Pale Incense Joins Steam Next Fest with a Playable Demo
Run your perfume shop by day, hunt through the city’s dark streets by night to save Johanna.
Pale Incense Steam Next Fest participation is officially confirmed. Blending gothic atmosphere, shop management, and vampire hunting into a single story, Pale Incense will be available with a playable demo during Steam Next Fest from October 19–26, 2026.
Throughout the demo, players will experience the first days of Edmund’s double life: managing his perfume shop during the day and taking to the city streets at night in search of the essence needed for Johanna’s treatment.
The Pale Incense demo will give players the chance to experience the game’s day-and-night gameplay loop across three in-game days.
Behind the Counter by Day
When the sun rises, Edmund’s life continues inside his small perfume shop.
Players will try to understand their customers’ expectations, craft perfumes using different ingredients, and match the scents they create with the right customers.
Every perfume created can affect not only the shop’s income, but also how prepared Edmund will be for the dangers waiting for him after dark.
But closing the shop does not mean the day is over.
For Edmund, the real danger begins when the sun goes down.
The City Changes at Night
When night falls, perfume bottles give way to hunting gear.
Edmund heads into the city’s dark streets in search of the resources he needs to keep Johanna alive. Players will track their targets, make use of the opportunities they encounter, and try to complete their hunt and return safely before sunrise.
But the city is far from empty at night.
The threats roaming its streets will force Edmund to plan each night carefully, while the approaching sunrise becomes another danger constantly hanging over the player.
Because no matter how long the night may seem for a vampire, the sun always rises.
Everything Is for Johanna
At the heart of Pale Incense is not Edmund’s desire for power, but his determination to keep Johanna alive.
Players will use the resources they earn during the day, the risks they take at night, and Edmund’s vampiric abilities toward the same goal.
Yet every night spent hunting buys Johanna a little more time while pulling Edmund further away from the normal life he is trying to maintain.
A perfumer serving customers by day.
A vampire hunting through the city streets by night.
Keeping those two lives in balance is up to the player.
Play the Pale Incense Demo During Steam Next Fest
Available during Pale Incense Steam Next Fest Demo from October 19–26, 2026, the Pale Incense demo will let players experience the game’s core systems and day-and-night loop across three in-game days.
Craft perfumes.
Run your shop.
Hunt at night.
And return to Johanna before sunrise.
About Pale Incense
Pale Incense is a gothic simulation game following the story of Edmund, a vampire who runs a perfume shop by day and hunts through the city streets at night in an attempt to save his ill wife, Johanna.
Players must balance two distinct gameplay loops, ranging from perfume crafting and customer management to nighttime exploration, hunting, and resource gathering, while trying to maintain the fragile balance between Edmund’s two lives.
Steam Next Fest: October 19–26, 2026
Demo Length: 3 in-game days
Platform: PC – Steam
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4083990/Pale_Incense/
