On Steam you will soon be able to try a new action game from the former lead developer of World of Warcraft out. It looks like Diablo if it were played as a Battle Royale.
Which game is being talked about? It is called Arkheron and is an action game being developed by Bonfire Studios. The team was founded by Rob Pardo, who was once the lead developer of World of Warcraft at Blizzard.
With its dark fantasy setting and isometric camera perspective, Arkheron actually resembles Diablo more than WoW. However, this is not surprising, as Pardo also worked on the Diablo series.
In September 2025, there was already a playtest for Arkheron, for which one had to sign up and hope for a key. Now, at the Steam Next Fest, there is another chance to play Arkheron – and this time everyone can participate.
Arkheron returns with a free demo – this time for everyone
When is the demo for Arkheron available? It will be playable for everyone from February 20 to March 2, 2026. You just need to download the demo on Steam. This applies to those who have already participated in the playtest, as the demo runs on a different game client.
The demo is expected to come with several improvements compared to the first playtest. There is supposed to be a tutorial that helps new players get started, many of the items are said to have been revised, and much more. You can find the patch notes at www.arkheron.com.
What is the game about? Arkheron is a PvP action game that focuses on a mix of hack’n’slay, MMO, MOBA, and battle royale.
Several teams of 3 players each fight to reach the top of a mysterious tower. With each ascent, a few of these teams are eliminated until only one remains at the end.
There are no character classes in Arkheron. Your abilities solely depend on your weapons and other equipment that you collect in the tower.
What happens after the demo? After the Steam Next Fest, the developers plan to announce another closed beta. For this, you will again need to obtain access to play it. You can request this via Steam.
Diablo 2, on which the former Blizzard developer also worked, is now available on Steam and is doing really well there. The player numbers of the remaster even exceed those of part 4. You can read more about it here: Diablo 2 celebrates a strong debut on Steam after 26 years, has more players than Diablo 4
