Steam Next Fest is Here! Demo is Live + Streamer Schedule

Automate. Build. Optimize. Explore. Rebuild.

The Brave New Wonders demo is live now as part of Steam Next Fest from June 15 to 22! Download it free, and play as long as you want during the festival - your save carries over to the full release on launch.

Here Is Everything You Need to Know Before You Start

This is not a tutorial-only build. The demo is a complete slice of the game through the early game loop. Here is what you will find…

🗺️ The Americas island

You begin on the Americas island, the most accessible biome in the Archipelago, with balanced resources and navigable terrain. The Americas is the former site of the old world's Ark project and the layered terrain shows it: broken bridges, flooded infrastructure, the debris of a civilization that vanished mid-motion, slowly reclaimed over centuries. There is no hand-holding zone followed by a hard wall - the island is designed to teach you the systems without restricting what you build and you can start optimizing your logistics from the first automaton you deploy.

⚙️ The full text command and behaviour editor

All command complexity available in the full game is available from the first minute of the demo. You can write simple single-step commands from day one and later evolve to signal-responsive logic chains after unlocking certain tech tree progress. The behaviour editor is fully accessible - you can read and modify any generated logic graph at any point.

If you have not read our deep-dive on how the command system works, the in-game tutorial covers the fundamentals. The fastest way to learn the system is to write something yourself, watch what it generates, and adjust from there.

🏺 The ruins and your first relic

The Americas island has several ruins accessible within the demo: some are empty, but some are guarded by old-world machines. Many of them contain relics.

Every time you bring relics back to your home base (the train station), you can develop new technologies that can help you unlock new factories or automatons to improve efficiencies!

🔗 The beginning of the tech tree

In the demo's scope you will not reach the full expression of the tech tree, which requires multiple cross-island logistics, but you will see the mechanic operate and understand what you are building toward.

📌 Tips for your first session

• Start with preset commands. The library covers most early-game logistics needs and teaches you the vocabulary the command system uses before you start writing your own.

• The behaviour editor shows you the generated behaviour graph before you confirm. Read it before you assign the command. It is the fastest way to check whether the automaton interpreted what you meant.

• Signal coordination between buildings is where the system's real depth lives. It becomes available as soon as related tech trees are unlocked. Configure your production buildings to emit signals based on their status early in your run. Building automaton instructions around those signals can significantly increase factory efficiency.

• The ruins on the starting island scale in difficulty. Do not attempt the largest ruin without a defence system. Unlock combat capability early, and clear the smaller ruins first.

• Your save carries over. No need to rush. If you are still deep in construction on day six of Next Fest, that is not a problem - your progress is real and will carry over to the game at launch.

🖥️ Watch it Live!

A few of our fan-favourite streamers are going LIVE during Next Fest where you can build up your game progress in tandem with others, and connect with the community.

Here’s the current schedule*

*Schedule is subject to change

We will update this post as additional streams are confirmed throughout the week - follow us on Steam for the latest.

🗫 Reddit AMA: June 17

We're also hosting a Reddit AMA on June 17 over on r/basebuildinggames!

We've spent years on this game and we're genuinely excited to talk about it. Hit us with your questions, your doubts, your feature requests, or whatever is on your mind.

Drop your questions now, and our devs will answer them in the subreddit on June 17 at 12 PM ET / 9 AM PT. See you there!

🗨️ We want your feedback!

Brave New Wonders is still a work in progress, and we are building it with community input. The feedback system is built into the demo, and the button is accessible in the main menu in-game.

You can file a quick report on anything or fill out the full survey for a more detailed response. If you submit detailed, actionable feedback, your name goes into the end credits of the full release - and that’s a statement you can hold us to as we read every piece of feedback that is sent our way!

If you find a bug, post it here on Steam, throw it in the Discord, or use the in-game tool. If you have a question about a mechanic, ask it in the comments, and our devs will answer. Enjoy the demo! -- Sala @ City From Naught