Lost Rift Demo Hits Steam Next Fest – Co-op Survival with Community Influence and Real PvPvE Stakes

If you’ve spent as much time as I have getting burned by promising survival shooters that fizzle once you actually play them, a new demo launch is always equal parts hope and skepticism. But Lost Rift, from People Can Fly, just dropped its Steam Next Fest demo (live June 9-16), and it’s doing a few things that caught my eye – mainly, it’s listening to its community before the big Early Access push, and it’s not afraid to get teeth-gritted competitive with mixed PvE and PvPvE. For those of us tired of clones, that matters.

Lost Rift Brings Community-Charged PvPvE Survival to Steam Players

• Demo shaped by May Alpha Playtest – early bugs squashed and visuals sharpened thanks to community feedback
• Solo and five-player co-op missions mixing PvE and PvPvE – not just another Lone Wolf survival sim
• Modular base building (without being a grindfest), dynamic weather, and real risk/reward expeditions
• People Can Fly’s DNA all over: expect solid gunplay, punchy encounters, and a focus on emergent chaos

Feature	Specification
Publisher	People Can Fly
Release Date	TBD (Early Access – Demo live June 9-16, 2025)
Genres	First-person survival shooter, Base-building, PvPvE
Platforms	PC (Steam)

People Can Fly isn’t exactly a studio that plays it safe. Their work on Outriders proved they can do frenetic combat and drop-in, drop-out co-op. With Lost Rift, they’re not chasing safe trends; instead, they’re dropping players into exotic islands full of environmental hazards, dynamic weather, and genuine player-driven stories (or disasters, if your squad is like mine). What stands out is the visible thumbprint of community feedback. This isn’t your usual “by gamers, for gamers” marketing – the studio really did pivot after their May Alpha, patching bugs, prettifying assets, and (crucially) tightening stability. For once, it looks like they’re actually shaping the game around what real players want, vs. just PR talking points.

The core loop is classic but promising: land on Pioneers’ Landing, slap together a shelter with a modular tile system (think “Legos with teeth,” not endlessly fiddly prefab menus), gather resources, craft your gear, and then risk it all for high-value PvPvE expeditions. If you’ve ever longed for a game where extracting with rare loot actually feels tense-because there’s always another squad hunting you in the rain or fog-Lost Rift’s got ambitions.

What impresses me is the sense of ecosystem: dynamic weather, reactive environments, and a simple but flexible approach to base building. You’ll dodge lightning strikes, battle both AI predators and human “Outcast” foes, and try to hold your own as storms or fires change the tactical landscape. As a survival sandbox, it’s gunning for that pivotal balance where environmental storytelling and unpredictable PvP actually coexist, not just wear the same skin.

Let’s be clear, though: this is still early stuff. The demo admits up front there are placeholder (“grey box”) assets-People Can Fly is prioritizing gameplay over a polished look in this public build. I’m always wary when shooters focus on selling “potential” instead of nailing the basics, but this transparency about art assets at least sets expectations. Given the notorious churn of survival games on Steam, honesty is actually refreshing.

What remains to be seen is whether Lost Rift can really deliver on its ambition. Mod support, anti-cheat protection, and meaningful PvPvE dynamics are challenges that kill lesser games. But PCF’s pedigree in making satisfying shooters gives me hope that under the rough demo edges, there’s a solid spine. Plus, if you want to shape the finished project, there’s no hiding: they’re actively seeking feedback on Discord, and the demo is wide open.

What This Means for Gamers: Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Care

If you crave survival games where your stories are forged not just by the environment but by that unpredictable “other player” factor, Lost Rift is worth your attention. The co-op angle (up to five) is big: too many titles are either solo slogs or zergfests with strangers. Here, teamwork is core, and the PvPvE slant means every run can go sideways in a way scripted content rarely achieves. On the flip side, if you want polished art and a perfectly-balanced meta out of the gate, you’ll need patience.

For longtime People Can Fly and survival-genre fans, this is an intriguing blend: not as grueling as Escape from Tarkov, but less hand-holdy than a typical co-op horde shooter. Wishlist it if you want to track updates, but—more importantly—try the demo while it’s up, break things, and tell the devs. The whole point is for players to help steer the ship before Early Access proper.

TL;DR: Real Multiplayer Survival Potential—If They Stick the Landing

Lost Rift’s Steam Next Fest demo is more than a marketing beat—it’s a genuine call for survival shooter fans to stress test People Can Fly’s latest gamble. The bones are promising: smart PvPvE, community-driven tweaks, and the pedigree of a dev who knows its shotguns. Still, keep your expectations in check—this is a work-in-progress, not the final cut. If you want a say in how it shapes up (or just want to see if it can live up to its own ambitions), now’s the time to dive in and make some noise.