Rockbeasts has a January 2027 release window, and you can try its band-management RPG before launch through a free Steam demo released on October 8, 2026. Developer Lichthund also confirmed that Critical Role's Matthew Mercer and Sam Riegel are joining the cast.
The October 8 developer announcement on PlayStation Blog confirms the PS5 launch window. The PC version's Steam page now lists January 2027 too. Neither gives an exact day, so this remains a month-long window.
What Critical Role brings to Rockbeasts
Lichthund describes its relationship with Critical Role as a creative and publishing partnership. Mercer and Riegel's casting puts two named performers behind the game's characters, while the studio says the wider collaboration supports its plans for the finished game.
The Steam listing also names Liam O'Brien and Iggy Pop among the voices, and credits writer Jakub Szamałek. The announcement does not identify Mercer and Riegel's individual characters, so there is no confirmed role breakdown to attach to either actor yet.
For anyone discovering the game through that cast, Rockbeasts puts you in charge of a band. You manage its money and personalities as it tries to move beyond garage rehearsals and reach larger stages. The developer frames the story around the practical trouble of keeping musicians together long enough to succeed.
Managing the band means playing the shows too
The official game description explains how management and performance connect. You complete quests, assemble setlists, repair equipment and play rhythm-based concerts. Earnings, reputation and morale depend on how those performances go.
Money also has competing uses. Feeding musicians, fixing their gear and booking rehearsal space all draw on limited funds. That gives the band-management premise a concrete set of decisions before you even reach a venue.
Relationships with record labels and promoters create another kind of pressure. The game asks you to decide which deals to accept and how much creative freedom to give up. Its story responds to those choices, rather than treating the rise to fame as a fixed sequence of shows.
The PlayStation Store description places venue selection and preparing equipment within that same job. It also describes more than 100 characters and 90 locations, though those figures describe the full game rather than the demo.
A hand-drawn version of the 1990s music scene
Rockbeasts takes place in an alternative America populated by animal characters. Its hand-drawn locations include dive bars, record stores and radio stations, with a 1990s alternative-rock setting.
Lichthund lists 17 original full-length tracks for the finished game. The music feeds into the concerts you perform, giving the soundtrack a direct role in play. That combination makes it useful to try the demo before deciding whether the mix of narrative decisions, resource management and rhythm gameplay suits you.
Where to download the free Rockbeasts demo
The Rockbeasts demo on Steam is available now as a separate free download. Its listing confirms single-player play and English voice acting, with subtitles also listed in French, German, Spanish, Polish and Simplified Chinese.
The demo lists 10GB of storage and 8GB of RAM in its PC requirements. The full game's listing currently asks for 25GB of storage. Check the requirements for the version you intend to download, since those are different installations.
The verified demo is for PC through Steam. The PS5 announcement offers a wishlist link for the January launch; it does not announce a PS5 demo. No purchase price or exact release day is given in that announcement.
Cover image: Rockbeasts artwork supplied with Lichthund's PlayStation Blog announcement. Rockbeasts © Lichthund; associated Critical Role properties belong to their respective owners.