Shroom and Gloom demo
The demo outlived the launch: it is still on Steam, still free, and still a different game in a few ways that matter. The biggest one is that nothing you unlock in it follows you into Early Access.
Does demo progress carry over?
“The full game’s meta progression is something totally new. There’s no progress from the demo that could be carried over into the full game.”
Team Lazerbeam, replying in Steam discussion: Does demo progress transfer to the full game?, 12 September 2026
So the unlocks you earned in the demo stay in the demo. That was also true of runs in progress: the developers said the demo would not get save games because it is meant as a single-sitting introduction (replying in Steam discussion: we really need a saving optoin, 28 June 2026). Early Access auto-saves whenever you win a fight or escape a dungeon.
Demo vs Early Access
Everything in the Demo column is about the demo build; it is not a description of the paid game.
| Area | Demo | Early Access |
|---|---|---|
| Routes to The Gloom | The original dungeon only. The Facility was announced as part of the full game in Steam announcement: Overwhelmingly Positive & new levels revealed! Shroom and Gloom Oct 25 Dev Log!, 31 October 2025 | Two pathways, with The Facility unlocked through quests (map and pathways) |
| Characters | The June 2026 demo update only gave a glimpse of character selection and new pathways in Steam announcement: Huge demo update! Early Access release announced! Shroom and Gloom Jun Dev Log!, 7 June 2026 | Five characters, the advanced ones unlocked by quests (characters) |
| Meta progression | Beating the demo let you draft one Foresight card from your winning build into the pool for the starting Foresight chest (described in Steam discussion: Meta Progression, 12 February 2026) | A new quest system that unlocks characters, cards and The Facility |
| Saves | None, by design | Auto-save after each won fight or escaped dungeon |
| Controller | None when the demo reached Steam (replying in Steam discussion: Controller support, 22 May 2025) | Listed as a launch feature, with known gaps (controller support) |
The Early Access column comes from the Steam announcement: Shroom and Gloom explodes into Early Access!, 10 September 2026, which also says everything from the demo was fine-tuned and rebalanced for Early Access.
A short history of the demo
- May 2025: it arrives on Steam, alongside the news that Devolver Digital would publish the game (announced in Steam announcement: Celebrating our first person roguelike deckbuilder hitting Steam!, 15 May 2025).
- June to August 2025: a run of patches reworked card handling, the shop and the Gloom Worm fight. The updates page lists each one.
- October 2025: Overwhelmingly Positive. The developers reported a 97% positive rating from 525 demo reviews (in Steam announcement: Overwhelmingly Positive & new levels revealed! Shroom and Gloom Oct 25 Dev Log!, 31 October 2025).
- June 2026: the big overhaul. Exploration was rebuilt, a prologue chapter added, and enemies now grow stronger the deeper you go (in Steam announcement: Huge demo update! Early Access release announced! Shroom and Gloom Jun Dev Log!, 7 June 2026). The demo then went into Steam Next Fest.
- July 2026: 100K downloads of the demo on Steam (reported in Steam announcement: Charging towards Early Access, 100K Downloads & Demo Days! SnG July Dev Log!, 31 July 2026).
The June 2026 overhaul is the last demo update the developers announced.
Is the demo a fair test of the full game?
It shows the art, the two decks and how a run flows. For difficulty, the developers themselves say it is not tuned for everyone: “The free demo isn’t intended to cater to all skill levels, it’s just meant to give you a taste of what makes Shroom and Gloom special.” Team Lazerbeam, in Steam discussion: Dear Devs, 1 September 2026
Loving the demo is no guarantee either. One demo fan, frustrated by the new pathway, wrote to the developers, “You came incredibly close to something sublime with the demo, and here, for me, you lost your way.” in Steam discussion: Love the game, hate the janitor, 11 September 2026 If the demo hooked you, the reviews page is worth a read before you pay the full price.