, after installing the full game: launch it and look at the title screen for a Continue option that is not greyed out, before starting a new game. If Continue is available on a fresh install with no full-game save, something imported your demo data. If it is not, start fresh.
The developers' own recommendation for returning demo players is to start at the Trial section of Chapter 2 if they still remember the demo's events, which suggests they expect people to skip Chapter 1 rather than import it.
Should you play the demo, or just buy it?
| Your situation | Do this |
|---|---|
| Unsure about the genre | Play the demo — two hours answers it better than any review |
| You like visual novels and mysteries | Buy it; the demo's opening is the slowest part of the game |
| You played the 2025 demo and liked it | Buy it and skip to the Chapter 2 trial, per the developers |
| You played the 2025 demo and hated the debate flow | Try the rebuilt demo before deciding — the pacing was retimed twice |
| You only play on Steam Deck | Play the demo first; the full game is currently listed as Deck Unsupported |
The last row matters. The demo was advertised as fully Steam Deck compatible in September 2026, but the full game's store page currently lists Deck support as Unsupported for graphics performance. That is exactly the kind of gap a free demo resolves before you spend money.
What the demo does not show
It does not show Chapter 2 onwards, the later Afflicted, or any of the story's answers. It also does not show the launch build's Gallery Mode, which is planned as a free update rather than shipping at launch.
It does not include achievements either, which means it cannot be used to farm the 0.0% entries in the achievements list. Those are full-game only.
Where to go next
If the demo sold you, the price file has the discount window and the Deck file has the compatibility picture. If it did not, the verdict page is written for exactly that decision and will not try to talk you into it.
Demo length, release date and update dates are from the official Steam announcement feed; the app ID is from the Steam store page for the demo. Checked 6 November 2026.
