"Onimusha: Way of the Sword Was the Most Wishlisted Demo at Steam Next Fest — Here's Why"
2026-06-26 - 4 min read
The Demo That Topped 4,200 Competitors
Steam Next Fest ran June 15–22, 2026, with over 4,200 demos available — a new record for the event. Out of all of them, one title pulled ahead as the most-wishlisted: Onimusha: Way of the Sword from Capcom, releasing September 25, 2026.
That's a data point worth paying attention to.
What Is Onimusha: Way of the Sword?
Onimusha is Capcom's revival of its samurai action series that originally ran from 2001 to 2006. Way of the Sword is the first mainline entry in nearly two decades, and from what the demo shows, Capcom is treating it seriously.
The game puts you in feudal Japan against both human enemies and demonic Oni forces. Combat is grounded and deliberate — not frantic hack-and-slash, but controlled strikes with emphasis on parrying and reading enemy patterns. Think closer to a Souls-influenced action game than the older entries in the series.
The demo covers an early section of the game and runs about 45 minutes. Players who finished it gave it strong word of mouth, which contributed to the wishlist numbers.
Why Did It Top the Charts?
The brand carries weight. Onimusha has a generation of fans who remember it fondly and have been waiting for a return. That pre-existing loyalty converted into wishlists the moment a playable demo was available.
The release date is close. September 25 is near enough that wishlisting felt like a real commitment. When a game is 12+ months away, wishlist intent is softer.
The demo was actually good. Community tracking showed the game sustained interest beyond the first 24 hours of the event — which typically only happens when players recommend it to others after finishing the demo.
Should It Go On Your Backlog?
If you like action RPGs with deliberate combat and a strong setting, yes. The demo is still available on Steam and takes under an hour to complete — it's the best way to decide before September.
If you bounced off the older Onimusha games because of their dated controls, Way of the Sword appears to have modernized the feel significantly. It's built for players who came in through the Souls era, not just franchise veterans.
- Release date: September 25, 2026
- Platform: PC (Steam)
- Demo: Available now on Steam — free
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