The Legend of Khiimori Was My Steam Next Fest Favorite—So Why Is It Delayed to 2026?

My favorite Steam Next Fest demo just got pushed to 2026-here’s the real story

Steam Next Fest is my gaming Christmas. I bounce between demos, chase new ideas, and usually forget half of them a week later. The Legend of Khiimori is the rare one I can’t shake: a 13th-century Mongolian horse-riding sim that turns you into a courier on the steppe. It’s basically a medieval postwoman simulator-with the kind of equine depth that converts casual riders into full-on Horse People. That’s why the news hit hard: despite positive demo buzz, developers Aesir Interactive and NightinGames have delayed the early access launch to March 3, 2026. The demo stays up through November 30, but the finish line just moved a long way down the track.

Key takeaways

• Early access is now targeted for March 3, 2026-a big shift from the planned November launch.
• The demo remains playable on Steam through November 30, which is smart for keeping momentum.
• Developers cite improvements to guidance, camera/controls/UI, performance/min specs, and overall content depth.
• Khiimori’s demo already nails the horse simulation vibe—think Death Stranding’s balance meets The Last Guardian’s bond, set in Shadow of the Colossus landscapes.

Breaking down the announcement

Aesir Interactive and NightinGames say they’re delaying to improve player guidance and world experience; tighten camera, controls, and UI; lower minimum specs; and boost performance and content. On paper, that’s the right list. In practice, a slip to 2026 is massive. If you planned early access for this fall, you were ready to iterate in public. Pushing to 2026 suggests a bigger rethink—either scope has grown, the systems need deeper rework, or the team wants to avoid the “we’ll fix it later” grind that can swallow early access survival sims whole.

For context, Aesir’s known quantity is Police Simulator: Patrol Officers, a game that improved meaningfully over time through updates. That experience cuts both ways: they know how long systemic polish takes, and they may be avoiding another years-long public tune-up. I respect that. If you’re going to hinge your whole game on feel—horse handling, terrain, weight, momentum—you need to ship with confidence, not “we’ll get there.”

Why this caught my attention: the demo actually rules

I spent my first hour in Khiimori’s demo doing nothing “productive.” Just riding—watching the grass whip by, learning the steppe’s rhythm, feeling how a slight shift in weight or angle affects speed on a slope. Then I opened the horse menu and fell down the rabbit hole: breed, genetics, stats, perks—speed tracked to three decimal places. It’s not a vibe-first toy; it’s a sim with teeth.

The closest comparison isn’t another cowboy game, it’s Death Stranding. Your cargo matters. Balance matters. You watch the terrain instead of autopiloting via minimap. There’s also a touch of The Last Guardian in the rider-mount relationship—the idea that your horse isn’t just a vehicle, it’s the game’s heart. The landscapes channel that quiet, lonely awe I associate with Shadow of the Colossus. Khiimori is comfortable with silence, which is rarer than it should be.

The other hook is cultural specificity. So many “open worlds” feel like theme parks. This feels like a place with its own logic. If the full game leans into the Mongolian relay system roots—routes, rest stations, changing mounts, timing—it could be the courier sim I didn’t know I needed. The demo suggests the team gets it.

Does a 2026 date help or hurt?

Delays aren’t automatically bad; they’re only bad if they don’t change anything. The to-do list here is the right one. Guidance and onboarding matter because Khiimori is dense. The demo taught me horse systems by osmosis, but plenty of players will bounce if the UI tooltips don’t meet them halfway. Camera and controls can make or break a riding game; if turning radius, acceleration, and terrain friction aren’t tuned, no amount of pretty vistas will save it. Lowering minimum specs is a huge win too—if your game sings on mid-tier laptops, it can build a bigger community, which makes a systems-heavy sim thrive.

The risk is momentum. 2026 is a long ride. We’ve seen promising Next Fest darlings vanish into the churn. If Aesir and NightinGames go quiet, interest will drift. The demo staying live through November 30 is a smart counter, but they’ll need regular development updates, maybe time-limited demo refreshes or community challenges, to keep the campfire burning. If the plan is early access in 2026, set expectations clearly: what’s in at launch, what’s coming, and how often.

What I want to see next

• Stronger onboarding without dumbing down. Teach the genetics and stat systems with smart, contextual tasks, not walls of text.
• Controller-first tuning. Horse handling needs to feel great on a stick, with a camera that never fights you on steep terrain or tight turns.
• Performance on modest rigs. If they can truly drop min specs without gutting the world, Khiimori could become a staple for sim fans on everyday PCs.
• Courier variety. Routes that evolve with weather, time, and danger; meaningful choices between speed, safety, and horse welfare.
• Authenticity with care. Consulting Mongolian historians and creators is key. The game’s identity depends on getting the culture right, not just the saddle.

Even with the delay, I’m more excited than annoyed. The demo convinced me there’s something special here. If the team uses the extra time to sharpen the fundamentals and deepen the loop, Khiimori could be that rare sim that feels both meditative and demanding—part travelogue, part mastery exercise.

TL;DR

The Legend of Khiimori was my standout Steam Next Fest demo, and its delay to March 3, 2026 stings—but it might be the right call. The team is targeting the exact pain points that make or break a riding sim. Play the demo through November 30, then keep your expectations measured and your wishlist ready.