Is there a free Demo?
Yes. The free Hearth and Hamlet Demo launched on April 20, 2026 for Steam Medieval Fest. Its current reference build is v1.0.46, released on June 15 alongside Steam Next Fest.
The Demo introduces the incremental city-building loop: gather early resources, assign a growing population to jobs, construct and improve a settlement, unlock research, and respond to pressures such as Food demand and raids. It is a preview with a defined progression boundary, not the entire kingdom campaign.
What changed in Demo v1.0.46?
The June update extended progression with several buildings, access to Gold, one additional main-story quest, more research options, and Advisor research in the Leader's Hut or Manor. It also rebalanced worker allocation, research pacing, and combat.
Technical and accessibility work included automatic or manual UI scaling, a helper-arrow toggle, independent audio categories, revised resolution options, 4K readability changes, and Shift + F11 to hide the interface. Traditional Chinese and Korean were added in the same update.
Demo limits and full-release unknowns
| Topic | Demo v1.0.46 | Full release status |
|---|---|---|
| Progression | Stops at a Demo boundary | Broader kingdom progression confirmed |
| Gold | First access added in v1.0.46 | Full economy expected; details pending |
| Research | Expanded preview tree | More technologies confirmed |
| Story quests | One additional main quest | Complete quest scope unannounced |
| Buildings | Several additions | Full list not yet verified |
| Save transfer | Older Demo saves broke with v1.0.46 | Demo-to-release transfer unconfirmed |
Do not assume a Demo save will carry into the purchased game. The v1.0.46 patch included backend changes and explicitly made older Demo saves incompatible. There is currently no dependable official answer about transfer to the August 19 build.
Use the Demo to learn the shape of the systems, but expect costs, production rates, research requirements, and combat balance to change. Every strategy page on this site labels Demo observations until it can be re-tested after release.